A historic Buncombe County Board of Commissioners was sworn in Dec. 2 during its regular meeting. Amanda Edwards claimed her seat as chair, replacing Brownie Newman, who did not seek reelection. Edwards won 60% of the vote over former Sheriff Van Duncan in the Nov. 5 election. Edwards is the first female chair for Buncombe County in its 232-year history. She began by acknowledging the unprecedented time in which members took office.
“I would like to acknowledge that these last nine weeks in Buncombe County have been some of the most challenging in recent Buncombe County history, maybe the worst in Buncombe County history ever,” Edwards told the room.
“Tropical Storm Helene has devastated Buncombe County in a way that we are not likely to ever forget in our lifetime,” she continued. “I want to assure our staff and our residents of Buncombe County that the commission will continue to lead and do the work that is necessary to restore Buncombe County and make it even better than it was before Sept. 27, 2024.”
Another historic representative was sworn in. Jennifer Horton is the first Black woman to be elected commissioner for Buncombe County. Horton was joined by nearly a dozen family members as she took the oath of office. The sole new member of the board, Horton comes to office with 20 years of experience in health care. When running for office, she positioned mental health advocacy at the forefront of her platform.
Returning Commissioners Terri Wells and Parker Sloan also were sworn in for four-year terms.
Commissioner Martin Moore was appointed vice chair after receiving a nomination from Commissioner Al Whitesides and unanimous approval from the other commissioners.
The Board of Commissioners will be short one member until someone is appointed to Edwards’ former District 3 seat.
The Buncombe County Democratic Party will elect a replacement in the next few weeks, although a specific date has not been set, according to party Chair Kathie Kline.
Board of Equalization and Review appointed
Commissioners voted to elect five new members to the Board of Equalization and Review. The vote Dec. 2 comes after the entire board resigned in late September, following the firing of Tax Assessor R. Keith Miller over a conflict of interest.
The Board of Commissioners interviewed 10 candidates before the regular meeting. Then members each chose five candidates. Preston Edwards and Randall Barnett were on everyone’s list, Glenda Weinert appeared on five, and Katerina Leeger was on four lists.
The board remained deadlocked between Cade Justad-Sandberg and Phil Blake after two rounds of voting for the fifth spot. After a discussion, commissioners chose Blake because he was the only real estate appraiser in the running. Leeger and Edwards are both real estate agents; Barnett is a real estate broker; and Weinert is owner of GCW Consulting Services.
Other candidates considered were Terry Sutton, Debbie Hrncir, Alla Kolomiyets and Kristen Chianese.
The Board of Equalization and Review hears and reviews appeals from property owners in Buncombe County.
Other items of note
- Commissioners accepted $10,549 from the State Library for programming, material and equipment as part of grants related to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Dogwood Health Trust will provide $150,000 over two years for the county’s Syringe Service Program, which provides access to sterile needles, testing and naloxone, the overdose reversal drug. The money will be used in part to hire a peer support case manager and to fund overdose prevention services and harm reduction outreach in the Latinx community by the nonprofit Unete.
- The Family Justice Center (FJC) will receive $500,000 over three years from the Office of Violence Against Women for the continued employment of a trauma-informed legal assistant and two trauma-informed intake specialists, as well as travel and training for FJC staff.
- The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office received a $400,000 grant from the Department of Justice for the county’s co-responder program, a crisis response team that pairs law enforcement with mental health professionals for nonviolent 911 calls related to behavioral health and/or substance abuse issues. Funds will be used for training, medical supplies, two vehicles and the employment of two licensed clinicians.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.