Letter writer: Smith understands and supports local businesses

Graphic by Lori Deaton

As the director of the Asheville Grown Business Alliance and local business owner for 14 years, I appreciate the understanding, enthusiasm and respect that Gordon Smith brings to the local economy in Asheville and Buncombe County.

He values place-based economic development and believes in investing in the people and businesses that have their roots here in Buncombe County. He understands that these local businesses return three times more money to our community than the chains and businesses headquartered elsewhere.

Gordon wants to preserve, diversify and grow opportunities for our small, local, family- and minority-owned businesses. One of Gordon’s primary initiatives has been rolling out Buncombe Community Capital, a new $1 million loan fund for locally owned businesses.

I believe and support Gordon Smith, and I hope you will join me in voting for him to be a Buncombe County commissioner on March 15.

— Franzi Charen
Director, Asheville Grown Business Alliance
Asheville

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9 thoughts on “Letter writer: Smith understands and supports local businesses

  1. Yep

    Smithiness is NOT a leader, and will only seek to TAX everyone higher and higher and give away stolen taxpayer money to
    corporations under the guise of ‘incentives’ …He is a power monger seeking more POWER, just like Holly Jones, the racist
    running for Lt Gov…neither is worthy of your vote!

  2. John

    Gordon wants to grease the pockets of all who write letters to the editor on his behalf. This is getting ridiculous.

  3. Yep

    not no, hell NO…smithiness is NO leader…he just wants POWER…enough of him trying to run the show…

  4. Yep

    sorry to repeat but previous posts did not appear to my viewing on this wonky website …

  5. Asked what set them apart from their competitors at the ABLWV candidate forum, the Reverend Jasmine Beach-Ferrara said that we are “a wonderfully diverse county in many ways, including politically and religiously,” and that she was “tired of the shrill and partisan conversations we’ve been having,” as divisive blogger Gordon Smith sits perplexed beside her, as if to say, “WHA? WHO? WHA?”.
    Video: bit.ly/1Su2eUI (28:00)

    • Lulz

      Both of them are incompetent. A one issue lame duck and a bogus nitwit who’s in it for self gratification does not make for effective government LOL. All it leads to is handout after handout and tax increase after tax increase lulz. Both are promotions of the same carnival ride being here for close to 3 decades now. Somehow it’s the same issues that never get solved yet they run on them again and again.

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