2007 Asheville City Council Candidates Survey
We appreciate your response to this questionnaire, which is intended to inform employers and employees of the Chamber's over 2,000 member businesses. Your answers will appear on the Chamber's Website, in an edition of the Chamber's weekly e-Newsletter. Please attempt to limit your response to each question to no more than 150 words.
1. Why are you running for Asheville City Council?
In 1985, I returned to Asheville after a business setback with my two daughters and began to rebuild my life. Twenty some odd years later, I am able to offer myself to serve on City Council. I want to help Asheville be that kind of place for our children and grandchildren.
2. What skills and experience would you bring to the position?
I am a local business man with all of the skills and experience associated with that role. I have served as President of the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association, the President of the Asheville Downtown Association, a Chamber Board Member (Governmental Affairs Taskforce), Lyric Opera Board, Downtown Social Issues Taskforce member, Hospitality House/Homeward Bound Board, Asheville Downtown Commission and President of my church among other things.
3. Please indicate which of the following issues would be among your top priorities as a member of the Asheville City Council.
X - Affordable housing
X - Balanced growth
X - Economic growth/strong business climate
- Education/skilled workforce
- Environmental issues
- Fiscally responsible local government
- Improved transit, greenways and sidewalks
- Infrastructure and transportation improvements
X - Neighborhood protection and enhancement
- Protection of public lands/property
- Recruiting new companies and jobs to Asheville
- River district redevelopment
- Streamlining regulations on businesses
- Supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs
X - Supporting existing business and industry expansion
- Water and sewer infrastructure
4. Please elaborate on your top priorities.
All of the above are legitimate concerns for our local government and each has their place in guiding and enhancing our future. The areas I selected are areas of personal concern and/or expertise that I can bring to Council. I would like to say that all of the issues listed above are important and within the overall context of maintaining the well being of this city, they all have their place. Being a businessman, support for the local economy is very high on my list of priorities. I am not for business for businesses sake, however. I believe that without a strong vibrant business climate that produces jobs and opportunities for all our citizens that we doom ourselves to stagnation and poverty. Without tax revenues and a growing tax base we will not have the money to address the other pressing social issues which all urban areas face. Furthermore, I do not see any conflict whatsoever between environmental issues and local business. Maintaining the quality of life for the residents in this area is good business.
Affordable housing- In my opinion, accessibly priced housing for sale to middle class and lower middle class households (defined as $30 K to $50 K) is the key issue facing our community. Currently, $40,000 a year will not qualify an individual to buy a median priced house in Asheville. That translates to a $20 an hour job worked 40 hours a week. We cannot successfully attract $20 an hour jobs if $20 an hour will not buy a house.
Ballanced growth- The beauty and quality of life in this area are the key components of our economy. Protecting our quality of life, our air and our water are intregral to the ongoing health of our economy. It's good business to grow in and up inside the city limits of Asheville because of the environmental concerns we all have.
Economic growth/a strong business climate- Everyone in our community wants our children and grandchildren to be able to walk in the woods, breath clean air and drink clean water. We also want them to be able to find a job, buy a house and build a good life. We need a sense of ballance and proportion to achieve that. One is no good without the other.
Neighborhood development and enhancement- I believe strongly in neighborhood input and vision. While everyone's views are important, when it comes to the cities general welfare, neighborhood concerns should receive much more weight in the decision making process. We as a community need to work to achieve a higher level of mutual respect as well as cultivating a stronger "live and let live" attitude.
5. What are your views about growth and development in Asheville?
I do not believe that you can effectively and constructively embrace your future without honoring and respecting your past. As such, I will always remember what got us to where we are and I will do everything in my power to continue to help and support the established businesses and organizations that have done so much to get us to where we are.
That said, Asheville is in a very unique position in this country economically. We have a thriving economy and our popularity is growing. To fail to capitalize on that unique situation and position can only do the citizens of the community as a whole a disservice. Our local economy must continue to thrive so that our children and grandchildren can support themselves and their families in order to grow to love this area as much as we do.
6. What is your position on partisan municipal elections in Asheville?
My personal position on holding a partisan vs. non-partisan election is I prefer a non-partisan process. I have thought long and hard about the issue and boiling it down to the essentials, I am for a non-partisan process for two reasons. First, I believe deeply that the principal of voting for the person far and away exceeds my loyalty to any particular preference based on party. I think that local elections offer our citizens an opportunity to uniquely know the people they are voting for. At no other level in the election process is that ability to know your candidates more available nor is the relationship between voter and representative more intimate. I believe that non-partisan elections, irrespective of the influence formal party participation, offer a unique opportunity to encourage the principal of voting for the person. Second, I believe deeply that when individuals first offer themselves for public service to the electorate that they should be running by the same rules. In partisan elections, the candidates plan by different rules and I believe that does a fundamental disservice to the voters.
The larger issue in this election for me is, Are We Fundamentally Committed to Democracy or Not? Personally, I can live with and will support whatever system the citizens of Asheville choose this fall. In the future, I will be happy to run by whatever format is in place at the time. I was willing to do so this time. Much more importantly, for me, is the issue of how this change was submitted to the voters for approval. I think that several of our Council members lost their way and lost perspective, when they failed to submit this decision to the voters voluntarily by asking for a referendum in the first place. I do not believe that you should be elected to office one way and then use the power of the office to change the rules on how you will be elected to another way, WITHOUT ASKING!!! That was the fundamental error here. I promise you that I will never do that.
7. What is your position on steep slope regulations? stormwater ordinance?
While I believe that it is important to go to other communities for ideas, often times the "best practices" for our community can be found by looking within our community itself. Whenever we are faced with a delimma like steep slope development or storm water run off the first place we should look for answers in within our own community. We should look for good local examples of steep slope development and good examples of responsible development and weigh them heavily into whatever solutions we craft to address the problems. After all, the solutions found right here were crafted by people who know, are invested in and love our community. That should weigh heavily into the analysis.
8. What are the most important challenges facing Asheville?
Generally, all of the major challenges facing Asheville are the consequences of our own success, which is a good problem to have. As we move into the future balancing our growth and having it conform to and complement the quality of life that we have achieved here will be the fundamental issue facing Asheville.
We have a diverse and varied population representing a broad range of ideas and values. The one thing that they all have in common is their love for and respect for Asheville. Having a government that is trusted and respected is essential to maintaining our sense of community and an atmosphere of good will. Our officials and representatives must represent the good of Asheville as a whole first and evaluate every decision in that context. Crafting solutions that honor the legitimate concerns of all groups within the city is a major concern. When we make decisions and people have relied on those decisions, we need to keep our promises.
Maintaining the financial integrity of and financial discipline within our enterprise funds is very, very important to me. I do not believe that government is a business. It is primarily a service organization protecting the general welfare of its citizenry, but there are certain aspects and activities within government that are businesses. I see no reason whatsoever not to take the surpluses from those activities and use them to meet our other financial obligations and reduce our tax burdens, so long as we aren't robbing Peter to pay Paul. I think that running the Civic Center well now, as well as addressing it's deficiencies is very important for the city's future.
