Mayoral Candidates, Week 8

Brian Peterson
Charlie Worley

Brian Peterson

Brian Peterson: Supporter of Citizen Government

I first want to thank again everyone who support me in the primary and also everyone who participated in the primary election. The City benefitted from the lively and informative discussion on many important issues. I also want to encourage folks to stay engaged in the general campaign. There are several candidate forums scheduled over the next three weeks and interested voters need to come out and ask all of the candidates hard questions and press for honest answers.

As Mayor, I will encourage greater citizen participation. Our residents have tremendous talent to offer the city with their time and ideas that Council must facilitate their involvement. We need to better inform citizens about openings on boards and commissions and be willing to appoint new and interesting applicants. Boards benefit by greater diversity and healthy discussion of all viewpoints and concerns.

I believe the City should begin to broadcast more than just Council's Formal Session. The Government Access Channel could also broadcast the Council Work Sessions and the meetings of important City boards and commissions such as the Planning & Zoning Department and the Water Authority. By better informing our citizens, folks will be able to be more involved and make better contributions.

On a related note, I strongly support the efforts to establish a Public Access Television Channel. I am one of the Council liaisons to the Public Access Channel Commission and have supported the wonderful efforts of this citizen board. They are a great example of citizen government. To get the Public Access programming going, the City will need to provide more financial support. To keep the Channel going, the City needs to work with Buncombe County, other local governments, local educational institutions, non-profits and businesses to secure ongoing funding for operating costs.

Biographical Information about Brian Peterson:

Home: 42 Vance Crescent; Asheville, NC 28806
Home phone: 251-1477
Work phone: 251-0800

• Married to Cynthia Cooke
• Attorney and Partner at the Law firm of Grimes & Teich

Current Community Involvement:

• Asheville City Council 1999 - present
• Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods, current Board member
• Vice-President, West Asheville Estates Neighborhood Association
• VFW Post 891 ** Asheville Humane Society

Past Community Involvement:

• Vice-Chair, Parks & Recreation Master Plan Steering Committee
• Asheville Greenways Citizen Advisory Committee
• Homes for Asheville-Buncombe Task Force
• Asheville-Buncombe Historic Resource Commission
• Citizens for Safe Drinking Water and Air

Brian Peterson responded to the following Forum Q&A:

Protect Our Natural Environment: Air and Water Quality

We must recognize that a beautiful and healthy environment is one of Asheville's greatest assets and that environment is threatened. The health of our economy and our people will suffer if Asheville does not take a strong leadership role to improve the air and water quality throughout all of western North Carolina. The City needs to make both internal improvements and seek external changes. The City should continue to expand public transit and improve walkways and bikeways. The City should move ahead with the conversion of City vehicles to natural gas fuels and add other local governments and institutions (UNC-A, Mission Hospital) to the program.

Back to the top

Charlie Worley

This campaign for mayor is being categorized as one of business vs neighborhoods and that is very unfortunate for Asheville. In fact, this is a campaign about recognizing that we are all part of the community of Asheville and the surrounding region.

It is imperative that the mayor of Asheville look not at the narrow focus either for neighborhoods or for businesses but look at the broad picture and strive to find the balance between the needs of
neighborhoods and the needs of business so that the entire community benefits.

Neighborhoods are composed of individual homes, whether single family residences or multi-family residences. As occupants of those homes, each of us are concerned about meeting our basic needs of paying the mortgage or rent, paying the bills, and putting food on the table. Neighborhoods start with each of us and collectively we create a neighborhood.

Without good jobs and a healthy economy we will struggle to meet our basic needs. If Asheville does not continue to thrive economically, we will see a loss of jobs (as we already have in some sectors), pressure on our families will grow, and many of us will have a difficult time meeting our basic needs. Asheville will suffer and neighborhoods will suffer.

In addition, neighborhoods themselves have basic needs that must be met - needs such as good streets, sidewalks, recreational opportunities, and basic city services. Even now, neighborhoods pay a disproportionate share of the cost of such services and the need is much greater than the resources currently available. Residential areas comprise 40% of the land area yet they pay 60% of the property taxes. As residents of neighborhoods, we pay more than our fair share! But, we can change that!

If we don't find a way to improve our economy, if we don't provide better jobs, if we don't better utilize our commercial areas, our families and neighborhoods will continue to pay a higher and higher portion of the property tax. The people of Asheville don't need added pressure in taking care of their homes, families and basic needs.

As a member of City Council for six years and as a candidate for mayor, I recognize the need to look at the "big picture", to find the balance necessary to protect our neighborhoods while insuring that we have good jobs and a growing economy.

Biographical Information about Charlie Worley:

• Current member of Asheville City Council serving 3rd term. Chaired the Council's UDO Committee in 2nd term.
  
• Native of Asheville (West Asheville)
• Leadership and experience on numerous boards and commissions including Water Authority (Chairman), Downtown Commission, Task Force for the Future of the Civic Center, Salvation Army Board (Chairman), Crimestoppers Board (President), Leadership Asheville Forum Board and others.
• Chairman of the North Carolina Joint Regional Commission, a statewide group of elected officials appointed from each planning region of NC to advocate regional issues
• Involved in all aspects of the community such as volunteering in playground builds, Bele Chere (Chair 2000), recreation (active soccer participant, helped develop indoor soccer center), jogging, bicycling)
• Married (Nancy K. Worley), two children (Charles A. Worley - 26, and Megan R. Worley - 21)
  

Back to the top

Back to The Candidates' Forum Main Page