@avlblade.bsky.social
Sharp journalism, analysis and perspectives without fear. Leftist news co-op based in Asheville. Read our work at: https://ashevilleblade.com Support us and subscribe at: https://patreon.com/AvlBlade Background photo by Max Cooper
Asheville has a highly racist, conservative local government, just with "progressive" marketing #avlgov
Meeting adjourned. To support this live coverage, and everything else our co-op @avlblade.bsky.social does, subscribe: patreon.com/AvlBlade
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Next speaker: wants city hall to consider "true cost" during Helene rebuilding, especially with energy cost disruptions. Need to build for local resilience, improve transit. #avlgov
Open public comment. Gino Perez criticizing Asheville city hall's plan to further gut transit system by cutting routes.
"1 in 3 people who today have transit will lose it." Low income residents and communities of color hit hardest by cuts.
"This is abandonment by design." #avlgov
Asheville city council adds "affordable rental construction" as one of its goals for distributing federal housing grant funds unanimously. Bureaucratic shift that doesn't really have huge effect on what happens on the ground. #avlgov
City council approves Louisiana Ave apartment development unanimously. #avlgov
Public hearing. Andrea Golden, Poder Emma neighborhood org: Wary of other developments with no affordable housing. But our neighborhood council supports this development, "help stabilize community."
Want city/county to work with us on meeting housing goals without sacrificing neighborhood. #avlgov
Developer rep claims that city's sidewalk stipulation is too large for an apartment project like this, doesn't leave room for amenities, green space... #avlgov
Staffer does claim again that many of the units will be at rents well below city hall's "affordable" threshold, including two and three bedroom units. #avlgov
Though far from the worst type of development to come before city hall. It's honestly rare when there's more than a handful of units that are "affordable" even by city hall's ridiculous standards (i.e. not actually affordable for many folks who need housing) #avlgov
Thanks, Matilda. Hearing on Louisiana Ave apartment development. All of the proposed 89 units are "affordable" (by city hall's widely inaccurate definition) though staff are claiming many units will be well below that in rents (though without it included in coniditions that may not last). #avlgov
Asheville city hall loves making up excuses for why affordable housing isn't possible and then wrings their hands over the massive housing crisis #avlgov
Onto Public Hearing A: "Conditional Zoning Request for 230 Sardis Apartments - 230 Sardis Rd"
Apartment complex is expanding. No word on any of these apartments conforming to affordable housing designations (even by #avlgov's bare minimum designations).
City hall attempts to act like it's addressing recovery after tropical storm Helene, but still won't provide rental aid to locals desperate for housing. Adds some info on upcoming community input sessions #avlgov
Staff discussing Department of Homeland Security shutdown and its effect on local spending funding. Currently #avlgov is not stopping work on projects that have relied on FEMA funding.
City hall will ask these fascists to be paid back for what it spends.
Manheimer and council amend consent agenda to change time of budget worksession on March 24. Consent agenda adopted.
Onto Manager's Report #avlgov
By being particularly terrible over the last decade especially want the public to come to them with tips for solving recent shootings.
But police don't keep us safe. We keep us safe.
The police failed to prevent these events. But #avlgov keeps giving them a significant chunk of the general fund.
Pledge of allegiance, mayor's "council decorum statement," and now a statement from Police Chief Jackie Stepp read by Mayor Esther Manheimer concerning recent events, including a shooting on Lexington Ave.
Police department, which has, I don't know, severely eroding public trust... #avlgov
Hey yall. Should be getting started shortly. Here's the video link www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1C9... #avlgov
Asheville city council meeting starts at 5. @davidforbes.bsky.social and @matildabliss.bsky.social will cover live.
Fairly light agenda, mostly zoning hearings on two apartment complexes, but it's possible some issues emerge in open public comment. A lot's going on. #avlgov #avlnews
Agenda below
The horrific Buncombe County jail — the deadliest in the state — is back in the news.
In 2022 we published this expose from a whistleblower who laid out, in detail, how dangerous the conditions there are and the ensuing cover-up from local political elites when he warned them. #avlnews
A fuller version of our analysis of Asheville's primary results is now up: www.patreon.com/posts/quick-... #avlnews #avlgov
One reason I rant about the gentry as often as I do is because "the same rich assholes want us all gone" is a powerful starting point for solidarity.
A fuller version of our analysis of Asheville's primary results is now up: www.patreon.com/posts/quick-... #avlnews #avlgov
Thread, from the local electoral hellscape.
More later. We'd remind our readers, as we so often do, that a lot of the most powerful change takes place outside campaign season, organized directly with your communities. #avlgov
Ironically, attorney Ben Scales, who's represented a lot of protesters (and, full disclosure: represented Blade journalists) won a local judge's seat tonight.
So it's clear that prosecuting journalists and activists didn't go over well with the public. #avlgov
In the DA's race Martin Moore defeated Courtney Booth and Katie Kurdys. Both Moore and Booth ran as more progressive than current DA. Kurdys was kbown for prosecuting mutual aid workers (and Blade journalists) and ran more conservative. She came in a distant third. #avlgov
There were more left-leaning candidates (McLean, Ireland, Ferrell, DeBellot, Gonzalez) this cycle.
Given how council elections are tilted by format, though, there's three things left-leaning candidates have to do to gain ground — start early, run a slate and be aggressive — and none did. #avlgov
While Ullman's conservative in practice (and most of the others would probably act pretty much the same as the status quo in office), avowed right-wingers did poorly tonight. Far-right candidates Moritz and Wheatley got crushed. Blake also ran fairly conservative and fell well short.