Al Whitesides, the sole Black member of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, and his three Democratic colleagues approved the resolution over the opposition of the board’s three Republicans. The county government is now aligned with Asheville City Council, which unanimously passed a similar measure on July 14.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners remained divided along partisan lines. Chair Brownie Newman and his three Democratic colleagues voted for the removal of Confederate monuments at Pack Square Park and the county courthouse, as well as establishing a task force on the Vance Monument, while Republicans Joe Belcher, Anthony Penland and Robert Pressley voted against those moves.
Restaurants, pools and personal care services — including salons and barber shops — will be allowed to open at 50% capacity, while child care facilities, day camps and overnight camps can open with “enhanced cleaning and screening requirements.”
As they also had argued during an April 16 special meeting, Republicans Joe Belcher, Anthony Penland and Robert Pressley said they continued to be left out of key decisions about how to restrict business and social activity in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
The commission’s Democratic members passed direction for expanded community testing and contact tracing over the objections of its Republican contingent. Joe Belcher, Anthony Penland and Robert Pressley stressed their commitment to ensuring the county’s safety but expressed concern over the process by which the resolution was introduced and some of its terms.
During their Dec. 3 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners were told that while corrective measures to right years of financial mishandling are beginning to take hold, the county’s most recent audit still reflects the previous mismanagement.
Board chair Brownie Newman, Vice Chair Jasmine Beach-Ferarra and member Amanda Edwards have placed a resolution endorsing the Sheriff’s Office’s use of MAT on the commission’s agenda for Tuesday, Aug. 20. The treatment is currently offered to the jail’s pregnant female inmates, but Buncombe officials hope to expand its availability to all incarcerated individuals.
Republican members of the board argued that their Democratic colleagues were out of place in issuing official letters against pending state HB 370, which would require Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller and other sheriffs throughout North Carolina to comply with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests on penalty of removal from office.
Robert Pressley, incumbent Buncombe County commissioner for District 3, was the only Republican to win a county race in the hotly contested 2018 midterms. Buncombe County Democratic Party Chair Jeff Rose said the party’s unprecedented midterm voter outreach had helped propel Democratic candidates to wins in nearly all local contests.
Watch this space for the latest election results and commentary from the Mountain Xpress news team. The post will be updated regularly throughout the evening.
Donna Ensley Democrat Website: electdonnaensley.com Occupation: Retired development professional Previous candidacy or offices held: None Key endorsements: Sierra Club, Buncombe County Association of Educators, Sen. Terry Van Duyn, AFL-CIO, Buncombe County Democratic Women Amount of money raised: $28,497 Top three donors: Ron Edgerton, Dr. Charles Weiss, Dr. Bruce Rogers Why are you running for county […]
During a debate organized by the Council of Independent Business Owners on Oct. 5, candidates vying for seats on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners talked school safety, affordable housing and how the county should respond to the fallout from the Wanda Greene investigation.
Four candidates, including three Democrats in contested races, showed up to the event. Their three Republican opponents — Senate incumbent Chuck Edwards, House candidate Marilyn Brown and Commissioner Robert Pressley — didn’t appear. According to League policy, candidates without an opponent present are limited to a two-minute opening statement.
Two pivotal items on the board’s agenda were the approval of the FY 2019 budget and the appointment of an interim county manager after the sudden departure of former manager Mandy Stone.
Last month, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved moving forward with litigation against the opioid industry and now it officially has a federal lawsuit against pain pill manufacturers and distributors.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved a measure to strip the chair’s ability to shepherd items onto the agenda in favor of solely giving that procedural power to a group of three or more commissioners.
Buncombe County commissioners signed off on amending economic development incentives, expanding preschool offerings and moving forward with a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers.
Commissioners voted down a resolution that would have Buncombe County move toward 100 percent renewable energy over the next decade amid concerns over specifics of the plan.
Former Buncombe County Manager Wanda Greene cashed out on a $500,000 payday for six months of work in 2017 and more than $1.6 million over the past four years.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved changes to the county’s personnel ordinance that establishes a whistle blower hotline and providers more detailed language on immediate family members working together.
The number of opioid-related hospital visits in Buncombe County is up 172 percent from the previous year and commissioners and looking to the courtroom for relief.
