Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
We’ve got about a month to continue speculation about which person the new Ashvegas City Council will appoint to the seat made vacant by mayor-elect Terry Bellamy’s recent victory, so let’s have at it.
Bellamy, the councilwoman moving to mayor, will vote to fill her slot along with her fellow council members: Holly Jones, Robin Cape, Jan Davis, Carl Mumpower and Brownie Newman. They can choose just any city resident, but they’ll likely look at two candidates in particular – Bryan Freeborn and Chris Pelly.
Freeborn finished fourth in the recent election, in which voters elected three to council. When this scenario played out four years ago, the new council picked the fourth-place finisher (*Jim Ellis*) to join council. So a precedent has been set.
But Chris Pelly, who finished fifth, may have some life in him. Pelly’s apparently had lots of supporters call and e-mail him, all urging him to keep campaigning for the appointment. Pelly took the high road last week, sending out a note to all saying that he won’t do that, just that he’ll trust council to make the right decision.
The Freeborn-Pelly dynamic is interesting, too, because before the general election, there was a strategy meeting called. Freeborn, Pelly and a few others, we understand, all got together to talk about who would drop out of the race to solidify support behind the chosen one, all with the aim of knocking Mumpower out. Neither Freeborn nor Pelly gave in. If they had, they surely would have taken out Mumpower, who just edged out Freeborn by about 1,000 votes.
So where would Pelly’s votes come from? Mumpower could well support Pelly, especially if it meant sticking it to Freeborn. Davis, too, could get behind Pelly. Holly and Brownie sent out pre-election e-mails urging people to get behind Pelly, because Pelly showed more strongly in the primary. There’s four votes.
Bellamy tells the local newspaper she’ll support Freeborn. Cape endorsed Freeborn before the election. Will Bellamy and Cape convince Holly and Brownie to go with them?
Also to consider: Pelly’s actually done something – the whole sidewalks in Haw Creek deal. We hear a lot about how Pelly worked to get the sidewalks, but it’s an accomplishment. What has Freeborn actually done – an accomplishment – besides sit on a city transit board?
We’ll have to keep our eyes on this one…
From an e-mail sent by Alan Ditmore:
Why not Freeborn?
To city councilors Newman and Jones:
The Mountain Express quotes both of you as being reluctant to follow democratic tradition by voting to appoint Bryan Freeborn to council, and I want to know why. Newman is quoted as saying the reason is "making sure different communities are represented on council," and I would like an elaboration. What communities would those be? are you thinking of Pelly? what "different communities" might Pelly represent better than Freeborn? and most importantly, how might those communities or their
representatives differ on important ISSUES???
Would such "communities" include Pelly’s relatively affluent and Republican East Asheville, RS-4 zoned neighborhood? compared to Freeborn’s inclusive, West Asheville RM-8 home? Would such "communities"
include the Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods? Which you assure me is not a NIMBY organization, and to some extent Pelly’s statements on affordable housing back this up, but I have considerable trouble understanding why else CAN should exist. Also, although he has children, Freeborn’s relative youth and "unsung hero" convinces me that he is more
likely than Pelly to see the relevance, importance and CURRENT EXISTENCE (in the school based health clinic) of municipal contraceptive funding.
Anyway, I am drafting a letter to the Asheville Citizen-Times urging you to appoint Freeborn, and I would like to hear good, issue based reasons why I shouldn’t or should think twice before I do. ISSUES have been
sorely lacking in this campaign, on the part of all the candidates, which is why I haven’t contributed any money and little time this year.
-Alan Ditmore, with 21,318 votes in Buncombe County elections.
So you’re figuring we get Bellamy as mayor, and Holly as vice mayor? That means the city will be run, in part, by non-profits. God save us all. And what was up with the newspaper campaign ads showing Holly surrounded by various ethnic children (altho she apparently couldn’t find an Asian or American Indian)? What were we supposed to assume about her from that?
Holly Jones for vice mayor – that’s my prediction.
Let’s not forget that Brownie Newman and Chris Pelly ran as a team in the last council election election. They’ve worked closely together on a number of issues, and you can expect Brownie to come out in favor of a Pelly appointment. Holly Jones appeared to fall in behind Freeborn during the general election as an act of solidarity with Bellamy and Cape, but in my observations she never really got that Freeborn fever.
I think Freeborn will get the seat, but Pelly will get some plum Bellamy sponsored committee assignments and be well placed for the next city council elections.
Love Terry’s final sentence: “If I were a man, would I be asked this question?” Right on, sistah.
So, sitting on your duff doing nothing now equals taking the high road? Wow. Helps a lot to clarify the strategy between the primary and the general election. I guess Pelly was taking the high road then too.
Smacks of a thick dose of smugness to me to hear someone who didn’t manage to perform to expectations to “leave it to council to do the right thing.”
Or, maybe this is acquiescence. After all it was Pelly who said, “Vote totals should be the most important factor in filling the vacated seat but may not be the only factor. City Council should have a small degree of flexibility if, for instance, final vote totals are extremely close or if some unforeseen circumstances were to arise.” Since 1000+ votes doesn’t really qualify as “extremely close” given the turnout and totals. Or does this mean we await something “unforeseen” to indicate what the “right thing” will be?
So, Ash, while I’m throwing sand in your craw, got any speculation about Vice Mayor?