Letter: Roney advocates to make city more equitable

Graphic by Lori Deaton

Especially during a time when I feel there is so much potential for change and a chance for AVL to stop and change course, I am grateful and hopeful to have the opportunity to cast a vote for Kim Roney for Asheville City Council.

Kim’s campaign slogan, “Be ’Bout It Being Better,” is at the heart of how she shows up in community and who we, as a city, have the opportunity to have represent us.

Kim Roney deeply listens, centers and advocates with and for community members who have been underserved and consistently speaks up across issues to make our community more equitable and resilient. She has clearly laid out her position on reimagining public safety (kimroney4asheville.com) and stands in solidarity with the intergenerational leadership of Black Asheville Demands, calling for divestment from police and reinvestment in the Black community.

I voted last time for Kim Roney, and I will vote for her again because I trust her, how she participates in community and what she stands for. I trust who she is listening to and advocating for, and how she continues to hold herself accountable in and to community. I also trust that when elected, this is the person she will be for our community on City Council.

Having Kim Roney’s voice during the COVID pandemic and movement for racial justice has only made me feel more resolved and confident in voting for her. If you aren’t familiar with her, please check her out or take another look at her platform. I believe all of AVL would benefit from having Kim Roney on City Council. Vote Nov. 3, or during early voting Oct. 15-31.

— Kim Hunt
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.

10 thoughts on “Letter: Roney advocates to make city more equitable

  1. Mike H

    Hard pass on this candidate. I’d prefer a candidate with some business sense and experience for a change. What financial or operational experience does she have that will contribute to running a city?

    • luther blissett

      Cities aren’t businesses and the council-manager system, for better or worse, separates operations from policy.

      (This is another good reason for a larger City Council to broaden the different types of experience at the table.)

      For what it’s worth, there’s a local governing entity that’s almost entirely comprised of business/operations people. It’s the board of the TDA.

      • Mike H

        Looks like we have 2 lawyers, a clerk of court and an event planner. Only Gwen has experience in managing a large operation with a lot of moving parts. City council may not run the city but they could sure use some people with broader experience.

        • Enlightened Enigma

          why do you say that City Council does not run the city? they totally DO … and several of them are just absolute stupid idiots, totally UNqualified to serve…

    • Burnsey

      Lets see, Kim took Asheville FM from an internet only station to getting a tower installed so they could broadcast over the air. She has regularly attended city council meetings for a number of years. Served on the volunteer transportation commission and transit committee, regularly reports on city budget meetings, has her own business as a successful piano teacher, has worked in the service industry which is face to face with not only the tourist who bring their money to town, but puts her in touch with those who keep the wheels turning in an important part of our economy, and to top it off, she has used the the city transportation system because by choice she decided to go without owning a car.
      Don’t know who might be more connected to the community than Kim.
      Her level of enthusiasm, her hard work and her dedication to fairness for all who live in this city is unparalleled.

  2. Harold

    “Be ’Bout It Being Better”

    This grammatical atrocity is proof enough of being unsuited for public office or even general conversation.

    • C-Law

      Ha! I laughed at that too.

      She’s obviously culturally appropriating Ebonics/black American vernacular. How cute! Just another run-of-the-mill AVL Marxist NPC.

      Asheville gets the government it deserves.

  3. Enlightened Enigma

    All CITY voters should avoid the city council race in protest. There is NOT one candidate running that EVER talks about what is better for the TAXPAYERS !
    NONE of them are citizen friendly, though they want you to think so…

    BOYCOTT the CIty Council race due to total lack of any reasonable choices!

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.