For faith leaders wondering what they can do to improve security, law enforcement agencies across Western North Carolina offer assessments and training to help places of worship ensure the safety of those who gather under their roofs.

For faith leaders wondering what they can do to improve security, law enforcement agencies across Western North Carolina offer assessments and training to help places of worship ensure the safety of those who gather under their roofs.
Asheville Jewish Community Center will host a panel discussion on Sunday, July 19, from 4-6:30 p.m. focused on helping help people connect with and better understand Jewish values that encourage environmental stewardship.
UPDATE: A recount of the votes completed and certified by the Buncombe County Board of Elections this afternoon, Nov. 18, didn’t significantly change the results of the election. Incumbent Jan Davis retained his third place finish – and his seat on Asheville City Council – by a total of 35 votes over challenger Lael Gray.
Xpress news reporter Jake Frankel talks about the razor-thin win of Jan Davis over Lael Gray for Asheville City Council.
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.)
I am writing to support the candidacy of Lael Gray for City Council. I have known Lael as we were both serving on the Board of Building Bridges. I have seen her creativity, energy and commitment to making Asheville a more welcoming and pleasant town. She has shown her ability to collaborate with others in […]
It’s not every day you get the opportunity to vote for a candidate as refreshing and inspiring as Lael Gray. This July, I kept waiting for a candidate I could wholeheartedly support to come along. While I have closely monitored local political races for years, Lael is the only Asheville City Council candidate who has […]
I am Lael Gray's 10-year-old daughter and she is running for City Council. She is an advocate for the environment, she wants less cars on the road so there will be less pollution in the air, leaving crisp, healthy Asheville air. She believes in equality for women, African-Americans and the LGBT community. She participates in […]
I want everything! I deserve everything I want! And I want a candidate who can give me that. With Lael Gray on City Council, I get that. With Lael, I get someone who has held high positions in corporate America, someone who has been a small-business owner and someone who has worked in nonprofit management. […]
I have known Lael Gray since 2007. As a friend and colleague, I find Lael intelligent, experienced and honest in her approach to issues that she encounters. I respect her integrity. At one of Lael's fundraiser events I also learned that she has achieved some amazing things in the Asheville community through hard work and […]
You hear much about “Asheville, the bastion of the progressive,” as in “making progress toward better conditions; employing or advocating more enlightened or liberal ideas, i.e., a progressive community. “Making,” “employing” and “advocating” are all about action taken to achieve progress. The question then is, where’s all this “action”? Few even voted in the last […]
In the latest installment of our ongoing series of interviews with Asheville City Council candidates, David Forbes talks to Lael Gray about issues ranging from transit to development and police accountability. Audio from the interview included.
When our family first moved to Montford five years ago, it was Lael Gray who arrived first on our porch, offering to introduce us to her family, her neighborhood and the city she loved. She opened her heart to us, offering her vast store of knowledge about Asheville. She helped us to feel at home […]
Local grassroots progressive organization, WNC for Change, hosted a forum this week that featured four of the nine Asheville City Council candidates explaining their positions on a variety of issues, from infrastructure improvements to economic development.
I was happy to see the City Council candidate profiles in the Aug. 18 Mountain Xpress, but the profile on Lael Gray, identifying her as a "graphic designer," grossly understated her professional qualifications and experience [“And Then There Were Nine]. Lael Gray has the most versatile skill set and diverse professional background of any candidate. […]
My name is Elizabeth and I am 10 years old. If I could vote, I would vote Lael Gray for City Council. She made a lot of my life happen. She was the Jewish Community Center preschool director, which is the school I went to when I was younger. She is kind, loving and thoughtful. […]
Now we know: The Republican Party and tea party, locally and nationally, have promulgated a draconian agenda of repressive and mean-spirited legislation that must not go unchallenged. Some examples of this agenda include voter ID, overriding Gov. Bev Perdue's veto of HB 854, restricting a woman's right to choose and eliminating numerous programs for the […]
Our democracy brings candidates into a public electoral decision-making process. A few elections are non-partisan and our Asheville City Council race is one of them. So we are left with the qualifications of each candidate to determine who is best for the job. It is Lael Gray! Gray is a voice of reason and a […]
Lael Gray is an advocate for environmental protection, better education, and ending racism. Those are three things that I care about. Those are three things that you care about too. Let's vote for Lael Gray for Asheville City Council. — David Roat Asheville
With one day left in the filing period, the Asheville City Council race is heating up, as the field has grown to eight candidates vying for three seats. After remaining publicly noncommittal for months, Council member Jan Davis filed for another run. Haw Creek Community Association President Chris Pelly and activist Lael Gray also officially joined the race.