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.
Bill Russell withdraws from Council race; Governor revs up I-26 connector schedule; Facebook-savvy police surprise Patton Avenue cruisers, call for moderation; Thermo Fisher Scientific will expand Asheville operations and add 110 jobs
In this edition of Local Matters — the Xpress weekly news podcast — reporter David Forbes talks about City Council member Bill Russell dropping out of his bid for re-election, Pisgah Legal Services efforts to increase access to legal help for the poor, and the recent claim by NC State Sen. James Forrester that Asheville is a “cesspool of sin.”
Asheville City Council member Bill Russell has withdrawn from the race. Russell, in a statement released on the Scrutiny Hooligans political blog, wrote that “there would be no greater regret for me than if I was not there fully for my kids with my time and energy as they move through these most important years of their lives.”
With two incumbents still undecided and one week left in the filing period, five candidates — Tim Peck, Saul Chase, Marc Hunt, Mark Cates and current Council member Bill Russell — are officially running for Asheville City Council.
The election season for Asheville City Council, and several other municipalities, kicked off today as the official filing period opened at noon. Incumbent Council member Bill Russell and candidate Marc Hunt both showed up at the Board of Elections to file.
Hunt and Russell talk to an onlooker who’s just snapped their photo. Photo by Jerry Nelson.
Asheville City Council member Bill Russell tells Xpress he will run for a second term. Russell is the first incumbent in this cycle to announce he’s running for re-election. Filing begins today at noon.
It was a bad week for the Buncombe County Republican Party. The party and its chairman, Chad Nesbitt, were harshly criticized for a 9/11 fundraiser and an associated video; the Board of Elections found their highly publicized complaints over an early voting site to be based on faulty information; and Asheville City Councilman Bill Russell left the party, citing its “antics that demonize people” and “political games.”
Free speech at the Transit Center $60 million in water improvements needed to keep pace with growth Parking on downtown Asheville’s south side could become much easier in the near future. While the Buncombe County commissioners were considering funding a large parking deck on Coxe Avenue at their Sept. 16 meeting (see county commissioners’ report […]
Buses may get bigger ads City to partner with Chamber on tourist signs Sometimes you have to be content to go to Raleigh with the resolution you have, not the one you want. That’s what happened on Aug. 10, when Leicester residents came before the Asheville City Council for the third time, seeking its endorsement […]
City green-lights Civic Center roof replacement Some gated communities can expand City to help fund water hookups for affordable/green housing Through snow and rain and heat and gloom of night … it leaked. Over the years, the Asheville Civic Center’s roof—probably the ailing facility’s No. 1 structural woe—has gotten less than glowing press. Celebrities have […]
With his first full-blown Asheville City Council meeting just a couple of weeks away, Bill Russell has a lot on his plate as he begins his four-year term—and his first foray into representative politics. As someone who ran to bring more political balance to Council, rather than address any specific hot-button issues, Russell admits that […]
The Asheville City Council’s Dec. 11 meeting—the last one in 2007—saw some shuffling of seats as the newly elected Bill Russell replaced outgoing Council member Bryan Freeborn, and incumbent Jan Davis got the nod as vice mayor. This seat taken? New Council member Bill Russell (right) takes a seat vacated by Bryan Freeborn as re-elected […]
