One of the most crowded Asheville City Council races in recent history moved onto its next phase. On Tuesday night, Asheville voters whittled down the crop of candidates from 20 to 6 contenders.
All three incumbents, Maggie Ullman, Antanette Mosley and Sheneika Smith survived the primary race. And two newcomers, Jeffrey Burroughs and Drew Ball, will also move on to the general election in November. Former one-term council member Keith Young, credited with spearheading Asheville’s reparations initiative, also made it to the next round.
Ball, a current Buncombe County Commissioner, and Ullman, an incumbent, led the pack, each earning a little more than 16% of the vote.
Shortly after securing the top spot in the primary, Ball took the stage in front of a crowded room of Buncombe County Democrats at Hi-Wire Brewing where candidates held an election watch party. Ball complimented, by name, every single candidate who participated in the primary.
“It speaks to the character of Asheville that we had 20 awesome people who stepped up to say, ‘I want to help lead this community through these difficult times,’” he said. “ All of you have to stay engaged in making our city a better place. because that is how we build a more affordable, more equitable, and a safer Asheville.”
Asheville’s affordability crisis is at the heart of Ball’s campaign, he told BPR.
“I continuously heard folks talk about affordability. Specifically, housing affordability. And we already kind of knew that. But I was really impressed with how many folks brought that up and how widespread and how unaffordable things are getting,” he said.
Some of Ball’s solutions for the affordability crisis include updating the city’s zoning ordinances, implementing growth policies that encourage higher density building and seeking more public-private partnerships with affordable housing developers.
Ullman also campaigned on enacting better housing policies, something she focused on during her first term on council.
“The city has a great track record of subsidizing housing to be more affordable. But there's not enough taxpayer dollars to subsidize our way out of this housing crisis. So, we also need to look at the rules we have,” she explained.
She pointed to one recent example of a policy shift: council’s recent decision to ease rules on accessory dwelling units.
“I have a 500 ft. garage in my backyard that previously I couldn't turn into an apartment for my elderly in-laws. Now, we made a tiny tweak and that's an option for housing, that's small, attainable, affordable and fits into the neighborhood,” she said.
Jeffrey Burroughs is the only true newcomer to make it out of the primary. The council race is their first time running for any public office, they said. They landed in third place, securing 7% of votes.
“ I'm actually very humbled about how people have shown up for me today, and I just want to continue to serve in the best way that I can,” they said. “I love this community and I'm here for all of us.”
Burroughs, a jeweler and the president of the River Arts District Artists’ association, built their campaign around Hurricane Helene recovery. They chair the city’s Hurricane Helene Economy Recovery Board.
Young, Mosley and Smith rounded out the final three spots, each earning a little over 6% of votes.
Nina Ireland was one of more than a dozen candidates whose campaign ended on Tuesday night. As a single mother who struggles to make ends meet, Ireland told BPR that participating in the campaign involved “a lot of sacrifices,” but that it’s been “such a learning experience.”
“I've grown so much with just getting up in front of people, talking about subjects that I either live or face on a daily basis and having to be a little bit more vulnerable,” she said. “I've learned that politicians are the real superheroes or real super villains. They can make policies that keep you placed at home. They can make policies that get you displaced. It really made me put things into perspective.”
