With all precincts reporting, turnout in the Nov. 5 city of Asheville elections was low, but the results were decisive. Vice Mayor Esther Manheimer defeated former city risk manager John Miall by a considerable margin to become the next mayor. Former Coleman CEO Gwen Wisler, along with incumbents Gordon Smith and Cecil Bothwell, also won Asheville City Council seats by a large number of votes. Photo by Nick King.
As the municipal election on Tuesday, Nov. 5 draws near, time is running out for Asheville voters to decide who they want to be the city’s next mayor. The two candidates vying for the job are current Vice Mayor and lawyer Esther Manheimer and former City Risk Management director John Miall. Today, Saturday, Nov. 2 is the last day to vote early. (Caricatures by Randy Molton)
With Halloween and the Asheville city elections so closely aligned, we offer both some scary art (by cartoonists Brent Brown and Randy Molton) and the candidates’ replies to five key questions.
Come midevening on Nov. 5, Asheville voters will have picked their new mayor and three City Council members. There are two mayoral candidates and five Council contenders (of whom two are incumbents). In a series of forums, what positions have the candidates taken? How have they responded to voter questions? Look for recent stories at mountainx.com/election, and check these excerpts from the candidates answers.
The final question asked of Asheville’s two mayoral and five city council candidates did not focus on the usual inquires raised during this municipal election. It wasn’t about the economy. It wasn’t about jobs. It wasn’t about the police department — though it certainly touched on all of those topics. And it had nothing to do with the Asheville Art Museum. (Photo by Max Cooper)
At the end of the mayoral primary on Tuesday night, about 9 percent of Asheville’s registered voters decided that Vice Mayor Esther Manheimer and former City Risk Management Director John Miall will be the two candidates who will continue to vie for the mayor’s office.
With all precincts reporting, Asheville Vice Mayor Esther Manheimer emerged from the mayoral primary with a strong lead, racking up 60 percent of the vote. Former city risk manager John Miall was runner-up with 25 percent of the vote, and will go on to face Manheimer in the Nov. 5 general election. The third candidate, community activist Martin Ramsey, gathered 14 percent of the vote.
Today, voters in the City of Asheville cast their ballots to decide which two candidates will continue onward in the journey to become Asheville’s next mayor. These are the tweets, photos and quotes from throughout the day and night of the mayoral primary. Use the hashtag #avlelect to become part of the story. This post will be updated throughout the evening. (Photo courtesy of Instagram user Wes Wehking)
An hour before the sun is expected to rise over the mountains in Asheville, N.C., the polls will open at 6:30 a.m. for city voters to cast their ballots in the mayoral primary today, Tuesday, Oct. 8. Polling sites will remain open until 7:30 p.m. (Photo by Max Cooper)
After calling Asheville City Council member Gordon Smith “Gordumb” in a rant posted on a Facebook comment thread last night, mayoral candidate John Miall says he regrets his word choice. This article includes the full and unedited comment from Miall. (Photo by Max Cooper)
The stages and the supporters could not have been more different for the Asheville Mayoral candidates yesterday: A power lunch at Magnolia’s Bar & Grille sponsored by the more conservative Council of Independent Business Owners and an evening forum at the Odyssey Ceramic Arts Studio hosted by the multimodal-minded group Asheville On Bikes. (Photos by Max Cooper)
Whether it’s four years on Asheville City Council, 30 years as a city official or eight years working in a downtown restaurant, all three candidates for mayor tout experience, though they define it in vastly different terms. In an interview with Xpress reporter Caitlin Byrd, the three candidates make their case. (Photos by Max Cooper)
While some people leaned forward in their seats, others stood in the back of the room and craned their necks — ear first — to hear the positions Asheville’s three mayoral candidates have on issues ranging from the police department to school systems. Full audio of the forum is included.
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)
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)
After a fairly uneventful meeting July 23, Asheville City Council had a brief ruckus at the end, as former Mayor Ken Michalove (pictured) accused the vice mayor, the city manager and a Council member of unethical behavior in granting $2 million to the Asheville Art Museum for renovations. (Photo by Max Cooper)
Emails obtained by Xpress reveal that some state legislators have asked city of Asheville representatives to drop their lawsuit contesting a state-mandated transfer of the water system to the Metropolitan Sewerage District. The emails also show legislators discussing the fate of legislation that consolidates Asheville and Buncombe County parks-and-recreation services — a move that could save the city $5 million a year. Further, the candid discussions shine a light on a long-rumored proposal that the state may force Asheville to switch to district-based elections.
The local fight over the legislative push to forcibly transfer the city of Asheville’s water system to the Metropolitan Sewerage District has helped spur a larger statewide reaction. Last week, the League of Municipalities adopted the defense of local utilities as one of its top priorities, and 40 cities and towns across North Carolina have passed resolutions against state government taking municipal infrastructure.
Last week made it clear the city of Asheville’s political season is off to an early start, as this year’s elections will determine the majority of seats on Asheville City Council. Two mayoral candidates (Vice Mayor Esther Manheimer and former city staffer John Miall) have already declared, and Council member Cecil Bothwell says that he’ll run for another term. Photo by Max Cooper
In an email to Xpress, Asheville Vice Mayor Esther Manheimer declares that she will run for mayor. Asserting a “need for inclusive, inspired, strategic leadership,” she plans to launch her campaign this spring.
Esther Manheimer (I) manheimerformayor.com Occupation: Mayor, lawyer Previous candidacy: Asheville mayor, 2013; Asheville City Council, 2009 Affiliations: Beth Ha-Tephila Congregation, member; Jewish Community Center, member; Pisgah Legal Services, volunteer attorney; North Carolina Metropolitan Mayors Coalition, chair; General Federation of Women’s Clubs of NC Women of Achievement Award honoree (2014); Pisgah Legal Services Most Valuable Mountain […]
