When community activist Martin Ramsey joined Vice Mayor Esther Manheimer and former city official John Miall this July in the mayoral race, he forced a primary in the City of Asheville election. Now, the early voting polls are open in order to narrow the field of three candidates to two. (Photo by Caitlin Byrd)
Though Political Committee Chair of the Sierra Club of Western North Carolina Group Ken Brame donated a combined $300 to three of the four local candidates that the environmental organization ultimately endorsed, he says his personal contribution did not influence the endorsement process. (Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons user borman818)
Kathy Sinclair was elected Sept. 14 to chair the Buncombe County Democratic Party.
Facing a fluid and complex foreign policy situation, Western North Carolina’s congressional representatives stand opposed to approving military action against Syria, as urged by President Barack Obama.
The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina released its annual legislative report card Sept. 5, giving Buncombe County’s delegation vastly different scores.
In two weeks, Asheville’s three mayoral candidates will be fielding questions before members of the public for the second time since their campaigns began.
Conducted by the League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County, the political discourse will take place on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Asheville Chamber of Commerce Board Room. All three candidates have confirmed their attendance. (Photos by Max Cooper)
Voicing different ideas about funding the Asheville Art Museum, adopting the living wage ordinance and deciding downtown development, the trio of political candidates vying to be Asheville’s next mayor debated with one another for the first time on Wednesday while also revealing a shared consensus among them about the perceived relationship between the General Assembly and the City of Asheville. (Photos by Max Cooper)
Everyone, please, just relax! The new North Carolina Voter ID Law simply compares to the election laws already existing in most of the other states.
Longtime local leader Patsy Keever is stepping down from her post as the chair of the Buncombe County Democrats in favor of joining the state party’s leadership team.
A newly appointed Buncombe County Board of Elections held its first meeting Aug. 12 without discussing one member’s controversial push last month to fire Elections Director Trena Parker.
More than 200 people showed up Aug. 7 for Rep. Patrick McHenry’s first-ever Buncombe County town hall. Attendees asked pointed questions about his positions on health care and a variety of other issues.
Borrowing from James O’ Keefe’s playbook, the Buncombe County Young Republicans aimed to make a mockery of Moral Mountain Monday attendees Aug. 5, enticing them to sign a “a fake petition to decrease, or restore funding levels to the last year that Democrats were in control, which effectively lowers it by millions of dollars.”
Congressman Patrick McHenry will hold an Aug. 7 town hall meeting in Swannanoa to give an update on his recent legislative activities and hear from constituents.
Did you miss Mountain Moral Monday? Here is an Xpress photo gallery of the event, featuring protesters, signs and guest speakers.
An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people showed up for Mountain Moral Monday this evening, filling Pack Square Park and protesting the policies of the North Carolina General Assembly. It was one of the largest demonstrations in Asheville’s recent history. Photo by Julia Ritchey.
Supporters and opponents of the Aug. 5 Mountain Moral Monday rally are taking to Twitter to report on the event and make their views known. This post features an aggregation of those messages.
Contentious messages from a “WNC GOP” Twitter account are attracting media attention from across the state, leading the North Carolina Republican Party to distance itself from the anonymous group.
With state legislators opting not to vote on redistricting reform this year, local bipartisan supporters rallied in downtown Asheville Aug. 1 to start campaigning on behalf of passing the measure in 2014.
Mike Lanning, a former Asheville Police Department officer, filed for Asheville City Council last Friday. Lanning says recent controversies about the APD’s leadership spurred him to run, “because there needs to be someone on Council who questions city staff.”
As state Rep. Tim Moffitt contemplates a move to switch Asheville to predominantly district elections, similar changes he pushed for the Buncombe County commissioners continue to have far-reaching effects.
UNCA political science professor Bill Sabo sees definite advantages to district election systems in cities with populations over 100,000. But with Asheville well below that threshold, it’s less clear what making such a switch here might mean.
