Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Just a quick reminder on your Ashvegas City Council election merry-go-round. Here’s the recap:
City Council votes recently to change the local elections from a non-partisan affair to partisan. The vote comes during the filing period for this year’s election, in which three City Council seats are up for grabs.
Folks don’t like the move. Many see it as a blatant power grab. Good citizen Charlie Hume and company put together a petition drive and get 5,000 city voters to put their name to it to demand a referendum on whether City Council elections should be non-partisan or partisan.
So that forced the local elections board to reopen the filing period and ask that everybody, even those who had already filed, to file again to run in this year’s race. City Council incumbents Brownie Newman, Bryan Freeborn and Jan Davis are all up for re-election.
Monday at noon is the deadline for everyone to file. Newman is the only incumbent who has yet to file, and he’s announced his intention to run again. Others who have said they planned to run but have yet to file include Tim Peck and Selena Sullivan.
Here’s who has filed:
Donna Bateman: we’ve never heard of her.
Steve Bledsoe: name sounds familiar, but don’t know anything more. A “Steve Bledsoe” was quoted as a curious onlooker in a C-T story about local Wiccans dancing around the magnolia tree on City-County Plaza in an attempt to ward off evil developers.
Dwight Butner: owns a downtown restaurant, active in the local downtown business scene, failed candidate for council in last election.
Christopher Chiaromonte: aka “Brother Christopher,” the robed ranter at every council meeting.
Jan Davis: local tire store owner, middle-of-the-road politics going, perhaps with some mixed feelings, for another term on council.
Bryan Freeborn: local carpenter who has shed some of his West Asheville hippie ways for local political power; young, and it shows sometimes.
Matthew Hebb: local java house owner and former failed council candidate.
Bobby Johnston: who?
Bill Russell: local insurance agent; that’s all we know.
Lindsey Simerly: who?
Dee Williams: local independent businesswoman currently slinging hot dogs from a cart near the downtown bus station, Williams has run for, and lost, any number of local political posts.
You can register to vote in this election up through Sept. 14. You can vote in the primary on Oct. 9. The general election is Nov. 6. Remember, this is the date where you’ll also vote on whether you want partisan or non-partisan City Council elections in the future.
Who has filed for races in Buncombe County
Local election schedule.
Tim Peck isn’t running. Heard it from the man himself.