Voting in the Asheville City Election has begun!
Be sure to cast your vote for the candidates of your choice in the Asheville City Election. You may vote for mayor and three city council candidates in early voting or on election day, November 3.
EARLY VOTING
From now through Saturday, 10/31, you may register and vote at the any of the five locations below:
- Buncombe County Board of Elections, 189 College Street, downtown Asheville
- North Asheville Branch Library, 1030 Merrimon Avenue
- South Buncombe Branch Library, 260 Overlook Road
- Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department Building, 70 Gashes Creek Road
- West Asheville Branch Library, 942 Haywood Road
All five of these early voting locations are open during the following hours:
- Weekdays: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- Saturday, 10/31: 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
ELECTION DAY
On Election Day, Tuesday, 11/3, you must vote at your regular precinct polling place from 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. To find your precinct polling place, visit the URL below:
http://www.buncombecounty.org/common/election/precinct_Address.pdf
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009A few random thoughts on a rainy Saturday morning . . .
The victories of Cecil Bothwell and Gordon Smith in last Tuesday’s primary election in Asheville were built on hard and smart work by both candidates, sizeable teams of deeply-committed volunteers and the grassroots organizing skills many of them gained working in Obama’s 2008 campaign. Local citizens now realize the power they possess and are using it to excellent advantage.
Shonnie and I have been in Asheville exactly 12 years, having moved here from Austin, Texas on October 9, 1997. We’re having dinner tonight with Ken and Loyd Kinnett, our only two friends when we first arrived.
Jubilee! Community, our faith community is 20 years old, and the birthday celebration last night was an excellent reflection of the inclusiveness, irreverence, joy and compassion that brings us all together.
It was good to see Jeremy Bird, the number two guy at Organizing for America, on MSNBC last night speaking in support of health care reform. Jeremy was in charge of Obama’s highly-successful field organization during the presidential campaign in Ohio, and I was one of his field organizers.
Shonnie and I have finished our fourth week with Crossfit Asheville. Tough workouts (I almost threw up on Wednesday), but we can both already tell the difference in our bodies and our conditioning.
I was surprised but pleased by the announcement that President Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize. There is no question that he has shifted the U.S. from a stance of confrontation to one of cooperation with the other nations of the world. But more importantly, he personally models and calls on us to act out of our highest values–compassion, connection, generosity, authenticity and integrity among others. I can only hope that this award will provide a greater urgency to get our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan at an early date.
Two of our cats are sharing Chocolate’s former duties now that she’s no longer with us physically. Desmond takes the day shift with me in my office, and Bandit sleeps with me most of the night. A great comfort, but I still miss my old companion of 21 years.
I’m going to join Cecil at the Asheville Humane Society fund raiser and the Blue Ridge Pride gathering later today to talk with voters. Hope the rain holds off!
Saturday, October 10th, 2009City Council candidates answer questions “yes” or “no”
Folks running for political office frequently prefer to offer at least two answers to every question. At their candidate forum on September 15, People Advocating Real Conservancy (PARC) decided to ask candidates “yes” or “no” questions about local land use issues that have already been debated at length in our community.
Below is the Candidate Scorecard from the forum. You will notice that Cecil Bothwell was the only candidate participating who offered a “yes” or “no” answer on every question. In addition, Cecil was also the only candidate who said “yes” to #7–taking back our park land from Stewart Coleman by Eminent Domain and #10–creating a green space on city land in front of the Basilica.
You may watch the video version of the questions by clicking the links below:
Click HERE for questions 1, 2 and 3.
Click HERE for questions 4 and 5.
Click HERE for questions 6 and 7.
Click HERE for questions 8 and 9.
You may also wish to check out City Council candidates’ responses to the WNC for Change questionnaire by clicking here.
Remember to vote in the city primary election this Tuesday, October 6 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at your precinct polling place.
Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
