With a new filing deadline (noon, Aug. 20) for Asheville City Council elections, which reverted to nonpartisan status in the wake of a successful petition drive calling for a referendum on the issue, unaffiliated candidates are joining the race. The latest independent to throw her hat in the ring is local businesswoman Dee Williams. (For a list of the other independent candidates, see “Petition Succeeds, Next City Elections Nonpartisan,” Aug. 8 Xpress.)
Here’s a quick look at Williams and her background:
Name: Dee Williams
Age: 54
Occupation: Small-business owner (real estate; concessions)
Party affiliation: Unaffiliated
Family: Husband, David; daughter, DeLores, 28
Education: B.A., public administration; B.S. accounting; B.S. business administration, Winston-Salem State University
Civic experience: Former chair, Women’s Involvement Council of Buncombe County; founding member, Asheville/Buncombe County Minority and Women’s Business Commission; commissioner, Asheville Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission
Web site/e-mail: www.imvotingfordeeforasheville.com dwill4u@bellsouth.net
Comments: “There seems to be a lack of people who have a long-range vision for the area, coupled with an appreciation of what makes Asheville a unique place.
“There are several compelling issues: The first is, I want to develop a coherent regional water-management plan for Asheville and Buncombe and, hopefully, for Henderson County. Secondly, I want to take a more balanced approach to land development so we can preserve our unique way of life and our beauty, so future generations can sustain it as a future tourist attraction and a healthy place to live. The third thing is, taxes are too high in the city of Asheville. It puts a strain on homeownership and especially working families and people on fixed incomes. Number four, the Asheville City Schools board needs to be elected and [held] accountable to the taxpayers who fund it. And number five, I want to address the needs of public housing. It needs to be retooled and rebuilt so the people who live there can be brought into the social and cultural and economic mainstream of Asheville.”
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