For more than four decades, first as a journalist, then as an urban planning consultant, I’ve watched organizations and communities struggle to overcome challenges that too often overwhelm them. Success stories almost always involved leaders who inspired others to work together.
I’m convinced Maggie Ullman can be one of those leaders. That’s why I’m voting for her in the City Council primary on May 17 and why I’m looking forward to supporting her in the general election in November.
Because of her sustainability work on the city of Asheville staff and with other communities in the Southeast, I knew of Maggie before I met her. She earned a reputation for building coalitions across broad ranges of interests — including housing, equity, transportation and climate action. Maggie gets the big picture: how so many problems are interdependent and why solutions must also be interconnected.
Doesn’t that sound like a skill set we need? Let’s put Maggie to work for us — for all of us — on the City Council.
— Ben Brown
Asheville
Editor’s note: Brown reports that he is volunteering with Ullman’s campaign. He also notes that he became a partner in the North American urban planning firm PlaceMakers LLC in 2008. He and his wife, Christine, have lived in WNC for 25 years.
‘sustainability’ work is a turn off …we need LEADERSIP skills from outside city govco !