Asheville City Hall

Ripple effect: City Council appointmen­t opens new political possibilit­ies

The appointment could shape the outcome of the general Asheville City Council election on Tuesday, Nov. 3. And the very night that the appointee is expected to take their oath of office — Tuesday, Sept. 22 — they will also cast what may be the deciding vote on funding for the Asheville Police Department.

Biltmore Avenue Residence Inn

Biltmore Ave. hotel clears Council after earlier opposition

Mayor Esther Manheimer pointed to the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority’s recent commitment to long-term planning around hotel occupancy taxes as a key factor in her support for the project. “That is the kind of change that I needed to see personally before I would move forward with considering another hotel,” she said, joining Council members Vijay Kapoor, Julie Mayfield and Sheneika Smith in the approval vote.

Asheville city seal

Biltmore Avenue hotel returns for Council approval at March 12 meeting

While Mayor Esther Manheimer recommended in October that local hoteliers Pratik Bhakta and Monark Patel resubmit their proposal to Asheville City Council in at least “a year’s time,” the two aren’t waiting. Their hotel is back on the agenda for Council’s meeting of Tuesday, March 12, less than five months after its first consideration.

Race, housing take center stage in Council candidate forum

Who can afford to live here and how can we all live together? Those questions formed the crux of the conversation among Asheville City Council candidates at a Sept. 18 forum where two issues garnered strong and varying viewpoints: the lack of affordable housing and persistent racial tensions in Asheville.

Pratik Bhakta

Pratik Bhakta pratik4citycouncil.com Occupation: Hotelier Previous candidacy: None Affiliations: Did not provide Short-answer questions Why are you running for City Council? I am running to make a difference. I am passionate about Asheville and want to see our city thrive. However, we need better fiscal responsibility in our budgeting process and we need better accountability […]