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 Tod Leaven'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?
There are may challenges, but the biggest is that we do not have anywhere near enough affordable housing. The people who serve our city cannot afford to live in it. The best solution is to build a lot of affordable housing. We need to simplify the UDO, we need to put an end to the myth that Asheville is nothing but a bunch of NIMBYs, and we need to build.
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 think the city council should view changing and simplifying the UDO with an eye towards promoting green spaces and a denser population area as opposed to urban sprawl. Nothing protects the tree canopy and green spaces like building up instead of out. Stating that we simply should not build is ignoring the fact that Asheville will continue to grow and we have a serious affordable housing crisis.
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 would try to implement fiscal responsibility - I would first focus on core city services and only when our essential services (such as infrastructure and the water system) are fully funded would I spend money on other projects.
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?
No. Instead of having our APD officers work alongside the better-paid County deputies (doing the same work for less pay can be demoralizing for our APD), we should fully fund our own APD, give them better salaries, and let them do their job. Let the deputies do their job and let APD do their job.
5. Who of the 8 candidates, other than yourself, is the strongest candidate for City Council and why?
I respectfully decline to answer this question. I respect the other seven candidates. Each one has strengths and each one has thrown their hat into this ring because they care deeply for this city.
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?
We need to take care of those currently in an unhoused crisis, but we need to build more affordable housing in order to cut off the current pipeline into homelessness. Asheville seriously needs to build more affordable housing. As far as the currently unhoused, I believe we need a series of wraparound services to treat the whole person. I do not support arresting our way out of the current crisis, nor do I support simply enabling. The unhoused are people, not problems. We need to treat them with dignity. We need to provide true services.
