I believe that the number one concern, even the number one fear that our citizenry has, surrounds the "Development of Our Community". We are all worried and alert to how we will maintain the quality of life and the community that we all have grown to love in Asheville. The popularity, desirability and notoriety that we have achieved will become either a blessing or a curse. In this election the citizens of Asheville will decide the leaders who are going to guide over the next few years, how we are going to change, how we are going to benefit from and receive the influx of interest in our community as a place to live and how we are going to maintain those things that attract us to this community in the first place. Central to that issue is not only how we are going to live but more importantly how our children and grandchildren are going to live, work and build their lives. What future will our children have? Can they walk in the woods, get a job, buy a house and travel from here to there? I want to participate with the community in those decisions. I want to listen and learn, apply my experience and my talents, to work with you to guide us into the future.
I've done some things already. I was one of the founders and the first President on the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association (AIR). That organization was formed to maintain and support, primarily, small locally owned restaurants in the face of growing national competition. Our job was to work together to maintain and promote one of the finest local restaurant communities in the southeast. We have done so. As President of the Asheville Downtown Association and a member of the Asheville Downtown Commission, I have consistently supported a master planning process to guide the growth of downtown. Our downtown is a model for the implementation of a flexible, business friendly, community oriented plan to revitalize our urban core. Today, we need the same kind of vision applied to new development downtown and, by extension to the whole city, county and region. As a member of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Board, I am familiar with and have bought into a collaborative, co-operative approach between business, government and the community to not only protect what we have, but to make Asheville even better of our children, grandchildren and everyone yet to come.
I look forward to your questions, comments and ideas.
You can e-mail your comment on this topic: grow@electdwight.org
