Few turn out for Let Asheville Vote event—

Despite heavy advance publicity in talk show as well as editorial endorsement by the Asheville Citizen-Times, few attended the Let Asheville Vote rally on Monday evening. About two dozen people showed up, according to Scrutiny Hooligan’s blog—by his estimate half of that number were representatives of the press.

Screwie Hoolie reports that organizers have gathered only about one thousand of the 5,300 signatures needed to demand a referendum on the question of whether Asheville city elections should become partisan.

Co-organizer Tim Peck said, “Poor turnout at a rally does not reflect the importance of this issue. The signatures are still pouring in and we’re having no trouble getting people to sign. The problem is that we’re short on volunteers.”

INSERT QUOTE FROM NEWMAN/CAPE/JONES/FREEBORN??? HERE

The deadline for collection of signatures is June 29.

— Cecil Bothwell, staff writer

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About Cecil Bothwell
A writer for Mountain Xpress since three years before there WAS an MX--back in the days of GreenLine. Former managing editor of the paper, founding editor of the Warren Wilson College environmental journal, Heartstone, member of the national editorial board of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, publisher of Brave Ulysses Books, radio host of "Blows Against the Empire" on WPVM-LP 103.5 FM, co-author of the best selling guide Finding your way in Asheville. Lives with three cats, macs and cacti. His other car is a canoe. Paints, plays music and for the past five years has been researching and soon to publish a critical biography--Billy Graham: Prince of War:

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