Letter writer: Smith leads us toward decent living for all

Graphic by Lori Deaton

Looking for a great opportunity to put people power on the Buncombe County [Board of Commissioners]? Gordon Smith is the real deal.

When “affordable” housing is considered to be $816 a month for a one-bedroom apartment, and bankers have the audacity to appear at Kiwanis to preview an opening for a bank teller that pays $7 an hour, we need clear-minded leadership.

Do the numbers: That’s $1,142 a month salary for a position that requires a professional wardrobe and clerical skills well above high school level.

Are you kidding me? How disastrous. A single person can’t hold an entry-level job and live alone in an “affordable” apartment without a government subsidy!

Gordon Smith was once a lone voice on the City Council for planning for the increasing population pressure, which will impact housing costs as more people come to our area, until the recent election when others began to face up to reality. He led the way.

Now we have city leadership that is looking seriously at people problems and not just the grasping hand of the hotel/tourist industry. We have Gordon Smith to thank for kicking this off.

Now he’s standing for a District 1 seat on the Buncombe County [Board of Commissioners]. What can he do for us there? Standing for living wages, bus service on weekends, more flexible housing standards that can include small and “tiny” houses, he leads us toward decent living for all.

Vote for Gordon Smith. We’ll all win!

— Larry Vickers
Asheville

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24 thoughts on “Letter writer: Smith leads us toward decent living for all

  1. Lulz

    LOL, where is the clown show to answer question concerning the McKibbon deal lulz?

  2. James

    If it sounds too good to be true, it is to good to be true. Voters in district 1, please tell me you’re not falling for all these organized propaganda letters to the editor about why you should all vote for Gordon Smith. Please tell me you’re not so stupid to believe that he could or would be able to do any of the things he’s talking about. It’s not the government’s place to decide what is and isn’t a living wage. Even if such a concept were to become the law of the land in Buncombe County, don’t you think that struggling employers who can’t afford to stay in business would either cut back on the number of employees or move to another county – or simply outsource to another country? The answer is yes. Condos can be bought inside the city limits of Asheville for under $100K and several built in the 70s-90s can even be had for under $90K – that’s affordable housing! Trailers are affordable housing. Yes there’s a lot of expensive housing in Asheville and Buncombe County but the world does not revolve around Montford, West Asheville, Downtown and North Asheville. There are two other candidates running in the 1st – a woman and a black man – both of them would bring much more to the table than this elitist snob who looks down on anyone who isn’t a card-carrying, white progressive.

    • Yep

      everyone I talk to pretty much knows about gordo’s non leadership on important matters and the fact that he’s done
      basically nothing for west avl, especially ‘east’ west avl…he is NOT a leader by any measure or need.

    • Yep

      and …neither of these three candidates are worthy of your votes…sit this race out..don’t vote …waste of a vote either way.

      • James

        But… if people sit this one out, there’s a probability that he could get elected. This guy does not deserve to be elected to any position where he could wind up successfully imposing his personal worldview on innocent people. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see a bright future at all for Buncombe County government, but Gordon Smith simply does not deserve to get ahead. Voters should stand up against him and send him sashaying back to his insignificant blog where he can post hatred all day and not answer questions.

          • bsummers

            Thanks for consistently driving down the conservative voter turnout, comrade.

          • Peter Robbins

            Joke’s on you. If we have a reasonable excuse, we can ask them not to count our vote provisionally.

    • Big Al

      A “card-carrying, white progressive”? Which identifier is he carrying a card for, white or progressive?

      If he is a card-carrying white (as your reference to a black candidate would imply), where does one get such a card? Last such card I heard of for whites was from the KKK. Are you saying he is a Klansman or other such racist? Oops, there I go, falling into the Get Whitey camp of “micro-aggression” and “white privilege”.

      Or is he carrying a card as a progressive? Again, the last groups I heard of issuing such cards were the Socialist and Communist Parties and their affiliates, the Unions and the Democrats in general. No biggie there, but Democrats tend to steer away from the commies and haven’t shown much spine supporting the Unions lately, so that card doesn’t have much credit in its’ account, does it?

      Or maybe your “card-carrying” analogy is just flawed. Maybe find some other way to heckle the elitist honkey leftist.

  3. Smith is an arrogant cliquehampster, but his voting record is actually not as bad as the city council average. Isaac Coleman should be much better though, besides this is a token race, the real action is in Buncombe Distirct 2 and the chair. ZONING CAUSES HOMELESSNESS!

  4. “Vote for Gordon Smith. We’ll all win!”

    Especially if you’re trying to get rezoning to allow tiny homes in the county so you can gain financially from political connections.

    • Peter Robbins

      That sort of self-interest is common, though. As when local taxpayers argue in favor of tax cuts. Or local conservatives argue in favor of keeping Asheville weird.

      • bsummers

        Or local conservatives argue in favor of keeping Asheville weird.

        Some local conservatives achieve that without meaning to.

          • Peter Robbins

            On the basis of this thread, I’d have to give him credit for prudent choice of enemies.

          • bsummers

            Why do you think Tim Moffitt lost? Yay, Tim Peck! Doing the Lords work.

          • Interesting to see a change of subject from the estimable Gordon Smith. Understandable though. Frankly, there’s no there there.

          • Peter Robbins

            No change of subject. “When a true genius appears in this world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.” Jonathan Swift. Gordon Smith may not be a full-fledged genius, but sullen sockpuppets don’t make for much of a confederacy, either.

            By the way, if you scroll up, you’ll find that you’re the one who changed the subject — by attacking the integrity of the letter writer. For having the temerity to both favor and sell tiny houses. Classy guy.

  5. Yep

    lucky people who own property in the county are already putting in ‘tiny houses’ where wanted …so is permission needed? no.

  6. As one who loves to stay on topic:

    “Possible fixes include creating special zoning districts for ‘tiny homes,'”
    avlne.ws/1XIBIHg

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