With less than a month left before the general election, the five Asheville City Council candidates vying for three seats voiced their views on economic development, city management, relations with Raleigh and more at tonight’s League of Women Voters forum.
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)
For the first time this campaign season, Asheville City Council candidates faced each other, focusing on transportation issues at the Get There Asheville forum earlier this evening. While it had its light moments, the event also saw the contenders express different views on issues of spending, infrastructure and transit priorities.
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
The United Way, N.C. Budget and Tax Center and other organizations teamed up Dec. 11 to host a community forum on the economy, state budget, and tax modernization. Here’s a look at the forum via Tweets and photos from attendees, rounded up using Storify.
Fresh from City Hall, here’s some food-policy news you really ought to know.
A push for more restrictive noise rules throughout the city is making its way to Asheville City Council’s Public Safety Committee this afternoon, March 26. One proposal, from a member of the Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods, seeks changes to Asheville’s rules, such as designating singing, musical instruments and “noisy parties” after 10 p.m. as potential nuisances.
2012 promises to be a busy year in elections at all levels and local Democrats want to make sure people don’t overlook local races.
A proposed ban on camping on city property — drafted in response to Occupy Asheville‘s encampment in front of City Hall — didn’t make it past Asheville City Council’s Public Safety Committee. Instead the committee directed staff at its meeting this afternoon to look at a permitting process for campers.
Xpress has obtained 270 emails from city of Asheville staff concerning Occupy Asheville. The emails reveal law enforcement considering their approach to (and surveillance of) the protests as well as city staff and Occupy representatives debating freedom of assembly, among other things. These emails are available to the public in a searchable database.
photo by Bill Rhodes
Council member Gordon Smith was hit in the head by Lael Gray’s campaign manager, David Roat, at an election-night party, according to reports. Here, Smith describes the fracas. “I went to Lael’s party, I was giving her a hug and I got hit in the back of the head,” Smith says. “I went into a crouch, there were a few more blows, he was pulled off of me, and it was over.” (Photo by Bill Rhodes.)
Aggregated Twitter dispatches from this morning’s Council of Independent Business Owners breakfast, which dealt with Occupy Asheville, among other issues.
The Occupy Asheville demonstrators are requesting an exemption from city rules to allow them to camp in Pack Square. Meanwhile, Asheville City Council members and city staff are discussing possible ways forward, and the legal ramifications, via email.
The progressive advocacy group, People Advocating for Real Conservancy, unleashed the first video salvo of this year’s Asheville City Council race, attacking candidate Mark Cates for his connections to the Asheville Tea Party.
Hundreds of people gathered in Pack Square Sept. 12 to protest a state constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage in North Carolina that passed the House earlier that day. Photo by Max Cooper
A controversial bill proposed by state Rep. Tim Moffitt that would originally have seized Asheville’s water system and transferred it to the Metropolitan Sewerage District has been drastically revised. The current version of the bill calls for studying the efficiency of moving the water systems of large cities to a MSD.
In response to word that Rep. Tim Moffitt‘s proposed legislation to seize the city’s water system will goes to committee tomorrow, May 26, Asheville City Council member Gordon Smith and the Chair of the Buncombe Democratic party are trying to rally opposition to the bill’s progress.
A group of local elected officials and community leaders gathered May 18 for the Mayor’s Leadership Ride, an annual bicycle tour of the city designed to highlight recent infrastructure improvements and upcoming projects.
After two and a half hours of public debate and discussion on Jan. 25, Asheville City Council members gave the go-ahead for a parking-deck, hotel development at 51 Biltmore Ave. in downtown. The project passed 5-2, with Council members Cecil Bothwell and Gordon Smith voting against it.
On Nov. 15, AdvantageWest hosted its fall economic summit, featuring a panel discussion that included North Carolina State Treasurer Janet Cowell, N.C. Institute of Emerging Issues Director Anita Brown-Graham and banking expert Austin Adams. Here’s what some of the panelists — and observer Asheville City Council member Gordon Smith — said afterward.
I’ll go out on a limb and make a prediction: Asheville’s next big political battle will pit advocates of sustainability and affordability against neighborhood activists.
