Editor's note: BPR's candidate questionnaire was created after asking community members to share their questions and what issues matter most to them and their communities. The candidates' responses have not been edited or fact checked by BPR. Share your questions and ideas for future elections coverage by emailing us at voices@bpr.org or record a voice mail at 828-253-6700.
Will Hornaday Bio:
I am a small business owner, a preservationist, and a neighborhood advocate. I am a vice-chair on the Asheville/Buncombe County Historic Resources Commission. President of Albemarle Park Manor Grounds Association (my neighborhood). Past president of the Charlotte Street Business Association. Founder of service group the 'Bear Pack' at Claxton Elementary. I am a graphic designer and have owned a small graphic design studio with my wife for 15 years. Our clients include The Nature Conservancy, The Conferences for Women, and local restaurants & shops. We have donated design services to local non-profits such as the Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County and Asheville Museum of Art. We live in a 110-year old house with our son and two dogs. Our son is graduating from Asheville High School this spring.
Contact and campaign info:
honorasheville.com
hello@honorasheville.com
1. If elected, what is your top priority as an Asheville City Council member and what steps would you take to achieve that goal?
Responsible Growth. Draft and implement a Deconstruction Program/Ordinance with the goal of reducing the amount of existing affordable housing going to the landfill and lessening the environmental impacts of this loss of valuable resources. Homes 75-plus years old would be dismantled and resold. This is a business and job creator that will reduce what we throw away and discourage demolition. Asheville will be a leader in a clean, environmentally sensitive program that spawns local businesses and creates employment opportunities for people who want to get into building trades and hard-to-employ workers in our community.
2. The 2036 strategic plan calls for Asheville to be “a city with abundant housing choices for people at all economic levels and stages of life. Chronic homelessness is a thing of the past and rapid rehousing strategies abound thanks to an effective network of service providers.” What action is needed today to reach these outcomes?
Currently, it’s mostly large-scale developers and their representatives who have the means and ability to navigate the system in place. I think we should focus more effort on creating gentle density through incremental infill to provide a variety housing options. The city has identified a lack of desired “missing middle” housing. We should relax some regulations to encourage the construction of housing like duplexes, triplexes and smaller multi-unit residences. Creating density through smaller-scale infill is better for neighborhoods and gentler on our existing infrastructure. Changes should be made to the Land Use Incentive Grant (LUIG) program so local, small-scale developers can participate. I also will discourage demolition of our city’s naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) through a deconstruction program/ordinance that would at first incentivize, then require owners of structures 75-plus years old to deconstruct them rather than demolish them. It’s a more labor-intensive process so it costs about 80% more to deconstruct a building. Deconstruction creates local jobs, keeps valuable materials out of our landfill and is less traumatic and harmful to nearby neighbors. I would also work to implement an adaptive reuse ordinance which would make it easier for owners of commercial buildings to convert them to housing.
3. As a City Council member, what is your role in building an equitable and diverse community in Asheville?
I will ensure that city services and resources are applied equitably to historically underserved neighborhoods and that voices in those communities are being heard just as clearly as they have been in other neighborhoods. Once the city-funded African American Historic Resources Study is complete, I will work to preserve and protect the resources identified as valued and important to the history of Asheville’s Black community. I will support city initiatives that provide grants for education opportunities and business incubation to level the playing field for our BIPOC population who have struggled to succeed in our city.
4. How should the City fund reparations efforts?
The funding right now is coming from fees-in-lieu and after the commission comes to the community with their priorities, I feel that it will be clearer how much money/investment is needed. I pause to assume that I know what the projects will be or what they will cost. I feel it is best to pledge to commit to find a way to pay for the proposals when they are presented, that is reparations, hearing the problems and fixing the problems.
5. What role should the City play in helping residents respond to extreme weather and climate change?
Our weather is changing in severity and intensity, our aging infrastructure is failing and is not always adequate for current demand. We can do more to lessen our impact and get back on track to meet our City's climate goals. Here are three things I will do on council for real action for our climate:
-Hire an Urban Forester so we can begin reestablishing our diminished tree canopy after losing 1.4 sq miles since 2008.
-Strengthen the Stormwater Ordinance for current conditions as recommended by the Stormwater Task Force.
-Reduce our carbon usage by encouraging adaptive reuse of our existing buildings. Use Deconstruction Program to discourage demolition.
6. What development priorities would best serve Asheville moving forward?
Our policies and incentives should encourage small-scale incremental growth that lessens impacts on neighborhoods and infrastructure while bringing much needed housing, faster. This keeps more money in our local economy by allowing smaller local developers the ability to participate in a system that is currently leaving them out.
7. How do you respond to voters who feel the City is prioritizing tourism over investments in public services?
I empathize with that viewpoint. I want to see the tourism benefit the citizens. Let's increase our bus service to lessen visitors need for cars. Develop a free shuttle bus service for both residents and tourists that directs our visitors to where we want them and allow taxpayers, residents and businesses to benefit. Start with downtown to Biltmore Village, River Arts District, and West Asheville. Frequent and free buses. Let's get the community, multi-modal commission, and ART together and design something new that we all can use.
8. How will you approach policing and public safety in Asheville?
The willingness of the police, current council, and city staff to work together to prioritize safety is encouraging. We need to pay them more, train them more, and provide them with the support and resources they need to perform their duties successfully. A fair wage is within our abilities and is necessary to retain our officers who have an incredibly difficult job. The county PORT program which pairs paramedics with peer support specialists to answer overdose calls needs to be expanded.
9. What is your position on the proposal to restructure City boards and commissions?
Our boards and commissions have valuable expertise and institutional knowledge. Training and continued education is important to well-functioning boards and commissions. I believe in bottom up, not top down government. I have spoken at council in support of the current structure and will continue to advocate for them. Most of our current city council sat on these boards and commissions before being elected to office, I don't feel that slashing these boards is a way for greater community input and empowerment.
10. How do you plan to engage community members in the Council's decision-making process?
Engagement necessitates listening, being available, offering assistance, and finding common ground. That is how I plan to proceed. The job is about service and I look forward to it.
