Letter: Williams asking for more accountability in city government

Graphic by Lori Deaton

I attended the Citizen Police Advisory Committee meeting [May 3] and watched as Dee Williams spoke for accountability in our city government. Mayor [Esther] Manheimer was listed on the agenda as set to present details on next year’s budget, but she failed to show up. Police Chief [Tammy] Hooper has also been dodging meetings such as CPAC and the Public Safety Committee meeting, and she [did not attend] the May 9 City Council meeting either, adding yet another absence to this string of absences by city employees when it comes to talking about this 2017-18 budget and what it will do to Asheville’s poor, black, and/or communities of color.

Furthermore, the committee chose to keep Larry Holt as chairman despite …  his unilateral decision-making [to not include Asheville police officers] in regard to the March CPAC meeting at the Edington Center. Committee members should not treat each other as friends they want to keep in their club, but as representatives of Asheville who have a duty to carry healthy skepticism into their decision-making.

In addition to pushing to lower APD’s racial disparity in police stops, Dee Williams on City Council will bring sanity to local politics and make racial and economic justice some of her top priorities.

— Matilda Bliss
Asheville

Editor’s note: Xpress contacted the city and received the following response from Mayor Esther Manheimer: “I had a mediation in Henderson County related to my legal practice, which ran long, and I wasn’t able to get back to Asheville in time for the meeting. I plan to attend the next CPAC meeting.” And from the city’s Communication and Public Engagement office, communications specialist Polly McDaniel offered: “Asheville Police Chief Tammy Hooper was at the April 25 City Council meeting but out of town, on the road for the Police Unity Tour during the May 9 meeting. She attends City Council and Public Safety Committee meetings when her schedule permits it and/or there are items on the agenda that warrant her attendance. APD Deputy Chief James Baumstark has served as her representative on CPAC as warranted.”

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.

7 thoughts on “Letter: Williams asking for more accountability in city government

  1. Deplorable Infidel

    How many AVL police and Buncombe deputies are members of Oathkeepers.org ?

    • bsummers

      You mean those fools who provided “perimeter security” to the Bundy occupation of that wildlife refuge in Oregon, and other bonehead far-right heavily-armed fiascos? Yeah, I’d like any local law enforcement officers who belong to that militia to identify themselves, too.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_Keepers

      • Deplorable Infidel

        Oh, there are definitely Oathkeepers on the APD…just wonder how many? the chief don’t like to discuss it…

  2. SpareChange

    Glad we’ve got a candidate running on a platform of “sanity” and “justice.” Presumably, this will balance out the many others openly advocating “insanity” and “injustice.”
    (Do people even bother to pause anymore to consider how empty their own political rhetoric is – or, are most of us just on permanent auto-pilot, spewing meaningless nonsense that just sounds good)?

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.