The Asheville Blade

Community News' Lance Guyer and I cover *a lot* of ground in this segment.

Not just the elections themselves, but the widening gap between elites and locals post-Helene, why non-voters deserve listening instead of lectures and how the best ways to make change happen outside campaign season.

Analyzing the 2026 city elections (a collaboration with Asheville FM's Community News) | The Asheville Blade Get more from The Asheville Blade on Patreon

Cutting through p.r., evasions and outright lies can be tricky during campaign season. Especially in Asheville.

So in collaboration with @ashevillefm.bsky.social's Community News, we bring you this in-depth look at a mayoral rematch, a crowded council primary and much, much more #avlnews #avlgov

Get more from The Asheville Blade on Patreon creating hard-hitting journalism

Meeting adjourned. To support this live coverage (and everything else @avlblade.bsky.social does) subscribe: patreon.com/AvlBlade #avlgov #avlnews

Next speaker warning UNCA reviving push to destroy forest and build a soccer stadium, holding meetings in secret packed with insiders. #avlgov

Next speaker: city hall has repeatedly ignored ideas for improving transit, even from its own plans. The route that goes by my house, which is mostly full, is probably on the chopping block. Wide variety of locals use the bus. #avlgov

Council member Kim Roney raises concerns at least two of the applicants for appointment to Tourism Development Authority live in Hendersonville, not Asheville. City attorney notes that they don't have the live in the city, just own a hotel somewhere in Asheville/Buncombe.

The gentry, y'all

Budget input session concludes. Over the coming months expect council to entirely ignore locals speaking against draconian tax hikes, creepy surveillance and in support of transit and living wages. They will do the exact opposite of all of that #avlgov

Vicki Meath, Just Economics: Wants city government to return to paying all workers at least a living wage (now $24.10/hr). Bus is also a lifeline for many locals. #avlgov

Nina Tovish: Want city hall to prioritize most vulnerable in its budget decisions this year. #avlgov

Next speaker criticizes cost and threat posed by Asheville city hall's extensive drone and surveillance programs (including the infamously ICE-friendly Flock) and wants some of the cuts to come from that #avlgov

Speaker from Sunrise Movement: transit is a necessary service and using city hall's reserves to deal with budget gap, as decrease in revenues after massive storm legitimate emergency use.

You'd think, but #avlgov taxed locals last year to put more in reserves and not use it to appease investors.

Worth noting that at least some of those tax increases were for pay hikes for city staff. But method Asheville city hall uses means higher-ups get massive raises while most workers get a pittance.

So city manager makes more than the mayor of New York but firefighters can't pay the bills. #avlgov

Thanks Matilda. First speaker is noting constant rise in property tax hikes (which in Asheville fall disproportionately on Black communities).

"Don't y'all get it? It's hard on people." #avlgov

In FY 2026-2027, expect the cops to get another increase, because you know, police state is sacred to #avlgov. Yada yada

City staff promises, "Revenue increases...and reductions in spending."

Yep.

With the estimated budget gap, Asheville city hall's looking at ramping up austerity even further. Expect no cuts to what's really siphoning up cash (bloated salaries for higher-ups, bloated police department) but they'll tax locals more and cut already-struggling services #avlgov

This is notable. The police department's consistently had massive budget increases since 2020 despite a bunch of vacant positions. Even with recent hiring that doesn't really explain how they even ran over that, nor does the vague "overtime" excuse staff invoked #avlgov

#avlgov bsky.app/profile/davi...

Councilmember Bo Hess is calling attention to Item J in the consent agenda allowing donations to the Fire Department. This is while #avlgov still refuses to pay them a living wage.

Consent agenda approved. Onto manager's report.

Mayor Esther "Teargas" Manheimer is reading a proclamation noting Black history month after greenlighting the teargassing of anti-racist protests in 2020 and supporting every police department increase since (all while raising property taxes disproportionately felt by Black communities) #avlgov

Mayor Manheimer is reading a statement about why she is quelling conduct such as clapping during meetings.

But she only gets on the case of the audience when they're supporting causes that she doesn't like, such as ending the genocide in Palestine. ashevilleblade.com?p=4964 #avlgov

Hey yall, we're still waiting on #Avlgov to start its meeting. Here's the video link when they do: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz7F...

No word yet if Asheville city hall is going to simplify things dramatically and just replace their presentation on the budget process with giant image of a middle finger.

They're looking to hike already-high taxes on struggling locals while gutting services even more. #avlgov #avlnews

Asheville city council meeting starts at 5 p.m. @matildabliss.bsky.social and @davidforbes.bsky.social will cover live.

Main item: initial public input on the budget, where city hall will pointedly ignore any feedback not from the gentry #avlgov #avlnews

Agenda: www.ashevillenc.gov/government/c...

Honestly, if Paul Anthony Duvernay III hadn't been a new hire, there's good odds they never would have reported this at all. Cops and domestic abuse have a long history.

Screenshot of Asheville Police Dept press release with the words "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APD News Release-Officer Arrested, Charged with Assault on Female

"Duvernay, who was recently sworn in as an Asheville Police Officer, was immediately placed on investigative suspension. An internal investigation has been initiated into this matter. To preserve the integrity of both investigations, no further details will be released at this time."

Asheville city hall: "We're taxing locals and cutting services! We need to hire way more cops!"

The cops they hire:

Honestly, if Paul Anthony Duvernay III hadn't been a new hire, there's good odds they never would have reported this at all. Cops and domestic abuse have a long history.

Screenshot of Asheville Police Dept press release with the words "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APD News Release-Officer Arrested, Charged with Assault on Female

"Duvernay, who was recently sworn in as an Asheville Police Officer, was immediately placed on investigative suspension. An internal investigation has been initiated into this matter. To preserve the integrity of both investigations, no further details will be released at this time."

Asheville city hall: "We're taxing locals and cutting services! We need to hire way more cops!"

The cops they hire:

And that's before we even get into the still-corrupt levels of discounts big businesses get on water fees.

Given that property taxes here disproportionately fall on working class Black communities, expect already struggling locals to bear the brunt of this #avlnews #avlgov

Screenshot of Asheville city hall budget outlook presentation, noting budget gap and proposing austerity "We will need to consider a mix of revenue increases (property taxes and fees) and budget cuts (service reductions) to balance the budget."

All of us who guessed "make the public pay way more for far less services" for how Asheville city hall would respond to the budget gap, well...

City hall has bloated salaries for higher-ups and a ridiculously bloated police dept with a slew of vacant positions. This is a choice. #avlnews

Cruelty - Council member Ullman wants to make it 'illegal to give to panhandlers' | The Asheville Blade Get more from The Asheville Blade on Patreon

There is, inevitably, a lot of blatant nonsense in Asheville city council campaign season. But Maggie "make feeding the poor illegal" Ullman getting portrayed as a progressive who cares about housing is still a notable level of bs. #avlgov #avlnews