Debra Campbell. Photo courtesy of the city of Asheville
City Manager Debra Campbell started her new job atop Asheville’s city government on Dec. 3. Here are her top five reasons for picking our town for her next career move.
Incredibly hospitable, engaged and caring people.
Natural and scenic beauty of the city and region.
Talented and skilled city staff that I met during the interview process.
City issues, challenges and opportunities are a good fit for my skill set and career progression from an assistant city manager to a city manager.
Asheville is closer to my family and hometown — Chattanooga, Tenn.
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15 thoughts on “2018 in review: Why I chose Asheville, by new City Manager Debra Campbell”
Kathy Hurley
Welcome, Debra Campbell, thrilled you are here!
Wishing you a bright and happy new year in #EXPLOREASHEVILLE.
….Kathy Hurley
Johnny to the A
Welcome, Debra. We all hope you are truly qualified and last longer than Tammy Hooper in her respective role.
OzarksRazor
“Truly qualified”?
Can you elaborate there?
We are lucky she chose Asheville. I am hoping she won’t quit us after getting settled in to the madness.
Enlightened Enigma
Welcome Debra Campbell! We hope that you will eagerly manage city council appropriately. They need it as there was NO city council management for 13 years of your predecessor. They are are a sketchy bunch, so watch out.
Lance Rockwood
Her five-year contract includes an annual salary of $220,000 plus benefits, including health insurance, and a $5,000 annual car allowance with the possibility of annual raises. Campbell will be reviewed *at least* once a year. She will also get $15,000 in moving expenses and a temporary housing payment of $2,000 a month for up to six months.
I’d take the job, too, if I were her.
Huh
Dang…
Davidson Jones
Welcome. You are a breath of fresh Air for The City Of Asheville. You will do well. I have lived here for 24+ years. I raised three children here. They all live elsewhere. They are Black. “Dad, there is nothing here for us.”, they all say. I have witness several attempts in Asheville to “solve” the “race problem”. As has been the case to often, in our country, we get the new buzzwords, slogans, organization titles, all to no avail. Today we give jobs to Blacks with interesting titles that amount to window dressing”, and” rain dancing”. We have Black people in charge of equity, inclusion, and engagement. The “race relations needle” never moves. This Black man finds that laughable and insulting. You can not put a hand full of people in chare of doing right by others. It has to be the will of the leadership that drives cultural change. City Manager, I challenge you to rationalize the “Culture Change Boxes” in The City Manger’s Office. For the culture change roles and responsibilities, there clearly is overlap and redundancy in the words, and titles alone. An immediate financial benefit to the city would be realized with the staff reduction s from such rationalization. No staff person should have the responsible for teaching others how to be their brother’s keeper. That is a leadership responsibility. I believe you are such person with the skills, values, and authenticity.
Jonathan Wainscott
Well said. It’s sad that the rising tide of prosperity in Asheville has carried off the black youth in search of greener fields elsewhere. Hopefully things will change and Asheville will become a place that offers more opportunities for people who look like me.
Lulz
What rising tide of prosperity? You’ve had an influx of people that move here who already have money. The breweries are owned by a bunch of trust fund spoiled brats. Idiots keep voting in morons who raise taxes and spend it on everything except what they’re supposed to spend it on. It’s not just blacks that are being gentrified out. Asheville is becoming elitist because the wealthy are the only one’s who can afford to live here.
Huh
…and the wealthy want it that way! “Poor” people remind them too much of the criminal things they’ve done to be called “wealthy.”
OzarksRazor
Thank you, Davidson. All of this and more should be openly discussed. ✌🏻 It was good to have made your aquaintence via Cyrus!
Lulz
LOL whatever. Because like Asheville is a mecca of jobs that discriminate lulz. You live in a tourist trap. Young people of all colors are leaving. To sit there and say that because they are black and therefore they can’t find jobs is BS. Construction, has been in a boom for years now.
If you think blacks needs constant help from the government to overcome their “sense” of “entrenched racism”, they’re already lost. If that were the case, Latinos wouldn’t be surpassing them in all areas. You need cultural change alright but it needs to be the black culture that changes cause for the most part it’s failed.
OzarksRazor
“If you think blacks needs constant help from the government to overcome their “sense” of “entrenched racism”, they’re already lost. If that were the case, Latinos wouldn’t be surpassing them in all areas. You need cultural change alright but it needs to be the black culture that changes cause for the most part it’s failed”
I am pretty sure Mr. Jones was not stating that black folks need “constant help from the government”.
Its kinda twisted to have that take~away from what he wrote… and that what you said is, at its essence, a prime example of institutionalized racism. You proved him right by trying to “outsmart” or negate his position and then blame black people for what you agree is happening (gentrification) in Asheville.
Good work, buddy.
*insert eye~roll emoji*
OzarksRazor
Welcome Debra! I left Asheville and lived in The QC during some of your tenure. I look forward to what you bring to the table. Asheville is lucky to have you.
Yeah, I must be a racist...
#6 My new employers are all Democrats… job security!
Welcome, Debra Campbell, thrilled you are here!
Wishing you a bright and happy new year in #EXPLOREASHEVILLE.
….Kathy Hurley
Welcome, Debra. We all hope you are truly qualified and last longer than Tammy Hooper in her respective role.
“Truly qualified”?
Can you elaborate there?
We are lucky she chose Asheville. I am hoping she won’t quit us after getting settled in to the madness.
Welcome Debra Campbell! We hope that you will eagerly manage city council appropriately. They need it as there was NO city council management for 13 years of your predecessor. They are are a sketchy bunch, so watch out.
Her five-year contract includes an annual salary of $220,000 plus benefits, including health insurance, and a $5,000 annual car allowance with the possibility of annual raises. Campbell will be reviewed *at least* once a year. She will also get $15,000 in moving expenses and a temporary housing payment of $2,000 a month for up to six months.
I’d take the job, too, if I were her.
Dang…
Welcome. You are a breath of fresh Air for The City Of Asheville. You will do well. I have lived here for 24+ years. I raised three children here. They all live elsewhere. They are Black. “Dad, there is nothing here for us.”, they all say. I have witness several attempts in Asheville to “solve” the “race problem”. As has been the case to often, in our country, we get the new buzzwords, slogans, organization titles, all to no avail. Today we give jobs to Blacks with interesting titles that amount to window dressing”, and” rain dancing”. We have Black people in charge of equity, inclusion, and engagement. The “race relations needle” never moves. This Black man finds that laughable and insulting. You can not put a hand full of people in chare of doing right by others. It has to be the will of the leadership that drives cultural change. City Manager, I challenge you to rationalize the “Culture Change Boxes” in The City Manger’s Office. For the culture change roles and responsibilities, there clearly is overlap and redundancy in the words, and titles alone. An immediate financial benefit to the city would be realized with the staff reduction s from such rationalization. No staff person should have the responsible for teaching others how to be their brother’s keeper. That is a leadership responsibility. I believe you are such person with the skills, values, and authenticity.
Well said. It’s sad that the rising tide of prosperity in Asheville has carried off the black youth in search of greener fields elsewhere. Hopefully things will change and Asheville will become a place that offers more opportunities for people who look like me.
What rising tide of prosperity? You’ve had an influx of people that move here who already have money. The breweries are owned by a bunch of trust fund spoiled brats. Idiots keep voting in morons who raise taxes and spend it on everything except what they’re supposed to spend it on. It’s not just blacks that are being gentrified out. Asheville is becoming elitist because the wealthy are the only one’s who can afford to live here.
…and the wealthy want it that way! “Poor” people remind them too much of the criminal things they’ve done to be called “wealthy.”
Thank you, Davidson. All of this and more should be openly discussed. ✌🏻 It was good to have made your aquaintence via Cyrus!
LOL whatever. Because like Asheville is a mecca of jobs that discriminate lulz. You live in a tourist trap. Young people of all colors are leaving. To sit there and say that because they are black and therefore they can’t find jobs is BS. Construction, has been in a boom for years now.
If you think blacks needs constant help from the government to overcome their “sense” of “entrenched racism”, they’re already lost. If that were the case, Latinos wouldn’t be surpassing them in all areas. You need cultural change alright but it needs to be the black culture that changes cause for the most part it’s failed.
“If you think blacks needs constant help from the government to overcome their “sense” of “entrenched racism”, they’re already lost. If that were the case, Latinos wouldn’t be surpassing them in all areas. You need cultural change alright but it needs to be the black culture that changes cause for the most part it’s failed”
I am pretty sure Mr. Jones was not stating that black folks need “constant help from the government”.
Its kinda twisted to have that take~away from what he wrote… and that what you said is, at its essence, a prime example of institutionalized racism. You proved him right by trying to “outsmart” or negate his position and then blame black people for what you agree is happening (gentrification) in Asheville.
Good work, buddy.
*insert eye~roll emoji*
Welcome Debra! I left Asheville and lived in The QC during some of your tenure. I look forward to what you bring to the table. Asheville is lucky to have you.
#6 My new employers are all Democrats… job security!