Lael Gray is profession­al community-builder

I was happy to see the City Council candidate profiles in the Aug. 18 Mountain Xpress, but the profile on Lael Gray, identifying her as a "graphic designer," grossly understated her professional qualifications and experience [“And Then There Were Nine]. Lael Gray has the most versatile skill set and diverse professional background of any candidate. […]

Vote for Lael

My name is Elizabeth and I am 10 years old. If I could vote, I would vote Lael Gray for City Council. She made a lot of my life happen. She was the Jewish Community Center preschool director, which is the school I went to when I was younger. She is kind, loving and thoughtful. […]

Public service calls … Marc Hunt answers

Every once in a while public service calls to someone who brings the right mix of experience, values, productivity, perspective, integrity and likeability and that person answers. The citizens of Asheville are fortunate to have just such a person running for City Council: Marc Hunt. I have known Marc since 1977, when he started the […]

Chris Pelly will amaze you

I’ve been a Haw Creek Association board member for 10 years with Chris Pelly in the Haw Creek Homeowners Association. Pelly embodies leadership, a must for City Council. He takes on issues and tasks, follows through with discussions and phone calls. He pulls the group together — and not just our neighborhood. Pelly can pull […]

Who would you appoint to Planning and Zoning? Take our poll

Changes in the city’s rules have left the city of Asheville’s Planning and Zoning Commission with more power over development than ever before. Because of that, City Council will hold interviews with nine candidates in City Hall on Aug. 23, looking to fill three open seats. Xpress is inviting readers to look at their applications and let us know your top pick.

Vote them out!

Now we know: The Republican Party and tea party, locally and nationally, have promulgated a draconian agenda of repressive and mean-spirited legislation that must not go unchallenged. Some examples of this agenda include voter ID, overriding Gov. Bev Perdue's veto of HB 854, restricting a woman's right to choose and eliminating numerous programs for the […]

The race is on: Opportunit­ies to learn more about the City Council candidates

The Asheville City Council race is getting into high gear, with nine candidates — including two incumbents — vying for three seats.  Xpress has a cover story coming Aug. 17 to help fill you in on the candidates’ qualifications and goals. In the meantime, we offer a basic guide to furnish your own inquiries, with information on where to find the candidates online and in-person.

Asheville City Council approves Linamar economic incentives

At their Aug. 9 meeting, Asheville City Council members approved a $2 million economic-development incentive for Canadian manufacturer Linamar. If the company fulfills construction and job-creation targets, it will get a 90 percent waiver on city taxes for the next five years. Council voted 5-1 to approve the deal, with Council member Cecil Bothwell voting against it and Council member Esther Manheimer absent.

Chris Pelly is an innovator, and that’s what Asheville needs

Transformational leadership indicates an actual capability to transform “wicked problems.” I have mostly lived in east Asheville since 1980 and the recent infrastructure improvements, for which Chris Pelly can take a lot of credit, are generating a huge positive effect. Using our public-resource pool in positive, ethical and innovative ways creates possibilities for good that […]

It’s Lael Gray!

Our democracy brings candidates into a public electoral decision-making process. A few elections are non-partisan and our Asheville City Council race is one of them. So we are left with the qualifications of each candidate to determine who is best for the job. It is Lael Gray! Gray is a voice of reason and a […]

Asheville City Council preview: Welcoming the Canadians

At tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting, that august governing body will vote on $2.2 million in tax incentives for Linamar’s move into the former Volvo plant, where the Canadian company plans to begin making auto parts before the end of the year. Also on the agenda: larger recycling bins, rates for renting Pack Square Park and deciding which candidates to interview for the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Contentiou­s planning meeting sees tie vote on food trucks in downtown

After a contentious public hearing, Asheville’s Planning and Zoning Commission couldn’t come to an agreement about proposed rules allowing food trucks in downtown, splitting 3-3 last night. The new rules still go to City Council (after a stop at Council’s Public Safety Commission), probably on Aug. 23, but with a negative recommendation.