Showdown

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Ashvegas City Council Election 2006 will wrap up tonight, with the official appointment of the newly elected mayor, Terry Bellamy, and the new council. As usual, the group sitting at the table may still dish out a little drama before it’s all said and done.

That’s because when the new council takes over, there will be one empty seat. Bellamy’s seat. She ran for a mayor as a sitting council member, so the new council gets to fill that vacancy.

A majority of council has already gone on record saying it will vote to choose Bryan Freeborn, a West Ashvegas hippie who ran a helluva campaign but finished just out of the winnings. But Chris Pelly, another defeated council candidate, has been fragging Freeborn in the press and on television.

Pelly has seized on a paint job Freeborn and his buddies dreamed up for his West A neighborhood street, a mural designed to slow down speeders. All it really did was get Freeborn a $322 bill that he refused to pay. At least until he finished so well in last month’s elections – he paid the bill a couple of days later.

Taking nothing for granted, Freeborn has e-mailed all his supporters, urging them to don red shirts and show their support for him at tonight’s City Council meeting. It should be fun. You can watch the meeting on cable channel 10, you can go to the meeting at City Hall tonight about 5:30, or you can read all about it here.