Letter: The elephants in the room

Graphic by Lori Deaton

“Decaying cities, declining economies, and mounting social troubles travel together. The combination is not coincidental.” — author Jane Jacobs

Sounds like Asheville/Buncombe struggles with the TDA and HCA. Unsolved city problems spread to regions. Substitute Robert Moses, the powerbroker of urban renewal, with either or both entities to see a path forward.

Quasi-official boards created by our villain(s) mislead us. Appearing as legitimate, we bow to demands and suffer the daily consequences. Reporters, letters and editorials serve to inform and inspire, but “feet on the street” is evolutionary action. A path forward to egregious profit-driven corporations is “feet on the street.”

— Annie Butzner
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.

5 thoughts on “Letter: The elephants in the room

  1. Enlightened Enigma

    Wonder if Annie Butzner can name one democrat led city in America that is in good shape ? just one.

      • bsummers

        You gotta rinse-repeat-repeat-repeat. I ran:

        “A path forward to egregious profit-driven corporations is “feet on the street.””

        …through Hmong, and then back to English and then back to Hmong, etc. and eventually I got:

        “One way to earn money is by the way”

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.