Letter: New City Council should take note of citizens’ concerns

Graphic by Lori Deaton

I’d like to thank the local candidates who did not win election for mayor and City Council — Kim Roney, Nina Tovish, Allison Scott and Andrew Fletcher — for running campaigns that brought to the fore many issues of concern to our community.

Running for office is very challenging work. Our community is fortunate to have such smart, energetic and dedicated folks willing to throw their hats into the political ring with the intention of serving all of us.

They were up against a lot — the name recognition of incumbency, the Sierra Club’s poorly researched but influential promotions, established political party restrictions, fundraising.

Yet, each of them ran exciting campaigns and made a great showing. I hope that they will continue to be interested in being involved in the community.

I also hope that the current Council and our newest Councilperson Maggie Ullman Berthiaume (congratulations to her) will take note that there is a significant number of citizens who want to see a Council that is serious about transparency, mitigating local effects of climate change, particularly through sensible and innovative programs, and real commitment to our natural environment, economic equity, sensible “development,” affordable housing and transportation, and diversifying the tourist economy, among many other issues. Truly, voting does matter, especially locally.

And many thanks to the Buncombe County Board of Elections — its board, staff, poll workers and volunteers who did such an excellent job in ensuring a free and fair election.

— Anne Craig
Asheville

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3 thoughts on “Letter: New City Council should take note of citizens’ concerns

  1. NFB

    “the Sierra Club’s poorly researched but influential promotions”

    Just because an organization (or a person, for that matter) does not endorse the candidates you support does not automatically mean their research was “poor.” It could just mean that they came to a, gasp!, different conclusion than you did.

  2. Tom T

    And no mention of our depleted police department, increase in crime and increasingly deteriorating safety. None of the other issues matter and I mean None…until the safety and rebuilding of our police department is behind us. Nothing. All nonsensical verbiage.

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