Deadline to file candidacy for municipal elections approaches

Update: Four more candidates have filed for Asheville elections: Richard Liston, 2013 mayoral candidate John Miall, Holly Shriner and Dee Williams. And Rachel Halbert Allen filed for Black Mountain Alderman.

By Thursday afternoon, 12 candidates had officially thrown their hats into the ring for the Asheville City Council elections this fall.

In the surrounding Buncombe communities, an additional 20 candidates have filed for their local elections.

Three seats in the Asheville council are up for grabs, marking the end of Marc Hunt, Chris Pelly and Jan Davis‘ 4-year terms. Davis and Pelly have been on council since 2003 and 2011, respectively, and only vice mayor Hunt, elected in 2011, is seeking reelection in the fall.

Official campaign filing began on Monday, July 6, and ends at noon tomorrow, Friday, July 17.

So far, joining Hunt on the campaign, is Barnett & Atkins defense attorney Corey Atkins; former Keller Williams real estate broker Joe Grady; Brian Haynes, showroom manager at Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore and brother of musician Warren Haynes; Edward Jones financial advisor Rich Lee; MountainTrue co-director Julie Mayfield; Grant Millin, owner of Innovograph; psychologist and former councilman Carl Mumpower; 22-year-old long-haul truck driver Lavonda Payne; Campaign for Southern Equality campaign manager Lindsey Simerly, who also chairs the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee; deputy clerk of Superior Court Keith Young and former Asheville mayor and city manager Ken Michalove.

Although community activist Jonathan Wainscott announced his intent to run in late May, the Asheville resident’s Facebook campaign page has not seen a new post for more than a month, and his website, wainscottforcouncil.com, has since been removed. In May and June, Wainscott was charged twice with violating his wife’s domestic violence protective order, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported. Later in June and again in early July, he was arrested for assault, with the additional charge of breaking and entering for the latter arrest, reads the same report.

Announced official candidates for other races are:

Weaverville: Patrick Fitzsimmons, Andrew Nagle and current vice mayor John V. Penley for Weaverville Town Council.

Woodfin: Jerry VeHaun seeks reelection unopposed for Woodfin mayor. Incumbents James Angel, Donald H. Honeycutt, Jr. and Ronnie Lunsford filed candidacy for their current positions as Woodfin Aldermen. And current chair Sarah W. Gassaway filed for reelection as a Woodfin Sanitary Water & Sewer District Trustee.

Black Mountain: Current vice mayor Don Collins, incumbents Larry Harris and Margaret (Maggie) Tuttle have filed candidacy for Black Mountain Alderman.

Biltmore Forest: George Goosmann seeks reelection against Jim Taylor for Biltmore Forest mayor; incumbents Fran Cogburn, Glenn Kelly and Doris Loomis ask to be reelected as Biltmore Forest Commissioners.

Montreat: Tim Helms is running for Montreat mayor. And Martha Dimmock Campbell, Katheryn (Kitty) Fouche and Bill Gilland have filed for Montreat Commissioners positions.

The Asheville city primary will be held on Oct. 6, with early voting from Sept. 24-Oct. 3. And the municipal general election will be held on Nov. 3, with early voting from Oct. 22-31.

If you planned to file candidacy for municipal elections, you’d better hurry! Click here for a list of open offices and filing fees, click here to find the forms needed and drop by the Election Services office at 77 McDowell St. by noon tomorrow.