I write to express my support for Nina Tovish for Asheville City Council.
I have known Nina for 13 years. Though we have plenty of differences in our politics, I see in her qualities that would make for an excellent member of the City Council:
• Her personal integrity is impeccable. This matters, after recent massive corruption and cover-up of corruption at the county level have reminded us that our area is not immune to such evils.
• She cares deeply about transparency and accountability in public servants.
• She is among the smartest people I have ever known — a quick study, analytical.
• She is unafraid to ask probing questions and unlikely to stop asking them until she gets to the heart of whatever matter is before her.
• She does not mistake what is for what must be and does not accept “because that’s how we’ve always done it” for an explanation. Rather, her instinct is to always be looking for better processes and solutions.
• She is civil and cooperative working on a team but not afraid to be a dissenter when a group consensus is heading in the wrong direction.
• Increasing citizen input and participation is her most important goal. I believe she will fulfill her promise to make herself available to groups and individuals who have a perspective to share on any matter before the Council.
• Relatedly, I am confident that she will give a fair hearing to people with very different political viewpoints — people like me.
Please visit tovish4avl.com for more detailed issue statements and for Nina’s pledge to voters on openness and accountability.
Look for her name at the end of the alphabetically ordered primary ballot.
— Robert J. Woolley
Asheville
Editor’s note: The writer reports volunteering for the candidate’s campaign.
Unfortunately, missing from the list of admirable qualities is any reference to the kind of governmental or professional experience which would provide the necessary attributes Asheville so desperately needs. Asheville has an abundance of smart, well-intentioned, progressive transplants who have moved here in the past 10-15 years. Those are excellent qualities in a good resident, neighbor, or active citizen, and might be sufficient for being elected to the council in a very small town. However, Asheville is not a small town, and being on the city council requires a lot more than “smarts,” sound values and good intentions.
Asheville is the hub municipality for the seventh largest metropolitan statistical area in the entire state, and the largest city in the WNC region. It has close to 100,000 residents within the city limits, and more than 300,000 in the MSA which in various ways depends on it. It has a budget of approximately $200 million, more than 1,000 employees, and many others who directly or indirectly contract with the city. The Asheville City Council needs seasoned and experienced professionals with direct knowledge about government, budgeting, service delivery, personnel, and numerous substantive policy areas. It already has more than enough well intentioned people who lack records of accomplishment in government, policy making, business or management.