Bruce O’Connell is running as an unaffiliated candidate for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners District 2.
Sustaining community: A conversation with local candidate Paul Benjamin
Paul Benjamin, a Republican, is running for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners District 1.
Sustaining community: A conversation with local candidate Jennifer Horton
Jennifer Horton, a Democrat, is running for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners District 1.
Sustaining community: A conversation with local candidate Van Duncan
In February, former Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan surpassed the 8,295 signatures required to get on this year’s ballot for chair of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Duncan, a one-time Democrat who served as sheriff from 2006-18, is running as an unaffiliated candidate.
Sustaining community: A conversation with local candidate Parker Sloan
Incumbent Buncombe County Commissioner Park Sloan will run in an uncontested race for this District 3 seat. Sloan joined the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners in 2020, where he serves as chair of the newly formed Buncombe County Climate and Environment Committee.
Sustaining community: A conversation with local candidate Amanda Edwards
Democrat Amanda Edwards announced her bid for chair of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners in October, where she currently serves as a commissioner for District 3. If elected in November, Edwards would become the first female chair.
Business improvement district proposal praised at State of Downtown address
The mayor shared her enthusiasm about a potential business improvement district, or BID, in the city’s downtown.
Buncombe advances first-time candidates in March 5 primary
While the March 5 primary delivered few surprises at the top of the ticket, local races delivered some firsts for Buncombe County in an election that saw a far lower turnout than the previous presidential primary in 2020.
Former Sheriff Van Duncan passes write-in threshold to secure ballot spot for chair of Buncombe County Board of Commissioners
Duncan, 59, and his team gathered the signatures in 40 days, well ahead of the March 5 deadline, mostly by sending almost 40,000 mailers to unaffiliated or Republican voters in Buncombe who’ve voted in the past three elections.
Asheville’s rising housing cost forces candidate out of City Council race weeks before primary
“It’s a very new feeling for me and I think I was embarrassed to let people know,” Taylon Breeden said of her difficulty in finding housing. “But it’s important that I tell the story because it is relatable and we’re all facing it so harshly right now.”
2024 Primary Election Voter Guide
As the saying goes, “All politics is local.” At Xpress, we firmly believe this, which is why we’ve focused our primary election guide on local races that pertain specifically to Buncombe County. There will be a lot of new faces on local boards, offices, councils and benches. Asheville Vice Mayor Sandra Kilgore is one of several […]
Republican Edwards crushes challengers in race to raise, spend campaign cash
Candidate finance reports covering all of 2023, including the first weeks of the 2024 campaign, show Republican Chuck Edwards crushing Democrat Caleb Rudow and Edwards’ Republican primary challenger Christian Reagan from rural Clay County.
Nonpartisan coalition offers voter education
With new laws requiring voter ID for the first time in North Carolina and a lack of resources for non-English speaking voters, a coalition of nonprofits is working to get voters educated in time for the primary election.
2024 Primary Voter Guide: Buncombe County Board of Commissioners District 1
In addition to the dizzying changes from redrawn district lines for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara announced she would not seek reelection, creating one incumbent-free race.
2024 Primary Voter Guide: U.S. House 11
Two years ago, the primary race for District 11 between then-state Sen. Chuck Edwards of Hendersonville and the controversial U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, drew national attention. This time around, the primary between now-U.S. Rep. Edwards and Christian Reagan has been relatively quiet. Edwards, who owns multiple McDonald’s fast-food franchises, did not respond to requests from Xpress […]
Hopes rise for low-barrier shelter under revamped homelessness team
A low-barrier shelter for people who are unhoused is a key component to cutting homelessness in half in two years, according to a National Alliance to End Homelessness report from January 2023. Yet the community has struggled mightily over the years to open one.
How redistricting affects local candidates and voting districts
The state will operate on its third set of maps in four years for the U.S. House, N.C. Senate and N.C. House districts after the N.C. General Assembly passed redrawn lines Oct. 25.
Voters in northern Buncombe usher in new leaders
Turnover was the theme in election results Nov. 7. Among the 10 winners in three jurisdictions, only one had appeared on a ballot before. Two of the 10 had been appointed but were running for the first time. Another was running for a different position. All the rest will hold office for the first time.
Woodfin and Weaverville elect new leaders
“Overall, the election went very smoothly,” Buncombe County Director of Elections Corinne Duncan said after the final results were submitted on election night Nov. 7.
In Photos: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rally
On Oct. 15, hundreds gathered to hear independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. when he spoke at the Crowne Plaza in West Asheville. The crowd, many of whom were from out of town, cheered for his anti-corporation, anti-war message.
Buncombe expands use of new election machines
Voters in Weaverville and Woodfin will be the first in Buncombe County to use an electronic method to mark ballots that could save them time at the polls.