Mountain Xpress 2007 Council Campaign Responses
1) Who are the top three donors to your campaign, and how much has each given
North Carolina Board of Realtors Political Action Fund, $2,400, Stewart Coleman $1,000, and Don Boone & Jerry Sternberg $500 each.
2) What endorsements have you received?
I do not have any formal endorsements
3) What's the best step City Council has taken in the past two years, and why? What's the worst step, and why?
The best step that Council has taken is the public forums on issues facing the city. If we are going to unite as a community and resolve our differences, we must get everyone to the table and speak honestly and candidly about our concerns. The worst actions are some council members have been doctrinaire to the point that they have potentially compromised funding community goals. The best example I can think of is some members' failure to support a sales tax initiative providing funds to be used for parks and greenways, affordable housing, public transportation and the civic center.
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4) What plan(s) do you support for the I-26 Connector project, and why?
Provided that the Asheville Design Center proposal (Plan 4-b) is feasible and cost effective, I support it. The ADC proposal offers a design that the community has united around, it is stronger from a land use planning standpoint and aesthetically, it will be much more beautiful. My fall back would be 4-a, because is separates local and thru traffic.
5) What, if anything, should the city do to improve mass transit?
You cannot have good mass transit without masses. The cities population has only grown about 7% over the last six years, primarily because of the lack of affordably priced rentals and starter homes. The best thing we could do to improve rider ship is make Asheville a better place to build those type structures.
6) What specific measures, if any, should the city take to address environmental concerns?
See the above answer. Asheville is the number one commuter city in North Carolina by population. People live in Old Fort (et al) and drive here to work because of the lack of affordable rentals and starter homes. People living here will reduce the use of automobiles and help the environment.
7) What's your position on partisan elections?
I believe that the principal of voting for the person outweighs party affiliation; I believe that when people offer themselves for public service they should be running by the same rules; I believe that democracy is best served when the citizens are asked how they want to elect their leaders. For all these reasons, I support the referendum and prefer non-partisan elections.
8) As a member of City Council, what would be your top three priorities?
My top three priorities will be affordably priced rental and starter home construction, honoring and protecting neighborhood concerns and goals and uniting the community through dialogue and a common vision for our collective future.
9) What living national political figure do you most admire, and why?
I admire Ross Perot because of his candor, energy and accurate vision of the consequences of NAFTA's impact on manufacturing, jobs and the middle class.
10) Under what circumstances, if any, would you support forced annexation?
I support responsible annexation because I believe that people should not be allowed to inordinately benefit from the city's prosperity and services without shouldering the responsibility for paying for the privilege.
11) What steps, if any, do you support to promote affordable housing in Asheville?
Implement a streamlined, comprehensible, enforceable UDO to attract local builders back inside the city limits, increase funding of our local housing trust fund, raise the pricing thresholds on starter homes financed by the housing trust fund and expand the use of participatory or "soft" second mortgages to facilitate starter home purchases.
12) Would you vote for or against The Ellington high-rise project, and why?
As a member of the Asheville Downtown Commission, I have already voted for the Ellington. I support it for a multitude of reasons including but not limited to honoring my downtown neighborhood's wishes, supporting local business, enhancing the arts, financing affordable housing downtown, good middle class and lower middleclass jobs, protecting our local, historical buildings from demolition and improving our skyline. Please see my web site for a complete analysis.
Mountain Xpress 2007 Council Campaign Responses Part 2
1)Are the city's rules governing construction on steep mountain slopes too restrictive, not restrictive enough or about right?
I don't think anyone knows. Everyone is arguing theory and not showing what the ordinances do. For example, let's apply the new ordinances to Town Mountain and see what development would look like. Then everyone could make better decisions about guiding steep slope development.
2) Should there be a height or size limit on downtown buildings? Why or why not?
Probably not. Asheville is the number one commuter city in the state by population. Taller buildings inside the city limits will limit sprawl, reduce automobile use thus helping our environment. Also, tall infill development in downtown will protect existing buildings from demolition by absorbing demand.
3) The city recently banned construction within 30 feet of streams. The council is considering whether to extend the distance to 50 feet. Would you vote for 50 feet? Why or why not?
The "buffer" restrictions to prevent run off should be site specific. The steeper the property is, the wider the buffer should be. Passing a one size fits all ordinance on this matter is short-sighted and ineffective because steep properties need wider buffers to reduce run-off, flatter pieces need less.
4) How should the city change its regulations or directions to staff to prevent more controversies such as those regarding Staples and Greenlife?
We need to streamline and simplify the Uniform Development Ordinance. Our current ordinance is hundreds of pages long and so confusing that former city employees have established careers guiding builders through the permitting process. If professional builders can't understand the ordinance, how can our citizens?
5) Please explain why you would have supported or opposed the resolution to the water conflict state lawmakers proposed earlier this year. It would have transferred to the county responsibility for maintaining the Civic Center and other city-owned recreation facilities and given the city the ability to require new developments within a half-mile of its borders to be annexed before it provided water service. In return the city would have continued to charge water users outside the city the same rates as those inside the city.
Opposed. We weren't getting paid fairly (example: Civic Center is worth $380 per citizen but only saving $4 per person per year by transferring it). The deal promoted "involuntary annexation" because we had to annex to get paid for our water system. Only transfer assets if we are getting a unified city/county Parks and Recreation department.
6) If elected, would you participate in closed-door sessions on the water dispute? Should the meetings be open?
No. My position has changed on this. Originally, I was happy to see the city and county talking. Based on the deal that was proposed, I want everyone to see and hear everything going on because the recent agreement was awful for city taxpayers.
7) What should the city do, if anything, to promote affordable housing?
Implement a streamlined, comprehensible, enforceable UDO to attract local builders back inside the city limits, increase funding of our local housing trust fund, raise the pricing thresholds on starter homes financed by the housing trust fund and expand the use of participatory or "soft" second mortgages.
8) Public transportation funding went from $4.5 last year to $5 million this year. Is the city spending too little, enough or too much on public transportation?
Enough for now. You cannot have good mass transit without masses. The cities population has only grown about 7% over the last six years, primarily because of the lack of affordably priced rentals and starter homes. The best thing we could do to improve rider ship is make Asheville a better place to build those type structures
9) Should the city cut taxes? How?
Yes, if we can develop alternate income sources (examples: differential water rates or a fairer formula for the distribution of sales tax revenue) or if we can cut expenses (examples: unified city/county parks and recreation department or county reimbursement for duplicated services).
10) Should the city and Buncombe County merge to form one government? Why or why not?
In principal, yes. Mayor Michaelove started us on the road to unified government with the 1981 water agreement. It failed because our city, county and state officials do not respect one another's circumstances or appreciate and respect each others rights. Until we start respecting one another, we should not try to consolidate.
