ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Asheville voters heard from candidates for mayor and City Council during a forum Wednesday hosted by the Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods at the Stephens-Lee Community Center.

The forum brought candidates together to discuss issues facing Asheville as the city continues its long-term recovery from Tropical Storm Helene while also dealing with housing affordability, infrastructure needs, public safety and questions about growth and development.

The mayoral race features incumbent Mayor Esther Manheimer, who is seeking a fourth term, and City Council member Kim Roney.

Manheimer has served as mayor since 2013. She was out of town during the forum, and Scott Burroughs spoke on her behalf.

Six candidates are competing for three City Council seats: Drew Ball, Maggie Ullman Berthiaume, Jeffrey Burroughs, S. Antanette Mosley, Sheneika E. Smith and Keith Young.

The following are introductions from the candidates and, in Manheimer’s case, her representative, edited for clarity and length.

Asheville mayor

Esther Manheimer

Manheimer was unable to attend the forum because she was out of town on a family trip.

Scott Burroughs spoke on her behalf, highlighting what he described as three qualities that distinguish Manheimer’s leadership: empathy, knowledge and experience.

Burroughs said Manheimer demonstrated those qualities when he worked with community members to develop alternatives to a proposal involving the University of North Carolina Asheville’s woods.

He said he sent more than 150 emails while organizing the effort and received a response from Manheimer.

“She listened, she heard us and she took that with her,” Burroughs said.

He credited Manheimer with helping defend the woods and said he believes she will continue advocating for the community as UNCA develops future plans.

Burroughs also pointed to Manheimer’s work securing $225 million in initial Helene recovery funding, saying the effort required diplomacy, persistence and relationships with officials at the local, state and federal levels.

He said Manheimer’s experience as mayor since 2013 has helped guide the city through difficult periods, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Helene.

“She listens first, she learns and then she acts,” Burroughs said.

He urged voters to support Manheimer in November.

Kim Roney

Roney, a music educator, business and nonprofit leader and current City Council member, said she is running for mayor because she believes Asheville can better care for its residents and its mountain home through more inclusive and transparent government.

Roney said her priorities include affordability, transparency and public safety.

“If we focus on Asheville being a great place to live and work, it’ll be a great place to visit, too,” she said.

Roney said the mayor cannot accomplish major changes alone and that effective leadership requires sharing the work with other elected officials and the community.

She said she wants more city business conducted publicly rather than through meetings and discussions residents cannot see.

Roney also discussed the mayor’s role in appointing the Housing Authority board and serving on the economic development coalition.

She said affordable housing is only one part of affordability and that Asheville also needs good-paying jobs.

Roney said she supports growing local manufacturing and businesses and supports Costco because she believes it could help reduce grocery and gas costs for residents.

She also described her work helping residents after Helene, including efforts to ensure elderly, disabled and homebound residents had access to working toilets.

Roney said she also worked to ensure city communications were translated into Spanish.

She said she has been endorsed by the Central Labor Council, which represents workers including firefighters, teachers, nurses and service-industry workers.

Asheville City Council

Drew Ball

Ball currently serves on the Buncombe County Commission and said his upbringing and family instilled in him a commitment to public service.

He said his mother was a teacher who also worked in the jail system and that his family regularly volunteered at local shelters.

Ball became involved in politics and advocacy while attending NC State University. He later worked in the North Carolina General Assembly, on political campaigns and with the North Carolina Sierra Club, advocating for clean air and clean water.

His work took him to Washington, D.C., where he earned a master’s degree in public administration from American University with a focus on state and local management.

Ball said a coal ash spill in North Carolina helped convince him that he wanted to return home and work more directly in his community.

He eventually moved to Asheville and worked with Environment North Carolina.

During Helene, Ball said he served as a volunteer firefighter and saw residents across the region step up to help their neighbors.

He later ran for and was appointed to the Buncombe County Commission.

Ball said his work since then has focused on clean recovery, supporting local businesses and making housing more affordable.

“I really want to continue that work,” Ball said.

He said that if elected to City Council, he would work as part of a team.

“It’s not about me. It’s about y’all,” Ball said.

Jeffrey Burroughs

Burroughs described himself as an artist, small-business owner, community advocate and cross-sector organizer.

Nine months before Helene, Burroughs said he was elected president of the Artists of the River Arts District.

The storm devastated the district, he said, destroying buildings and businesses as well as years of work and investment.

But Burroughs said the community came together to rebuild.

He helped form Unified RAD, a coalition that brought together artists, businesses, property owners, developers, government agencies and neighborhood residents.

He said the experience taught him that residents need to be involved directly in decisions about their communities.

“If we don’t speak up for ourselves, somebody else will, and they usually get it wrong,” Burroughs said.

He also serves as president of the RAD Foundation and chairs the city’s Helene Economy Recovery Board.

Burroughs said one of the biggest problems he sees in Asheville is that the city often adopts plans and programs but does not finish implementing them.

“Asheville is great at adopting things, not always great at finishing them,” he said.

Burroughs said his campaign is focused on deeply affordable housing, anti-displacement policies, completing Helene recovery and improving infrastructure before the next major storm.

He said he wants to bring people together and make government accountable for following through on its promises.

“I’m a finisher. I build things,” Burroughs said.

S. Antanette Mosley

Mosley, Asheville’s current vice mayor, said her connection to the city is rooted in East Asheville, where she grew up and where her father was raised by his grandparents.

Her family later moved to Kenilworth, which she continues to call home.

Mosley said she has experienced Asheville’s neighborhoods across generations and believes neighborhoods are central to the city’s identity.

“Our neighborhoods are our city,” she said.

Mosley grew up in Asheville, left for college and law school, built a career as an attorney and eventually returned home.

She joined City Council in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and was elected by voters in 2022.

During her time on council, she said Asheville has faced major challenges, including the housing affordability crisis and Tropical Storm Helene and its ongoing recovery.

Mosley said one principle has guided her work: Asheville should remain a place where people who helped build the community can afford to continue to live.

She said she has made development without displacement a central priority and helped lead efforts toward a comprehensive anti-displacement strategy.

Mosley said Asheville needs more housing but that simply producing housing is not enough.

The city also needs to preserve existing housing, help homeowners remain in their homes, protect vulnerable neighborhoods and make sure residents have a voice in development decisions, she said.

Mosley said transparency should be part of every major city decision, including decisions involving growth, housing, transportation, public safety and tax dollars.

“I don’t believe leadership means voting with the majority every time,” Mosley said. “I believe leadership sometimes means asking the uncomfortable question.”

Maggie Ullman Berthiaume

Ullman Berthiaume, who goes by Maggie Ullman, is seeking re-election to City Council. She was elected in 2022.

She came to Asheville in 2002 to attend UNC Asheville and later served as the city’s first sustainability director.

Ullman said her work as sustainability director helped the city save about $1 million in energy costs, which she said was reinvested in energy-efficiency projects and solar panels.

She and her family have made Asheville home, but she said they have also left the city twice because of professional and financial challenges before choosing to return.

That experience has shaped her focus on making Asheville a place where residents can afford to stay and build their futures, she said.

Ullman said taking office during the pandemic taught her how crises test government systems and leaders.

During her time on council, she said she has focused on three areas: affordability, public safety and rebuilding after Helene.

She pointed to the city’s $20 million affordable housing bond, emergency rent assistance and $3 million in home-repair funding as examples of efforts she helped support.

Ullman also highlighted increased pay for police and firefighters and new approaches to connecting firefighters with people experiencing mental health challenges.

She said the city is also preparing to provide grants for neighborhood resilience hubs, such as churches and community centers that can serve residents during emergencies.

Ullman said there is still work to complete, including housing and zoning changes, flood-risk planning, a potential mental health treatment court and rebuilding riverfront parks and neighborhoods after Helene.

“I’ve already delivered results,” Ullman said. “I need to go back to continue that work.”

Keith Young

Young served on Asheville City Council from 2015 to 2020 and said he was born and raised in the city.

His family’s connection to Asheville’s public housing system goes back to 1951, when his grandfather, a World War II veteran, moved the family into public housing.

Young said his experience growing up in Asheville has allowed him to see different sides of the city and understand how public policy affects residents’ lives.

He urged voters to look beyond candidates’ campaign promises and examine their records.

“Asheville ought to ask just a little bit more of us,” Young said. “What have you already done?”

Young said leadership should be measured by whether elected officials can deliver tangible improvements for residents.

He pointed to everyday concerns such as roads, water infrastructure, taxes and preparation for future disasters as examples of issues that directly affect residents.

“You want to know if I can fix the pothole in front of your house,” Young said, using a broader example of the kind of practical leadership he believes voters expect.

Young said he has a track record that voters can examine and encouraged residents to do the same with every candidate.

“We’re asking you for a job,” he said. “And so you should see the resume.”

Sheneika E. Smith

Smith, who is one of the six candidates seeking one of three Asheville City Council seats, was unable to attend the forum.

The candidates’ introductions highlighted several common themes, including Asheville’s recovery from Helene, housing affordability, neighborhood involvement and the need for city government to deliver tangible results.

But they also offered distinct approaches to leadership. Roney emphasized transparency and collaborative government; Ball focused on public service and environmental and housing issues; Jeffrey Burroughs stressed community-led recovery and follow-through; Mosley emphasized neighborhoods and anti-displacement efforts; Ullman highlighted her record of completed projects; and Young urged voters to judge candidates by their past results.

Transparency in Asheville government

Candidates were asked: “How would you improve the electorate’s perceived lack of transparency by Asheville city government?”

Roney challenged the premise that the lack of transparency is merely “perceived,” pointing to a 2021 council retreat that resulted in a lawsuit and demands from five media organizations that the city’s business be conducted publicly.

Roney said her background in community radio shaped her approach to transparency. She spent about 20 years in community radio and helped launch 103.3 Asheville FM, where she said she worked to amplify local musicians and makers while producing a news program.

She said she attended her first City Council meeting Dec. 9, 2014, then made a goal of attending every council meeting for the following year and reporting back to residents.

Roney said she continues that work through a weekly “Monday Minute” video explaining local government in 90 seconds or less.

She said city issues should be easier for residents to follow, from the initial agenda to board and commission discussions and eventual council action. She also advocated for pilot programs that allow the city to test ideas before committing significant money to studies.

“Studying by doing” can allow officials to learn from actual results, she said.

Roney said more inclusive and transparent processes would help make city government less chaotic and build public trust.

Ball said his approach to transparency starts with being accessible and showing up in the community.

During his two years on the Buncombe County Commission, he said he has held coffee hours and town halls throughout his district.

He has also participated in joint city, county and state town halls to help residents navigate which level of government is responsible for particular issues.

Ball said his cellphone number is publicly available and that he works to respond to residents.

He said Asheville residents have a strong tradition of civic engagement and that government should create more opportunities for them to participate in decisions affecting their lives.

Ball pointed to issues involving parks and other community projects as examples where residents need meaningful opportunities to provide input.

Burroughs said transparency is about more than complying with open-meeting requirements. It also means making information about government work accessible and showing residents how decisions are progressing.

He suggested publicly tracking the work of city boards and commissions, including neighborhood plans and other initiatives.

Burroughs said publishing timelines and progress reports would help residents understand what is happening without requiring them to watch hours of meetings.

He said the city could start with relatively simple changes rather than waiting for a large technological system or dashboard to be developed.

“Transparency is a very integral and important part of being able to establish trust,” he said.

Mosley said accessibility is an important part of transparency and pointed to her relationships with residents as evidence.

But she said transparency is about more than complying with open-meeting laws. Inclusion is an essential part of transparency, she said, and residents must actively participate in holding government accountable.

“It’s really up to you whether you get a government that is transparent,” Mosley said.

She encouraged residents to pay attention to council votes and the relationships among council members, saying major decisions cannot be made by one council member alone.

“The only way your government will be transparent is if you force us to,” Mosley said.

Ullman said transparency ultimately comes down to trust.

She noted that council meeting minutes are available online and meetings are recorded, but said that level of access alone does not necessarily address residents’ concerns.

She said elected officials need to communicate what they think about issues and explain why they make particular decisions.

Ullman said she holds monthly coffee meetings, sends newsletters and communicates through social media. She said she has set a goal of responding to 80 percent of emails she receives, though she acknowledged that can be difficult when the city receives hundreds of messages.

She also said city government needs to improve internal communication and criticized what she described as excessive departmental silos.

Ullman said the city’s new city manager has an opportunity to establish clearer goals and a strategic plan that could allow residents to better understand what the city is trying to accomplish.

Young said Asheville has made significant progress on transparency since he first joined City Council in 2015, but said much of that progress required individual council members to push for change.

He recalled that when he joined council, members had limited access to information and residents could not watch many boards and commissions online.

Young said he worked with then-City Manager Gary Jackson and city staff to expand public access to meetings.

After leaving City Council, Young said he helped found GAP AVL, an organization that reviews local government meetings and public policy and provides information to residents.

Volunteers attend government meetings, including board and commission meetings, and analyze the information through a racial and social justice lens, he said.

Young said the work gives residents another way to understand what their local government is doing.

“It’s not about what I believe, what I care about, what I’m telling you I’m going to do,” Young said. “It’s about what everybody up here collectively does to materially change your life.”

General obligation bonds

Candidates were asked whether they support the city’s regular use of general obligation bonds to fund major capital projects and why or why not.

Burroughs said his support depends on the project.

He said borrowing can make sense for long-term investments in infrastructure, affordable housing, parks, playgrounds and resilience projects.

The key, he said, is determining which projects should take priority and ensuring the city is borrowing for investments that provide lasting value.

Mosley said she supports general obligation bonds when voters approve them.

She noted that Asheville’s general obligation bonds require voter approval and said residents ultimately have a say in whether the city takes on that debt.

Mosley pointed to recent bonds for affordable housing and parks and said the city has reached a point where some deferred maintenance projects cannot reasonably be paid for through the annual operating budget.

Ullman said bonds are an important tool for financing major infrastructure projects.

She said Asheville has deferred maintenance on buildings, fire stations, pipes and other infrastructure, making some projects too expensive to address through annual operating budgets alone.

She said voters have approved recent bond packages by wide margins, demonstrating public support for major investments.

Young strongly supported the use of general obligation bonds, pointing to his previous experience on City Council.

He cited Asheville’s 2017 bond package, which he said helped fund improvements to city facilities, Memorial Stadium, the Wesley Grant Center, parks, paving and sidewalks, as well as $25 million for affordable housing.

Roney said general obligation bonds can be an important tool when residents have an opportunity to vote on major investments.

She said accountability after voters approve bonds is equally important and pointed to public project dashboards as a way residents can track spending and progress.

Roney said she supports strategic borrowing but also expressed concern about taking on debt without a plan for financial stability.

Ball said he supports general obligation bonds as part of a long-term capital improvement strategy.

He said a recurring challenge for local governments is that revenue-neutral budgets are not necessarily cost-neutral as health care, detention and other costs rise and state and federal governments shift expenses to local governments.

Ball said responsible budgeting also means pursuing state and federal grants.

He said bonds give voters a direct role in deciding whether local government should take on debt.

Ball pointed to Buncombe County’s AAA bond rating, which he said the county maintained despite the financial challenges following Helene. That rating could allow the county to leverage low-interest loans if voters approve the $30 million open space bond and $40 million affordable housing bond in November.

Ball said bond-funded projects should focus on core services and be guided by long-term planning.

“Capital improvements are core services,” Ball said.

Future of boards and commissions

Candidates were asked whether they would support reactivating more of Asheville’s boards and commissions in 2027.

Mosley said she supports restoring more boards and commissions but believes they should operate efficiently.

She noted that Asheville previously had more than 30 boards and commissions and now has four broader committees focused on areas including the economy, housing, infrastructure and people and the environment.

Mosley said she would support recommendations from the city’s boards and commissions realignment working group.

She also cautioned that city staff already face significant workloads, particularly because of Helene recovery, and that any restored boards need to account for staff capacity.

Ullman said boards and commissions are important because they bring residents, businesses and subject-matter experts into local government.

She said she supports rebuilding the system but does not necessarily believe Asheville should return to the exact structure that existed before Helene.

Boards should have clearly defined goals and coordinate with City Council, she said.

Young said boards and commissions provide an important avenue for residents with specialized knowledge and strong interests in particular issues to participate in government.

He acknowledged that boards can require staff resources and sometimes have limited attendance, but said the people who participate can provide valuable expertise.

Roney said she supports rebuilding the city’s boards and commissions and putting local subject-matter experts at the center of policymaking.

She pointed to the Urban Forestry Commission as an example and advocated for stipends that could help residents overcome barriers such as transportation, child care and time away from work.

Ball also said public input is critical but argued that boards and commissions work best when they have clear missions and measurable goals.

He said residents should not feel their time is being wasted or their input ignored, while also noting that boards require significant staff time to prepare for meetings and document their work.

“I would support bringing them back with, again, mission- and deliverable-driven” goals, Ball said.

Ball pointed to the South Asheville Small Area Development Plan as an example of effective public participation, saying residents worked with staff to develop recommendations involving zoning, investment and the area’s future.

He also cited his work on the county’s Affordable Housing Subcommittee, where he advocated for adding citizen members to help guide decisions involving housing funding.

Burroughs said he supports bringing boards and commissions back but believes the system should be improved.

He said his experience chairing the Economy for Recovery Board showed the value of residents providing expertise while also highlighting limitations in how boards can shape their agendas.

Burroughs said boards should have more influence over setting priorities and developing recommendations before issues reach City Council.

He also suggested finding ways to connect boards working on related issues instead of treating them as isolated bodies.

Asheville’s budget pressures

Another question addressed how candidates would manage increasing costs and future budget gaps.

Ball said Asheville needs to address rising costs while recognizing that state and federal policies are shifting more expenses onto local governments.

He said the city should focus on reducing the cost of living, maintaining essential services and pursuing state and federal grants to bring more outside funding into Asheville.

Ball also said officials need to be mindful of residents on fixed incomes and families struggling with everyday expenses.

He said local government should protect core services and look for ways to reduce costs while bringing additional funding into the community.

Burroughs said addressing future budget gaps starts with determining what services and programs are most important and prioritizing those investments.

He said the city should look for creative ways to generate additional revenue, including pursuing grants that city staff may not have the capacity to seek.

Burroughs said he has researched creating a centralized city grant department that could focus on identifying and applying for state and federal funding.

He said the city needs to find new revenue while making sure residents continue receiving the services they expect as costs increase.

Mosley said North Carolina municipalities cannot operate with a deficit, so the question is really how the city addresses budget gaps when costs rise faster than revenue.

She said she voted against the most recent city budget because she believed residents should have been given clearer choices about which services could be reduced.

Mosley said officials need to explain the consequences of budget decisions to residents rather than simply discussing tax increases or cuts.

She also praised City Manager D.K. Wesley for already examining options for the next budget cycle.

Ullman said the city has two basic choices when costs increase: cut or delay services or find additional revenue.

She said the city slowed some spending and increased the property tax rate in the most recent budget, but officials also need to be more realistic about what the city can afford.

Ullman said Asheville has deferred maintenance for years, leaving infrastructure and buildings more expensive to repair.

She said the city needs to balance spending cuts with strategic borrowing and pursue more state and federal funding.

Ullman pointed to her work building relationships in Raleigh and Washington, D.C., as a way to bring additional resources to Asheville.

Young said Asheville’s expenditures have grown faster than its revenues and that the city needs to plan further into the future when preparing budgets.

He said officials should not use one-time funds, such as fund balance, to pay recurring expenses.

Young pointed to personnel costs, which he said account for about 60% of the city’s budget, as an area where officials need to carefully examine salaries, raises and benefits.

He also said Asheville’s relatively small tax base compared with the number of people who use city services creates additional financial challenges.

Young said the city needs to find creative ways to manage costs and increase revenue.

Roney said Asheville cannot rely solely on property taxes and needs to find new revenue, reduce costs and pursue partnerships that avoid duplicating services.

She pointed to her support for higher pay for first responders and said the city must ensure employees can afford to live in the communities they serve.

Roney also advocated for a stronger partnership between Asheville and Buncombe County on transit to reduce duplicated costs.

She said the city should seek more tourism-related funding for infrastructure, arguing that visitors contribute to the strain on roads and other services.

Roney said future budgets should reflect the city’s priorities while finding ways to bring more money into local government.

The candidates repeatedly returned to several themes throughout the forum: rebuilding trust in local government, making housing more affordable, completing Helene recovery, improving infrastructure and giving residents a meaningful role in city decisions.

They differed, however, in how they would approach those issues, including the city’s use of debt, the structure of public participation and the balance between government transparency, staff capacity and the demands of a city still recovering from a historic disaster.