Letter: This is the moment to elect Maggie

Posted on by Letters
Graphic by Lori Deaton

Our city has been stressed and pushed to its limits over the past several years. That is why I feel we need Maggie Ullman Berthiaume on City Council in this moment. Maggie is a thinker, a listener and a doer. She is exactly the leader we need to meet the challenges of our community’s future.

I have known Maggie for 14 years. I worked directly with her when she was the sustainability director for the city. Maggie is a natural collaborator and teammate. I saw Maggie work with citizens, activists and every city department to find ways to make our community better. Asheville is still benefiting from the many programs that Maggie helped create, including reducing the city’s energy use and saving $1 million annually on energy spending.

Maggie listens, asks good questions, works well with others and has the knowledge and skills to navigate the systems of local government to turn ideas into actions.

As a 20-plus year resident of Asheville, a small-business owner, a nonprofit volunteer and believer in civic duty, I am excited to support Maggie for City Council. Please join me in casting a vote for Maggie during early voting or on Nov. 8.

— Duncan McPherson
Asheville

Editor’s note: McPherson reports volunteering for Berthiaume’s campaign.

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4 thoughts on “Letter: This is the moment to elect Maggie”

  1. indy499

    How much capital did Maggie spend to secure the million dollar savings? Horrible roi decisions.

    2
    • SpareChange

      I’m open to that argument, but unless we know what the expenditure was, and how the costs/benefits all play out over an extended period of time, I see no basis for concluding these were “horrible” decisions. One should also try to account for those costs and benefits which don’t normally figure into market calculations – such as when there is a net reduction in harm to the environment. It may not translate into dollars, but most would view it as a benefit.

      1
      • indy499

        The payback of the light changes and electric vehicles was in decades. Obviously environmental impact is part of the equation captain obvious.

  2. Enlightened Enigma

    Have not heard her , nor any of them address CRIME within the city and the safety of the citizens. Why not ? Unqualified ?

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