On the hustings

Jason Sandford

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

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Folks, it’s that time of year in Ashvegas – time for local politicians to make a lot of promises and ask us for our money and our vote. Once again, from Mountain Xpress, a nice roundup of some events, edited by Ashvegas:

Campaign Calendar

• Sept. 8 fish fry (Thu): Asheville City Council candidate Keith Thomson is holding a free, open-invitation catfish-fry dinner, 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Randolph Learning Center on Montford. Contact [email protected] for more information. Who is Keith Thomson again? And isn’t usually barbecue these guys are supposed to be serving. I mean, we are in the South, here. C’mon Keith, get your campaign food act scrait.

• Sept. 12 town hall meeting (Mon): City Council candidate Dwight Butner invites the public to a town hall-style meeting at noon in the Haywood Park Hotel atrium. Hmmm. Noon. Town Hall meeting. Yawn. Dwight, you’re the restauranteur – what kind of eats are we gonna get???

• Sept. 19 mayoral forum: From 7 to 9 p.m. at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel, the League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County will present a forum. Don’t eff with these ladies. They will eff you up.

• Sept. 21 community forum: The West Asheville Business Association is sponsoring an open community forum for candidates for Asheville City Council and mayor at 6:30 p.m. The forum will be held at the West Asheville Community Center (970 Haywood Road, behind the fire station and West Asheville Library). This is usually a spirited forum. Some good questions. But I’m from West Ashvegas – what do I know?

• Sept. 21 pub party: City Council candidate Bryan Freeborn is hosting a “Political Pub Party” featuring “music, fun, and progressive politics,” starting at 9 p.m., at the Westville Pub. Finally, a candidate who knows how to throw a party. A PUB party, no less. Way to go, Bryan.

• Oct. 5 candidate forum: The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2005 Candidates’ Forum, highlighting Asheville mayoral and city council candidates, takes place from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Resort. For chamber members only. But this forum comes at a critical time, just days before the Oct. 11 primary. What will the hot issues be?

• Voter deadlines: To vote in the Oct. 11 primary election, you must be registered by Friday, Sept. 16. Absentee voting by mail for the primary begins Friday, Sept. 9, and ends Monday, Oct. 10. One-stop absentee voting begins Thursday, Sept. 22, and ends Saturday, Oct. 8, at 1 p.m. For more, contact the Buncombe County Board of Elections at 250-4200 or go to www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/Election.