Mayoral Candidates,
Week 5
Terry Bellamy
William Boyd
Chuck Cloninger
H.K. Edgerton
Dave Goree
Mickey Mahaffey
Brian Peterson
Bill Porter
Charlie Worley
Terry Bellamy
 Downtown
During the last decade and a half Asheville has been experiencing
a rebirth and renewal in downtown. Many business owners have been
and are taking part in what is now being called "New Urbanism."
New Urbanism is a smart growth concept that emphasizes rebuilding
the central core of a city - downtown areas and promotes mixed-use
development. One thing to note is that although the reinvestment
into downtown Asheville has a nice label now, it was happening before
the label was given. Business owners in the late 1980's and early
1990's began investing in downtown, not out of a movement, but out
of a love for Asheville.
The continued success of our downtown is important, which is why
I support additional Economic Development initiatives in downtown.
While serving on the League of Municipalities' Community and Economic
Development committee, I assisted in advocating for the new rehabilitation
codes that will aid in reducing the costs of rehabilitating buildings
in downtown areas, which will further support Economic Development
initiatives.
With all the success of our downtown, we are experiencing some
setbacks. One of these setbacks is the reduction of affordable housing
stock in downtown. There are several important reasons why we should
continue to keep affordable housing in downtown 1) Promotes smart
growth concepts 2) Places people near public transportation 3) Allows
for higher density using existing infrastructure and 4) Allows for
access to community services.
I would like to further our success in downtown and throughout
Asheville, so please vote for me on October 9th.
William Boyd
Mr. William Boyd did not respond to a letter inviting him to
participate in The Candidates' Forum. No other means to contact
him were available through the information provided at the Board
of Elections.
Chuck Cloninger
- Led the fight to ban billboards
- Will crackdown on graffiti and vandalism
- Strong advocate of Smart Growth and protection of neighborhoods
- 6 years on Asheville City Council
- Vice Mayor, elected by fellow City Council Members
H.K. Edgerton
My message to the Asheville voters, with just two weeks left before
the Primary, is don't go brain-dead. There are four incumbents running
in this election. Remember what you complained about two years and
four years ago. Remember what these candidates promised then. They
said they wouldn't raise taxes. They said they wouldn't annex more
territory. They've done all that, and they chased off the Honda
Hooters-and they still haven't worked out the Regional Water Agreement.
The bottom line is that when you choose H.K. Edgerton to be your
mayor, you choose someone that you can trust. I keep my word.
Excerpts from a poem by Ron Holland:
H K Edgerton is a man of action
Much like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson
Strengthened by an abiding faith & love for truth
It is making him a leader to Southern youth
He impacts us all, young and old, black and white
We are touched to see this black man fight
For Southern rights, historical truth and right
He wants every Southerner to see the light
Still he often stands alone & under violent attack
But in return he loves all even his enemies back
He preaches heritage not hate for all to hear
And shows by example that we have nothing to fear…
So now its time HK, for us to follow you there
As we defend our heritage and do not despair
For right, goodness and honor we will always fight
Until good banishes evil & darkness is replaced with God's light
Dave Goree
By now we have all see the flood of mayoral TV ads, blathering on
about "billboards and graffitti". This is a perfect example
of the misdirected priorities of the current Council. I find it
particularly horrifying that in the same comment, billboards are
referred to as causing enviromental damage and graffitti is discussed
as a property rights issue. This comment proposes that graffitti
is an infringement on property rights, as do I. However, the elimination
of billboards/cell phone towers is a more offensive affront to property
rights. How many people could afford a house, or afford a better
house, if they could lease a small portion of their land to a billboard
or cell phone company? Many! At least landowners could pay their
insane property taxes from this revenue.
The thought that these are the two biggest issues concerning Asheville
shows a total lack of a grasp of reality. 1/3 of our water
supply is lost to leaks, thus we have the highest water rates in
North Carolina, this is a priority. We have a terrible problem with
good jobs leaving Asheville or not coming here in the first place,
this is a priority. This is caused by our incredibly high taxes
and water rates and draconian regulation, not by billboards
and graffitti!
We as The Asheville Freedom Team, Dave Goree for Mayor, Kevin Rollins
and Bernard Carman for Council, propose a total review of
City Government. We propose re-examining the priorities of every
aspect of the operation of our City. We must get our priorities
in order, they have been ignored too long. Vote for real change,
Vote for The Asheville Freedom Team on Oct 9 and Nov 6.
Mickey Mahaffey
City Budget
I've previously focused on clean air, water, and diversity; in this
issue
I'm discussing our city budget. How we choose to spend our money
should be representative of our community priorities: true sustainability;
economic,
social, and environmental justice. We must focus on substance over
façade.
With economic instability at the federal and state level, we must
keep a close eye on budget priorities. The state budget shortfall
means reimbursements to the city ($2.2 million) are still pending.
Our fund balance is a contingency fund for hard times; ours is now14%
(dangerously low compared with the recommended 25%), not a sufficient
net for difficulties we now face. Debt service hovers around 13%.
I believe we need to streamline our costs and make the difficult
choices necessary to ensure the stability of our community.
Payroll comprises 51.8% of the budget. The wage scale is top-heavy:
the city manager makes about $120,000. We have an excellent staff
at city hall, and wages should reflect the cost of living; but we
need to look at how we spend our payroll dollar. We must narrow
the gap between the highest and lowest paid, making sure that workers
at the low end of the scale are paid
living wages, while keeping top-end salaries in check.
We need more public involvement in the budget process. I propose
a roundtable for a public review of the budget and yearly disclosure
to the media of all salaries of city employees, a common practice
in other cities.
Brian Peterson
 Views
on the Water Authority Problems with Henderson County
I am very interested in the proposal to form a true Mills River
Regional Water Authority. This Authority would own and operate the
Mills River treatment plant and would sell water to the nearby local
governments. The price for the wholesale water would only enough
to cover the operation costs of the treatment plant. This Authority
would not own other distribution lines or set water rates for individual
customers. Instead, each local government would build and maintain
their own water lines and would set the water rates for the businesses
and people who live in their city or county. A Mills River Regional
Water Authority could include Buncombe and Henderson Counties, Asheville,
Fletcher, Hendersonville, or other towns.
I am very strongly opposed to any plan in which the City would give
away the North Fork or Bee Tree reservoirs or the water lines that
serve city residents. These were built and paid for by city residents
many years ago and must be managed by city elected officials. And
city government should decide where in Asheville new water line
will go and which lines need to be replaced with bigger or better
lines. In addition, I strongly
believe that elected officials must be accountable for deciding
the water rates that are charged to people they serve.
Henderson County officials should manage (and pay for) the water
distribution system and set rates for Henderson County. Asheville
City officials should manage the water distribution system and set
rates for Asheville. Asheville voters elect City Council to provide
Asheville with essential city services and the voters should be
able to hold these elected officials accountable.
Bill Porter
 Condemning
Terrorism Asheville City Council Style
You would think that passing a City Council resolution supporting
the President and condemning the terrorists would be a simple matter,
but not so in Asheville. With its leftist, pacifist proclivities
the process became embroiled in a controversy that boiled over into
the national news, much to the embarrassment of us all. Apparently
the all Democrat council did not want to be too enthusiastic in
its support of Republican President Bush or our military, nor too
critical of the terrorists. Simply put, what the terrorists did
was evil and we need to respond in a manner that will put an end
to future attacks.
Where the Council got in trouble, was using words that depicted
the character of the terrorists and not their deeds. A reader has
asked how each of us would have voted on using the words "brave"
and "cowardly" to describe the terrorists. According to
my dictionary, which is over 40 years old, brave means firm, determined
and cowardly means without resolve. Considering the terrorist's
extensive planning and precise execution, they were very determined
and demonstrated great resolve, therefore, they were indeed brave
and not cowardly and the City Council was correct in dropping the
word cowardly. The public, myself included, tends to incorrectly
ascribe righteousness to brave and unrighteousness to cowardly,
making their use in this situation unacceptable.
Dictionary
brave, adj. [fierce, wild] > 1) characterized by courage
2) Arch. Superior; excellent 3) making a fine show or display
coward, adj. [with tail between the legs] > destitute
of courage // n. One who lacks courage
cowardly, adj. lacking courage, not brave {lacking determination}
craven, adj. [to break crack] > afraid, cowardly, Obs
defeated.
courage, n. [heart] > quality of mind enabling one to
meet danger and difficulties with firmness / determination to achieve
one's ends / stubborn, unwilling to admit defeat
courageous, adj. Syn. brave, valiant, dauntless, intrepid
Charlie Worley
 Asheville
may very well be at a crossroads as this election approaches. The
recent national tragedy has changed all of us. Our national priorities
have changed and our local priorities will have to change as well.
Some of our basic issues such as jobs and the local economy have
taken on a much greater significance as we face substantial uncertainty
ahead. Will our local economy suffer? Will Asheville be faced with
an influx of new residents and businesses as people decided to leave
the larger cities for the relative security of smaller cities with
a well known quality of life like Asheville. What other changes
are looming on the horizon and how will we cope with these possible
changes?
My strength has been in working with all groups and interests and
resolving differences. Only by working together can we preserve
the Asheville we know and love.
My commitment is to provide the kind of leadership necessary to
keep Asheville unified, to protect our environment, to preserve
our unique sense of community, to maintain the ideals we hold so
dear, and, above all, to insure that this great city will always
provide a safe haven for our families.
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