Letter: Lee has integrity, financial savvy

Posted on by Letters
Graphic by Lori Deaton

I write to express my support for Rich Lee for Asheville City Council.

I do this in spite of the fact that, as a die-hard libertarian, I usually disagree with Rich’s policy preferences. But as a realist, I accept that that will be so with nearly every viable Council candidate, so I have to look at other factors to make my choices.

In Rich’s case, these are the factors that persuade me:

• I know him to be a man of integrity, honesty and candor.
• He neither spouts BS nor tolerates it from others.
• He deals with finances professionally and is a whiz at understanding spreadsheets and budgets.
• He is highly intelligent and analytical.
• Nobody better combines being a policy wonk with being willing to get his hands dirty in doing the often tedious, nitty-gritty stuff that makes a city work.
• He recognizes that everything in governance is a trade-off among competing interests and values, and is therefore pragmatically willing to take the possible instead of hold out for the ideal but impossible.
• I believe that he will give opposing ideas, from me or anybody else, a fair hearing and evaluation, even if he ultimately decides to support a different position.
• He habitually thinks of policy matters for the long run, rather than just the here and now.

I wish that Asheville would generate a strong, small-government, maximal-freedom candidate for City Council. But until that happens, I’ll gladly accept these other admirable qualities as all that I can ask.

Please join me in supporting Rich Lee for Asheville City Council.

— Robert J. Woolley
Asheville

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6 thoughts on “Letter: Lee has integrity, financial savvy”

  1. Chris Pew Pew

    He knows Spreadsheets?! So does my 12 year old. Funny he’s running again. Dude take the hint, no one wants what your selling. No thanks Rich!
    And your not a Libetarian by saying you want small government and you vote for someone who would do the exact opposite.

  2. Karen

    Wow. So he started Asheville Politics on Facebook… That sort of negates the “I believe that he will give opposing ideas, from me or anybody else, a fair hearing and evaluation” statement. I posted a fairly mild opposing view on there once. The whole echo chamber jumped in, Rich gave one of his classic snark jabs, and I was kicked off. Very arrogant in the extreme. Might want to not tout that as an asset. I haven’t been a fan since.

    • Lulz

      Yep. Lee is a little power hungry megalomaniac. And definitely has no ability to see opposite points of view. Imagine him at meetings talking down to people to their faces. That guy is trouble.

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