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 Kevan Frazier's responses.
1. What is the biggest challenge facing Asheville in the realm of housing and what do you see as the best solution right now?
Our challenge is twofold. There’s not enough inventory, which has caused dramatic price increases. Second, the city doesn’t have a set of clear and consistent policies to require builders to provide enough units to meet the housing needs of folks at all income levels. We can make it clear that if you are developing or renovating housing stock in Asheville we expect you to be part of the solution. We can do a few things quickly and simultaneously–and, fortunately for us, many cities are years ahead of us in this area and their best practices are publicly available. We need to quickly adopt a framework for requiring affordable housing units for people with very low, low, and moderate income levels in new developments and renovated developments. We need to quickly adopt a policy to include missing middle housing in neighborhoods, which is a variety of house-scale buildings with multiple units including stacked fourplexes, townhomes, side-by-side and stacked duplexes, and live-work complexes; they aesthetically and practically bridge the gaps between single-family homes and apartment complexes. To pull it all together we need to revise our Unified Development Ordinance for the purpose of embedding the affordable housing requirements and missing middle development.
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?
I don’t see addressing climate change as an issue that stands alone for members of city council but rather, like equity, it is a fundamental framework within which all our decisions should be made. Council's adopted policy embedded sustainability and efficiency into our city’s operations, and I support it. Going forward, I will be asking, are we demonstrating that we are mindful that every resident deserves to benefit from careful environmental stewardship? Are we demonstrating that we recognize that some neighborhoods are ahead of others in terms of environmental protections and benefits and that it is our responsibility to increase equity?
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?
I am here to help us build a community in which all residents find meaningful work at better wages, enjoy a reasonable cost of living and access to affordable housing, and benefit from careful environmental stewardship. My first hundred days would be spent with every department head and their entire team to better understand from their perspectives what is and is not happening in regards to the government serving the people of Asheville. I freely admit that my bias is that I am of the opinion that we need the city to do all that it can to make doing responsible business in Asheville and calling Asheville home as easy and affordable as possible. As a small business owner, I have experienced firsthand the challenges of our outdated and outmoded systems. Having been a resident of many parts of town and now living downtown, I also bring a focus on core services, such as the water system, to make sure we are doing our best work in service to residents.
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 am excited about the partnership between the Sheriff’s office and the Asheville Police Department under the leadership of Sheriff Miller and Interim Chief Lamb. My understanding of the initiative is that these two agencies aim to increase safety by restoring downtown LEO presence to pre-pandemic levels. I support having a fully staffed and well-trained police department. I support getting the right professionals to the right situation. Sometimes armed officers are who is needed. Sometimes addiction specialists or mental health professionals are needed. The Community Paramedic Program, which activates firefighters and other non-LEO first responders, is a great example of both better serving the community and best utilizing resources. If this Sheriff’s Office/APD initiative is truly collaborative and responsive—as it has been pitched—it could be effective.
5. Who of the 8 candidates, other than yourself, is the strongest candidate for City Council and why?
One of the great things about this campaign has been the camaraderie and mutual respect between the eight candidates. We make sure we each know about forums and question sets such as this. We realize that no matter what part of the city we call home, we are neighbors and have genuine regard for each other. Collaboration between members of city council is key to Asheville’s success moving forward. Collaboration and respect have been at the core of my own career in education and small business, and is something I think we have all been practicing as candidates.
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?
Continue and fully realize the Continuum of Care model (COC) because it leverages collaboration and centers the people who are in need. It brings together city and county government and nonprofit organizations to help our unhoused neighbors. The COC model will make the system much easier for people to navigate. The city also needs to continue to pursue partnerships to provide more shelters and permanent housing. The city cannot solve homelessness, but it can support the agencies who can do this work best. Also, our community collaboration during Code Purple events is a lifesaving stop-gap effort that should continue.
