Letter writer: Beach-Ferrara’s listening skills will serve her as commissioner

Graphic by Lori Deaton

On March 15, we will vote for Jasmine Beach-Ferrara for Buncombe County commissioner, and we think you should, too. We have gotten to know Jasmine, her wife, Meghann, and their child over the past few years.  We met first through league soccer and running endeavors, and have more recently enjoyed social engagements and campaign events.

The first thing we both noticed about Jasmine is that she is an incredible listener. She made us feel comfortable and at ease: We actually didn’t know she owned a cellphone because we never saw her check it. She was always completely engaged in our presence, and we have observed this when she is with others, too. It is a trait that is becoming more scarce, and we think her listening ability will help her transition from an effective social leader to a political leader.

As the child of a single working mom, she relates to people from all walks of life without any pretense. She has a strong background in working with underserved communities, and we believe this needs to be strengthened with the commissioners.

As founder and director of the Campaign for Southern Equality, she has demonstrated leadership and fluency in LGBT issues across the Southeast. This experience and her personal story have made her fluent in other issues, such as ending childhood poverty, building healthy communities and shaping economic growth.

As two people with a background in primary care for the underserved (Susan) and environmental advocacy (Adam), we believe that Jasmine Beach-Ferrara will be an advocate for both causes (and many others) if she is elected. Please get out and vote on March 15!

— Susan McDowell and Adam Griffith
Asheville

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18 thoughts on “Letter writer: Beach-Ferrara’s listening skills will serve her as commissioner

  1. Yep

    The three choices for this District 1 race are dreadful, but Im now considering voting for the racist Coleman, so we can have THE FIRST African American on the corrupt criminal county commission!!! We simply MUST overcome THAT barrier first, right ?

  2. Henry

    Excited for the future and to have a county commission who will really listen. It’ll be refreshing to vote for someone who actually created such a large movement based on positive emotions and feelings.

    Should be a breath of fresh air around here.

  3. Q: When is the election?

    The primary election will take place on March 15, 2016. If Jasmine wins the Democratic primary on March 15th, she will then be on the general election ballot on November 8, 2016. There is no Republican candidate running in District One, so the winner of the Democratic primary is the presumptive winner of the seat.

    Q: How many County Commissioners are there?

    The County Commission in Buncombe County has 7 members total. There are 3 districts, which each elect two commissioners and the Chair of the County Commission whose “district” is the entire county.

    Q: How many people do I vote for for County Commission?

    This part is a bit confusing, because the way we elect County Commissioners has changed. In 2016, voters will elect one member to the commission from each of the three districts and also will elect a Chair for the Commission. Each voter in Buncombe county will vote for one person from the district they live in and everyone will also vote for the chair regardless of which district they live in.

    http://www.jasmineforbuncombe.org/voting-for-buncombe-county-commission—faq.html

  4. UPDATED LINK

    Q: When is the election?
    The primary election will take place on March 15, 2016. If Jasmine wins the Democratic primary on March 15th, she will then be on the general election ballot on November 8, 2016. There is no Republican candidate running in District One, so the winner of the Democratic primary is the presumptive winner of the seat.

    Q: How many County Commissioners are there?
    The County Commission in Buncombe County has 7 members total. There are 3 districts, which each elect two commissioners and the Chair of the County Commission whose “district” is the entire county.

    Q: How many people do I vote for for County Commission?
    This part is a bit confusing, because the way we elect County Commissioners has changed. In 2016, voters will elect one member to the commission from each of the three districts and also will elect a Chair for the Commission. Each voter in Buncombe county will vote for one person from the district they live in and everyone will also vote for the chair regardless of which district they live in.
    http://www.jasmineforbuncombe.org/voting-for-buncombe-county-commission—faq.html

    • ANOTHER UPDATED LINK

      UPDATED LINK

      Q: When is the election?
      The primary election will take place on March 15, 2016. If Jasmine wins the Democratic primary on March 15th, she will then be on the general election ballot on November 8, 2016. There is no Republican candidate running in District One, so the winner of the Democratic primary is the presumptive winner of the seat.

      Q: How many County Commissioners are there?
      The County Commission in Buncombe County has 7 members total. There are 3 districts, which each elect two commissioners and the Chair of the County Commission whose “district” is the entire county.

      Q: How many people do I vote for for County Commission?
      This part is a bit confusing, because the way we elect County Commissioners has changed. In 2016, voters will elect one member to the commission from each of the three districts and also will elect a Chair for the Commission. Each voter in Buncombe county will vote for one person from the district they live in and everyone will also vote for the chair regardless of which district they live in.
      http://www.jasmineforbuncombe.org/voting-for-buncombe-county-commission—faq.html

      • Peter Robbins

        Still can’t think of a point? After all this time? Oh, well. You can stop thinking now. We’ll just chalk up this latest failure to performance anxiety.

      • The March 15 primary election will otherwise go as planned, with races for president, governor, U.S. Senate, the legislature and county positions still in place.
        avlne.ws/1QFnRfi
        ………………………………………….

    • bsummers

      “This is beginning to resemble when organized crime took over Las Vegas,” Aardema said.

      Disgusting.

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