Letter: On local government corruption

Graphic by Lori Deaton

Editor’s note: In an Xpress newsletter, we highlighted recent articles about the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ decision to revise the county’s conflict-of-interest policy in light of a government corruption scandal that resulted in prison time for top county employees in 2019. We asked readers: “Will this move head off future problems or should more be done? What is the most effective way to ensure that local government operates in an aboveboard fashion?” Here is one response:

Personally, I don’t think so. Not enough checks and balances on line-item expenditures. I feel there were more involved in the past corruption. Too much money involved and a lot of cover-up for individuals possibly involved.

When you have one party controlling Asheville/Buncombe government, either Republican or Democrat, the fox is guarding the henhouse.

Asheville is proud to be a sister city of many democratic cities where a lot of misuse of government funds occur. Go figure. This policy is more of the same — all talk equals no action.

— Donald O. Funderud Sr.
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

2 thoughts on “Letter: On local government corruption

  1. Bright

    Kudos to Mr. Funderud. He’s written how 80% of Asheville citizens feel…belligerence and disappointment have settled in. However, we know who these people are and little by little the perps will go too far.

  2. jordan

    29, female, independent of political party. I 1000% agree, we are a sister city to a lot of this typical, correlating Democratic dysfunctional bookkeeping. But like said, doesnt matter what party.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.