City
Council Candidates, Week 4
George Bancroft
Harold "Cicada" Brokaw
Bernard Carman
Joe Dunn
Jim Ellis
Fred English
Barbara Field
Ed Hay
Holly Jones
Sharon Martin
Carl Mumpower
Brownie Newman
Susan O'Neil
Kevin Rollins
Sam Webb
Rod Whiteside
George Bancroft
Mr. George Bancroft submitted the following information via
a telephone conversation.
After serving nine years on the Civil Service Board, George Bancroft
is running for Asheville City Council and noted being an advocate
for City employees as one of his priorities. He retired from the
US Postal Service in September 1989, ending a public service career
that begin August 5, 1942 with the Army Airways Communication Service.
That career lasted 34 years, 3 months and 18 days.
Harold "Cicada" Brokaw
 A
reader asks how City Council could help create a safe environment
for residents who work for peace or are from foreign countries.
After the tragic attack on New York and D.C. there has unfortunately
been some anger towards those who work for peace and towards people
perceived as foreigners. City council could adopt a resolution that
peace is a noble goal, that it honors those who work for peace.
It could also state that we cherish the diversity of our residents
and that we will strive to protect those in our community who come
under attack because of their ancestry.
Imagine our Community:
We embrace the cultural diversity of our people for the richness
it creates. We embrace the natural environment, recognizing the
plants and animals as full members of the community.
We value our children's and elder's contributions. Students are
active co-creators of their educational environment. Elders are
consulted for their wisdom. Differently abled people are sought
out for assistance.
We feel empowered to enact change in our city. Our actions bring
results which serve our needs. Neighborhoods meet to develop solutions
to their problems. City Council meetings are composed of spokespersons
from every neighborhood council.
Common resources such as water are managed through cooperative
associations in which every person in the resource area can vote
for its board. The bulk of our community's needs are met through
locally owned businesses using local resources. When needs or problems
arise, the community comes together to address them.
Bernard Carman
 In
regards to Lola's question, I believe our city government should
maintain a strong police force that puts their top priority on the
protection of people. If someone is threatened due to any reason,
the potential victim needs to file a complaint and see that the
police department does their job.
I do not believe there should be special treatment for any particular
group of people - I believe we should all be protected equally.
This is why I do not agree with the notion of "hate crimes".
If someone abuses someone mentally and physically, it is inherently
a crime of hate. Why should there be varying treatments for crimes
committed against people based on their walk of life? As I have
mentioned in other statements, I do not believe in different "races"
- I believe that we are all a part of the human race. As far as
residents that work for peace, I think the same precept applies.
Protecting its citizens is the primary job of any police force.
This is why The Asheville Freedom Team wants to have the Asheville
Police place a low priority on victimless crimes. For more information,
refer to an earlier issue of The Candidates' Forum publication where
I spoke on this issue in greater detail, or go to our web site at
www.ashevillefreedomteam.org and feel free to e-mail us for further
information. If this was done, they could focus primarily on real
crime thus maintaining a safer environment for us all.
Joe Dunn
We have many very disturbing facts concerning the future of our
city! There
are two age groups that are suffering in our city!
The age group 25-34 years of age only makes up 7.3% of the county.
What does this tell you? Where are our young working citizens? The
answer is
simple--they have moved away because of the lack of good jobs and
the high cost of living! City council must take a lot of the blame.
There fixation on tourism, at the expense of helping new businesses,
is hurting our economic
growth. We can have both!
- Asheville's population has only increased 11.8%, while the state
average is 21.4%.What does this tell you? It simply echos the
fact that our council has made our city the most expensive city
to live in our state because of a lot of poor decision making!
- We simply need new leadership! We must have some economic expansion
to insure that many of our citizens can afford to continue to
live here. Growth is not a dirty word--it can be controlled. At
the present time it is being strangled! If our city develops more
revenue, it can afford to take better care of all our citizens!
- The second group is our senior citizens who are on fixed incomes.
I pledge to them that I will try my best to cut their property
taxes across the board. This can be done if city council wants
to do it. It is time for new
leadership!
Jim Ellis
Fred English
Mr. Fred English asked that his name be included in The Candidates'
Forum, but chose not to submit any material.
Barbara Field
 I
support public schools, a separate Asheville City School system
and an
appointed school board. Smaller school systems are more effective
in educating our children than large ones. There is solid proof
that consolidation of city and county school systems does not save
money. For the past decade, an appointed school board has guaranteed
minority representation and that all quadrants of the school district
have a voice.
Other than making the appointments to the Asheville City School
Board, Asheville City Council has no direct influence on education.
I have many criteria that I use as I go through the appointment
process. I strive to make sure that there is significant minority
representation on the board as well geographic balance. I look for
applicants that either have children in the Asheville City School
system now or who have had children in the system in the past. I
am looking for people who care about kids and who
will demand excellence in education.
I believe our best course of action is to "get out of the
way" once the appointments are made. There is no place for
politics in the process of education.
Buncombe County collects and distributes the property tax set by
the Asheville City School Board along with the other revenues that
come to secondary schools from the State of North Carolina. We have
no sway at all over the elected Buncombe County School Board or
the schools that are in the city limits but not in the Asheville
School District.
The philosophy of education is a far more complex subject than
can be addressed is a few short paragraphs. If you want to talk
more about my views on education, e-mail me at barbara@barbarafield.org
or call 236-1998.
Ed Hay
 When
I was first elected to City Council in 1995, I pledged that I would
work hard, and I think I have kept that promise. I know that important
changes don't happen overnight, and have not backed away from any
issue because it was too difficult or politically treacherous. The
record of accomplishments in the past six years shows just how much
more we can do by committing ourselves to long-term goals. I pledge
to continue to work hard for our City and to see each issue through
to its end, knowing that we are at our best when we listen carefully
to what the citizens want and are creative and flexible in finding
long-term solutions.
Taxes: Local governments cannot continue to rely solely
on increases in property taxes to meet the growing needs of the
community. This is especially true in Asheville, where the tax burden
falls disproportionately on residential property taxpayers. We must
identify new sources of revenue which insure that all who benefit
from growth share the cost, and that those who bear the burden fairly
enjoy the benefits. Local officials must insist that the Legislature
give citizens the authority to make these decisions for themselves.
Economic Development: It requires years of effort to create
one new job, but 500 jobs can disappear overnight. It is no longer
good enough to simply replace jobs as we lose them, we must build
for the future. I am convinced that the new Internet and Information
Technologies industries can provide permanent, lifelong-employment
opportunities in the full range of income and education levels,
offering careers our children can plan and train for. Asheville
is uniquely positioned to attract that kind of investment, but we
will squander our advantage if we fail to commit to a long-term
effort to provide the infrastructure ( technological and otherwise)
and the trained, ready workforce the new industries require.
Holly Jones
 All
our lives changed on Tuesday, September 11th. As a nation and as
a community, we are called to help each other heal and rebuild after
the tragic events that so greatly impacted us. As I consider my
candidacy for City Council, it strikes me how much we need leadership
that brings us together, that unites rather than divides us. As
Executive Director of the YWCA of Asheville for the past five years,
I have gained significant experience building bridges between diverse
segments of our community. If elected to City Council, I will help
develop an environment that is cooperative and effective and that
makes real improvements in peoples' lives.
At the local level, I am committed to working for:
- Affordable housing for all;
- Safe street and neighborhoods;
- Quality education;
- Good jobs and livable wages;
- Cooperative government.
When faced with challenging issues, there are three guiding questions
that I will ask:
1) Is it a fiscally sound decision that invests in the basics, i.e.
housing, jobs, infrastructure, education?
2) Does it build community, bringing people together rather than
keeping us apart?
3) Does address sustainability, both economic and in terms of our
natural resources?
I truly believe that by working together across our differences
we can develop solutions that create a strong and safe community.
Now more than ever, it is time for progressive leadership that unifies
us as a community. Please vote for Holly Jones on October 9th.
Sharon Martin
 Try
as I might, I can't seem to go on with "business as usual."
Each day brings a new wave of emotions and stream of thoughts. Life
as we knew it feels very uncertain right now-economically, socially,
and militarily. All of my goals and aspirations for the city of
Asheville must now be placed in this new context.
This morning's radio (Thursday) brought the news of a total of
60,000 layoffs in the airline industry, as well as a downturn in
the multimillion-dollar convention industry (which could easily
hit home with the civic center).
Now, more than ever, we need to be focusing on local self-reliance.
Currently, our city and chamber of commerce (through our economic
development offices) are courting "out-of-town" industry.
The most recent economic development incentive grant was touted
as supporting a local business when, in fact, this plastics business
has its headquarters in Paris and Chicago-not local and not "green".
And the incentive that we offered simply put us in the running to
compete with other cities across our nation, hoping that we could
woo them to expand in Asheville.
I support economic development incentive grants IF we support:
1) existing or new locally owned businesses, and/or 2) environmentally/ecologically
sound businesses.
Now is the time to invest the resources we have IN our community
and to think creatively about how we can best support our own local
economy. Not only do we have the N.C. state budget shortfall to
deal with, we now have a national and possibly world crisis.
This community of Asheville is so important to me. I will continue
to do whatever I can to strengthen the ties that bind us together
and help empower the people that make up this web.
Carl Mumpower
Having lived in Asheville for most of my life, I know and value
what we have here. I want to help insure a positive future for Asheville
by serving as a moderating member of City Council. My goals are
simple. I reserve my strongest interest for fairly distributed and
responsive basic city services. I value common sense decisions that
give consideration to all citizens. I view good jobs and a balanced
economy as our best social service. I believe that governmental
restraint and efficiency should come before tax increases. I believe
that Asheville, as the population center of our region, should serve
as a model of cooperation, leadership and vision. I have 5 guiding
principles that I will use in upholding a positive role on Council.
1) Aim for the common good.
2) Focus on solutions over conflict
3) Provide leadership instead of control.
4) Be guided by principles over pressures.
5) Focus on balance, practicality, and restraint.
This week I would like to share my interest in leadership instead
of control. There is a tendency in government to seek security and
stability through control. This shortcut to power alienates people,
impedes progress, and blinds city government to real world realities.
Micromanagement provides an illusion of competency that is generally
self-serving ~ common sense is sacrificed. I want to draw a clear
line between control and leadership, and press for a constructive
leadership model by Council and City Management. The hand of City
Government should be light, responsive, and restrained….
Brownie Newman
 Brownie
Newman- Bringing People Together for Asheville's Future!
Dear Friends,
Like everyone else, I have been thinking of little else since last
Tuesday other than the 9-11 Tragedy. I would like to share some
of my thoughts on what has happened.
Most of the men in my family are airline pilots. The hijackings
and suicide plane crashes were felt close to home. The office manager
in my organization had two cousins who worked in the World Trade
Center, one of whom was thankfully late to work that day. The other
was critically injured but has since stabilized.
I am heartened by the way this tragedy has brought us together
as a Nation. We now have a greater sense of national unity than
at any time in my memory.
I support the statements by our national leaders: this was an act
of war. We must hold governments that harbor terrorists responsible.
We should take strong action against these terrorists and
any governments harboring them.
We must support the diversity of people in our own community, including
those of Arab and Muslim background. They are Americans. We
must not blame innocent people for the actions of radical foreign
organizations.
I believe this national tragedy will bring out our higher selves,
as Americans. We can bring those responsible to justice, and
create a safer, more sustainable future for our children.
Sincerely,
Brownie Newman
For more information about my campaign, see: www.votebrownie.com
Brownie Newman- Bringing People Together for Asheville's
Future!
Susan O'Neil
A participatory democratic government is a concept that is so foreign,
we may have raised several generations who do believe that the functions
of government may only be determined by a priveleged and educated
few. Even though we understand how wealth equals privilege in this
country, we still claim to be a government of the people, by the
people and for the people. I, do wonder, why this prevails even
though most people recognize the disparity between the actual and
the ideal. Perhaps because we have failed to recognize that the
accumulation of wealth and power as a possible problem because of
resulting inequities, in a country that claims we are all created
equal.
During this city council and mayoral race I feel hope rising within
that positive grassroot changes will be effected. I see us wrestling
with issues which will impact the survival of our human community
and allow us opportunities for healing. If we choose not to paticipate
in our community government, it's very difficult to complain about
the outcome.
I want to expand our city council's version of their role in our
community beyond it's current narrowly defined role. We all can
play a role too, by showing up on Tuesday's at City Hall to make
your voice heard.
Kevin Rollins
 Lola
Lafey asked, "As a City Council member, what would you do to
help create a safe environment for Asheville residents who work
for peace or are from foreign countries?"
Right now, America is a wounded beast. Most Americans, myself included,
feel that they have been attacked, even if they did not personally
lose someone in the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks.
Much solidarity is being shown in the display of flags, the wearing
of ribbons and proclamations of "Forget our differences, let
us stand together!."
We should not allow our solidarity to slip into intolerance. We
cannot let our anger be turned into blind revenge. Arab-Americans,
nor peace-protesters caused this attack. As a city, a state, and
a nation we should never allow people to be victimized because of
their race, religion, ethnicity, lifestyle or political beliefs.
Those who speak the unpopular are simply using the free speech that
we all hold so dearly as a truly American value. In the coming weeks
and months, we need to make sure that the debate about public policy
remains open. We are a free country. We must have the wisdom to
remain one.
To do otherwise, would be to hand total victory to the terrorists.
Sam Webb
Mr. Sam Webb stated that due to current commitments he is unable
to participate in The Candidates' Forum at this time.
Rod Whiteside
 City
Spending
I would like to respond to a question raised by one of the readers.
The reader wanted to know the candidates' priorities for spending.
Before I discuss spending I would like to address the all-important
issue of revenues. I believe the focus should be on securing other
revenue sources to allow the City to continue funding the necessary
services and projects in the City. The City must have the courage
to take risks as it relates to pursuing other means of income. If
we don't go after income outside of property taxes and fees then
there will be no need to discuss spending. Spending will slowing
decline without additional revenue sources.
My top spending priorities would include the Civic Center and Asheville
Transit. The City must actively and aggressively pursue funding
sources for the Civic Center so we can begin work on reducing the
annual Civic Center deficit. We can't enjoy the benefits of the
Civic Center until the Civic Center is all it can be. Our residents
deserve a first-class Civic Center. We must stop throwing the residents'
tax dollars into a dark hole.
Our residents deserve an efficient and a safe public transportation
system. We must work to install benches where there are none. We
must work to erect shelters where none exist. We must make sure
the routes are adequate. We must make sure we get our residents
where they need to go and get them their safely.
Contact Information for Rod Whiteside: P.O. Box 25125,
Asheville, NC, 28813, 828-274-8863
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