It’s official: Bellamy files paperwork for congressional run

Speaking to a crowd of around 20 supporters and staff in her campaign headquarters, Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy announced this morning that she has officially filed the paperwork to run for US Congress. Bellamy will face state representative Patsy Keever and other hopefuls in a Democratic primary battle to determine which candidate will challenge either incumbent Republican Patrick McHenry or challenger Ken Fortenberry for a seat in North Carolina’s tenth congressional district.

Here’s the full announcement from the Bellamy campaign:

BELLAMY OFFICIALLY FILES TODAY AS NC-10 CANDIDATE

Asheville, NC – Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy announced this morning to a crowd of media and supporters that by this afternoon, she will officially be filed with the State Board of Elections in Raleigh as a Congressional candidate (NC-10).

Bellamy told onlookers, “I’ve been listening for the last 3 months to people in all 7 counties in the 10th District…hearing their concerns about the lack of jobs and lack of consensus in Congress; I’m ready to work. I’ve heard from them in person and in over 500 emails what they need and want to see in the 10th District. I’m a fighter who will fight to find consensus…not the kind of fighting we’ve seen for years in Congress, where they bicker and the constituents end up paying the price. I’ve been appointed to committees serving needs of our state and nation – committees developed by Governors Easley and Perdue and Presidents Bush and Obama to identify solutions for transportation, ex-offender re-entry, homeland security and the environment. I’m already building relationships with current members of Congress so I can hit the ground running when I get to D.C.”

Bellamy is running for the Democratic nomination in the newly redrawn 10th Congressional District. The winner of the May 8th primary will face incumbent Republican Patrick McHenry in November’s general election.
Terry Bellamy is serving her second term as Mayor of Asheville, NC. She is the first African-American and the youngest person elected Mayor of the city. She is the Executive Director of The Arc of Buncombe County, serves on the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Land-of-Sky Regional Council.

Bellamy’s accomplishments also include: spearheading the receipt of U.S. Department of Justice’s “Weed and Seed” funding for the West Riverside Neighborhood to reduce crime; being recognized by “One Youth at A Time” as Volunteer of the Year for her work with disadvantaged youth; working nationally to leverage nearly one million dollars for the “Homeless Coalition,” improvements to transit, the Asheville Police Department and the Reid Center for Creative Arts.

Mayor Bellamy’s experience has led Asheville through the dismal September 2008 fuel crisis by working closely with the governor and industry to bring much needed gasoline and ensure future crises would be avoided; her appointment to the 21st Century Transportation Committee formed to study transportation infrastructure needs of North Carolina; Bellamy also has served as an appointee to the Joint Legislative Committee on Housing, EPA Local Officials Advisory Committee, Homeland Security Ready Communities Partnership and the North Carolina League of Municipalities Board of Directors, as well as serving on the boards of the North Carolina League of Municipalities, Metro Mayors Coalition, Metropolitan Sewage District, HUB Community Economic Development and Alliance, and as an Advisory Board Member of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte College of Arts and Science.

For more information, please contact 828-575-2474, info@bellamyforcongress.com or visit the Bellamy for Congress Campaign Office, 900 Hendersonville Road, Suite 308, Asheville, Monday through Friday (9am to 5pm).