It’s election day in Asheville (and several other local municipalities), as citizens go to the polls to decide their next mayor and some Council members. Here’s a roundup of locals thoughts and experiences today. Photo by Max Cooper.
It’s Voting Time: a pre-Election Day primer
On Nov. 5, Ashevilleans and residents of several other local communities will decide their elected leaders. Here’s a roundup of useful resources and Xpress’ election coverage from this campaign season. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Photo by Max Cooper.
Election interviews: Esther Manheimer and John Miall
As the municipal election on Tuesday, Nov. 5 draws near, time is running out for Asheville voters to decide who they want to be the city’s next mayor. The two candidates vying for the job are current Vice Mayor and lawyer Esther Manheimer and former City Risk Management director John Miall. Today, Saturday, Nov. 2 is the last day to vote early. (Caricatures by Randy Molton)
The Halloween Voter Guide to Asheville City Elections
With Halloween and the Asheville city elections so closely aligned, we offer both some scary art (by cartoonists Brent Brown and Randy Molton) and the candidates’ replies to five key questions.
Come midevening on Nov. 5, Asheville voters will have picked their new mayor and three City Council members. There are two mayoral candidates and five Council contenders (of whom two are incumbents). In a series of forums, what positions have the candidates taken? How have they responded to voter questions? Look for recent stories at mountainx.com/election, and check these excerpts from the candidates answers.
Don Yelton responds to criticism of his controversial Daily Show interview
Longtime local conservative activist Don Yelton is getting national attention for contentious comments he made Oct. 23 on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. However, he says he stands behind them.
Asheville City Council election interview: Mike Lanning
This is the fifth interview with Asheville City Council candidates, this time with former APD officer Mike Lanning.
Asheville City Council election interview: Cecil Bothwell
This is the fourth in a series of interviews with Asheville City Council candidates, this time with Council member Cecil Bothwell, who’s running for a second term. Photo by Max Cooper.
Asheville City Council election interview: Gwen Wisler
This is the third in a series of interviews with Asheville City Council candidates, this time with former Coleman CEO and business owner Gwen Wisler. Photo by Max Cooper.
Asheville City Council election interviews: Jonathan Wainscott
This is the second in a series of interviews with Asheville City Council candidates, this time with community activist Jonathan Wainscott.
Asheville City Council election interviews: Gordon Smith
This is the first in a series of interviews with the five candidates for Asheville City Council. First up: Council member Gordon Smith.
Meadows nay, McHenry yay: WNC Congressmen split on raising debt ceiling, reopening government
In an important Oct. 16 vote, Buncombe County’s Republican congressmen split over whether to reopen the government and avoid defaulting on the nation’s debt.
The great divide: Issues of race, justice, opportunity discussed at YWCA election forum
The final question asked of Asheville’s two mayoral and five city council candidates did not focus on the usual inquires raised during this municipal election. It wasn’t about the economy. It wasn’t about jobs. It wasn’t about the police department — though it certainly touched on all of those topics. And it had nothing to do with the Asheville Art Museum. (Photo by Max Cooper)
Countdown: Asheville Council candidates field questions as election day draws near
With less than a month left before the general election, the five Asheville City Council candidates vying for three seats voiced their views on economic development, city management, relations with Raleigh and more at tonight’s League of Women Voters forum.
Daily Show will put local political scene in national comedic spotlight
Asheville’s quirky political scene will soon get national attention with a segment on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” set to air later this month.
Moffitt earns high rank from state business group
Buncombe County Rep. Tim Moffitt has been ranked the second most business friendly legislator in the state by the North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation.
Election year with no Asheville City Council primary very unusual
This year, there is no primary for the Asheville City Council races due to a low number of candidates, an occurrence so unusual even the Buncombe County Board of Elections doesn’t know the last time it happened. Since 1981, there’s been a primary in every Council election.
Back in the saddle
Kathy Sinclair was elected Sept. 14 to chair the Buncombe County Democratic Party. She succeeds Patsy Keever, who, after four months on the job, stepped down to join the state party’s leadership team. Sinclair works as an employment consultant supervisor for the N.C. Division of Workforce Solutions (formerly the Employment Security Commission) and is a […]
Voter resources
Vote early, not often The Asheville City Council primary is Tuesday, Oct. 10. However, early voting kicked off Thursday, Sept. 21. The deadline to register to vote in the primaries was Sept. 15, but people who missed it can register by appearing at the one-stop voting site, 77 McDowell St. in Asheville, during the one-stop […]
Jonathan Wainscott
Jonathan Wainscott No website Occupation: Carpenter, interior designer, artist Previous candidacy: City Council candidate, 2013 Affiliations: Affiliated with the human race Short-answer questions Why are you running for mayor? I’m running for mayor because I would like to restore the (small) amount of power that City Council has in the structure of our municipal governance. […]
Martin Ramsey
Martin Ramsey martinformayor.nationbuilder.com Occupation: Waiter Previous candidacy: Mayoral candidate, 2013 Affiliations: Political affiliation: independent, socialist Short-answer questions Why are you running for mayor? I am running for mayor because I believe that it is necessary to build a socialist left in the United States. Municipal governments and local elections are the most natural place to […]
Esther Manheimer
Esther Manheimer (I) manheimerformayor.com Occupation: Mayor, lawyer Previous candidacy: Asheville mayor, 2013; Asheville City Council, 2009 Affiliations: Beth Ha-Tephila Congregation, member; Jewish Community Center, member; Pisgah Legal Services, volunteer attorney; North Carolina Metropolitan Mayors Coalition, chair; General Federation of Women’s Clubs of NC Women of Achievement Award honoree (2014); Pisgah Legal Services Most Valuable Mountain […]