Earlier this month, BPR asked the Asheville community one question: What do you want candidates to talk about as they compete for your vote? We received more than 300 suggestions from about 150 people in the Asheville area.
BPR sent six questions informed by the community responses to each City Council candidate. Here are candidate CJ Domingo's response:
1. What is the biggest challenge facing Asheville in the realm of housing and what do you see as the best solution right now?
Without a doubt, the primary issue facing Ashevillians in regards to housing is affordability. The rapid growth and popularity of our city have led to soaring housing costs, making it increasingly difficult for many residents to find affordable places to live. Simultaneously, inflation has devastated most if not all of the gains that many of us made in the last few years, so even those who have had raises can struggle to keep up. To address this challenge, we need a comprehensive approach that not only puts more homes into the market, but prioritizes those that will be affordable to the majority of Ashevillians. For short term growth, I would create and promote incentives (e.g. access to HTF/LUIG) for local homeowners to put an Accessory Dwelling Unit on their property with the requirement that they will exclusively provide it for long-term rentals. This will both create many homes that are organically spread around the city and will allow for local homeowners to supplement their income. In the longer term, we will need to rezone in well-selected areas to create denser and “missing middle” housing to meet our ongoing growth needs.
2. What role, if any, should a city council member play in addressing the impacts of climate change? Are there specific policies related to climate change that you would support?
As an Ashevillian, I believe it's crucial to prioritize measures that address the tangible impacts of climate change on our community. While reducing carbon emissions is important to do our part for this global issue, our city's capacity to significantly mitigate humanity’s carbon footprint is limited. Instead, we must focus on practical policies that enhance our resilience and adaptability to climate-related disasters that we have already seen and will continue to see as well as those which are likely on our horizon. Specifically, I advocate for policies which prioritize protecting our natural habitats, implementing effective flood prevention, and enhancing our emergency response capabilities. We will also be investing in the tools we need to combat future wildfires and landslides. Likewise we will likely need to expand our support systems to help locals fight extreme temperatures, and head off climate-related water shortages.
Tangentially, by encouraging initiatives that promote sustainable land use planning, preserving green spaces, and implementing more sensible zoning regulations we can also reduce how widespread of a risk each climate consequence poses to a community. Additionally, by investing in locals, we can foster more resilience within each community and aid them to stand strong in the face of an uncertain climate future.
3. Are there specific measures you would take in your first 100 days to make Asheville City government more efficient and responsive to the needs of the people?
In my first 100 days in office, I would prioritize initiatives aimed at enhancing the efficiency and responsiveness of Asheville City government to better meet the needs of our residents. To achieve this, I would undertake a comprehensive review of city processes and procedures to identify inefficiencies and streamline operations. This review would involve collaborating with city departments and finding how we can better gather feedback from the folks doing the work and identify areas for improvement.
Additionally, I would focus on increasing transparency and accessibility in government by implementing measures such as improving communication channels with residents and enhancing online services. I would want to talk with the city’s media experts about reaching out to folks on the social media sites that our residents use the most.
Furthermore, I would prioritize initiatives that address pressing community needs, such as improving infrastructure or increasing access to essential services. This would involve working closely with city departments and community stakeholders to identify priority areas for improvement and develop action plans to address them.
Overall, my goal in the first 100 days would be to lay the foundation for a more efficient and responsive city government that is better equipped to serve the needs of our residents and enhance the quality of life in Asheville.
4. The Sheriff’s Office Downtown Initiative is a recent example of increased police presence as a solution for crime downtown. Do you believe this is an effective method for curbing crime? Why or why not?
I believe that it is an important step in providing people with a sense of safety. The Initiative represents two additional officers in the downtown area during Friday nights and another two on Saturday nights for a shift from 10pm to 2am.
I believe that a more effective solution, as APD hires, trains, and retains more officers will be to see a return of community policing. During the exodus of cops in the last few years, APD lost their officers who were the most experienced in community engagement. With their departure, the city lost their best eyes and ears to remain adaptable to the needs of our downtown community. I would also like to see the implementation of a modernized community watch program that can allow community members to better assess what is happening in their neighborhoods and give them the tools to be better able to request the correct emergency response needed when the need arises.
5. Who of the 8 candidates, other than yourself, is the strongest candidate for City Council and why?
I have been personally impressed by Tod Leaven. He has a pragmatic and responsible approach to tackling Asheville’s issues. As we have done events together, I have seen that he remains a consistent voice in wanting to fix many of the same problems that I see in our community and I believe that he is committed to securing tangible improvements for folks who call Asheville home.
6. Asheville City Council has worked on a number of strategies to provide shelter and services for people experiencing homelessness. What strategies would you support as a council member?
It is imperative that we get people off the street and on the path to self-sufficiency and being reintegrated into our community as fast as is practicable. To that end, I support ensuring that we have enough low-barrier shelters to help those that are most in danger and provide them a place with firm guardrails to help get them going in the right direction. The city has been supporting a Continuum of Care model and I think that as we continue to get that dialed into place, this will continue to be a strong asset for the community. Together, with collaboration from the community, we can get folks the care they need, the training they need, and the tools to get back on their feet completely.
However, a concurrent imperative is that we address how many of those folks became homeless in the first place. That means addressing the housing issue in a robust and aggressive manner to prevent more folks falling into a state of being unhoused.
