I’ve never voted before in my life. I’ve never really even paid that much attention to politics or felt excited about anyone running for office — until now. I met Mark Cates a couple of weeks ago while hanging out with friends at Wedge Brewing Co. After meeting him, I asked why he was running. […]
Tag: Asheville City Council
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Vote for Marc Hunt — I already did
I am pleased to have voted early in the primaries for Marc Hunt as my choice for City Council. I have had the chance to meet with Marc this summer and I was impressed with his vision and experience as a community leader in public and nonprofit service. Marc’s commitment to improving the health of […]
Marc Hunt is a dynamic, educated and inspirational person
Being a graduate student in the Master of Public Affairs program through Western Carolina University has provided me with numerous opportunities to expose myself to the political and public arenas in western North Carolina. I’d have to also give Marc Hunt, a candidate for Asheville City Council, credit for not only expanding my knowledge about […]
Chris Pelly has got what we need
What great good news to hear that Chris Pelly is running for City Council. I've known Chris a long time and always been impressed with his ability to pull together a diverse coalition of people toward a common end. We need that more than ever now with all the challenges Asheville faces. We need jobs, […]
The Asheville City Council candidate interviews (and election thread)
Over the past week, Xpress has released interviews with the eight candidates vying for three open seats on Asheville City Council. Here are all the interviews, for citizens looking to make their choices for which candidates they’ll support in the primary. Early voting is going on now thru Oct. 8, and Election Day is Oct. 11. Who are you voting for, Ashevilleans?
Asheville City Council candidate interview: TJ Thomasson
In the latest installment of our ongoing series of interviews with Asheville City Council candidates, Caitlin Byrd talks to TJ Thomasson about issues ranging from affordable housing to LGBT rights.
Asheville City Council candidate interview: Tim Peck
In the latest installment of our ongoing series of interviews with Asheville City Council candidates, Jake Frankel talks to Tim Peck about issues ranging from government outsourcing and affordable housing to changes at the police department. (Audio from the interview included).
LIVE: Coverage of Sept. 27 Asheville City Council meeting
Follow live Twitter coverage of the Sept. 27 Asheville City Council meeting. Word came earlier today that Mayor Terry Bellamy has signed a proclamation recognizing the Blue Ridge Pride festival, and a vote on that item will not be on the agenda.
Real progressives do!
You hear much about “Asheville, the bastion of the progressive,” as in “making progress toward better conditions; employing or advocating more enlightened or liberal ideas, i.e., a progressive community. “Making,” “employing” and “advocating” are all about action taken to achieve progress. The question then is, where’s all this “action”? Few even voted in the last […]
Vote for Chris Pelly
An experienced neighborhood advocate like Chris in City Council can ensure that our neighborhoods needs and concerns are heard! When residents and homeowners have to react to each issue in their neighborhood — inappropriate development, wrong residual zoning, digital billboards, stalled developments with issues of storm runoffs, no sidewalks, etc. — we expect that our […]
Blue Ridge Pride: Mayor has signed proclamation
Yesterday, it looked like tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting would see a conflict over a proclamation recognizing the Blue Ridge Pride festival. This afternoon, however, an announcement from Blue Ridge Pride claims Mayor Terry Bellamy has agreed to sign a proclamation recognizing the event.
Asheville City Council candidate interview: Jan Davis
In the latest installment of our ongoing series of interviews with Asheville City Council candidates, Jake Frankel talks to Jan Davis about issues ranging from economic development and incentives to affordable housing and campaign strategy. (Audio from the interview included).
Asheville City Council candidate interview: Chris Pelly
In the latest installment of our ongoing series of interviews with Asheville City Council candidates, David Forbes talks to Chris Pelly about issues ranging from infrastructure to economic development and defending Asheville in Raleigh. Audio from the interview included.
E-mails reveal how Blue Ridge Pride proclamation made it to Council agenda
An e-mail exchange released by Asheville City Council member Bill Russell reveals new details about how a proclamation recognizing the Oct. 1 Blue Ridge Pride festival made it onto Council’s agenda for its Sept. 27 meeting. In the exchange, Mayor Terry Bellamy, who has not given the festival a standard mayoral proclamation, notes that she will place it on the new business portion of the agenda. Russell says he hoped for a standard proclamation instead of a contentious vote.
Asheville City Council faces showdown over Blue Ridge Pride proclamation
City proclamations aren’t typically a point of controversy, but the Asheville City Council meeting tomorrow, Sept. 27, will see an exception. A proclamation recognizing the Blue Ridge Pride festival is on the New Business portion of the agenda, as Mayor Terry Bellamy refused to endorse it.
Asheville City Council candidate interview: Lael Gray
In the latest installment of our ongoing series of interviews with Asheville City Council candidates, David Forbes talks to Lael Gray about issues ranging from transit to development and police accountability. Audio from the interview included.
Asheville City Council Candidate interview: Mark Cates
In this installment of our ongoing series of interviews with candidates for Asheville City Council, Jake Frankel interviews Mark Cates on issues facing the city. In addition to an edited transcript, this post includes audio of the conversation.
It’s official: New Belgium looking at Asheville expansion
For weeks, Asheville has seen rumors swirl that New Belgium is considering the city for a new brewery and looking for economic development incentives. Today, Sept. 22, City Council member Jan Davis publicly confirmed the rumors at a Council of Independent Business Owners forum. He tells Xpress that while he welcomes the company, he’s skeptical about the need for incentives.
Asheville City Council candidate interview: Marc Hunt
Caitlin Byrd interviews Asheville City Council candidate Marc Hunt on issues facing the city.
What the truck?
Proposed rules allowing food trucks downtown once again dominated the agenda during Asheville City Council’s Sept. 13 meeting. After a lengthy public hearing and contentious debate, Council members had narrowly approved the move Aug. 23 on a 4-3 vote. Because of that slim margin, however, the city's development guidelines required a second reading. Proponents of […]
Jan Davis is the steady hand of City Council
I'll be voting to return Jan Davis to Asheville City Council this fall, and I encourage Xpress readers to do the same. Jan has been a steady hand on Council since 2003, and has always had a pragmatic view about how to get the best outcomes for all stakeholders in city policy. I often see […]