Tonight, Dec. 6, Asheville City Council unanimously selected Council member Esther Manheimer as the new vice mayor, swore Marc Hunt, Chris Pelly and Jan Davis into its ranks and bid farewell to Vice Mayor Brownie Newman and Council member Bill Russell. (Photo by Bill Rhodes).
We owe it to ourselves to examine the gathering of four Asheville City Council members at Pack’s Tavern earlier this week — for innocent social banter, they claim — after a long meeting. Perhaps that’s so, but it sets a bad precedent.
The appointment of Holly Shriner, a housewife with no formal planning background, to the Asheville Planning and Zoning Commission has raised concerns about her qualifications.
