It was the end of an era at last night’s Buncombe County Commission meeting. Longtime commissioner Brownie Newman, who served as chair since 2016 and was first elected in 2012, passed the baton to newly elected chair Amanda Edwards.
Edwards, a commissioner since 2018, is the first woman elected chair of the Buncombe board. She ran on “kitchen table issues” like education, emergency response, the environment and the economy, she told BPR on election night.
With Edwards vacating her role as commissioner, there is currently an open seat for a two-year term. Her replacement will be recommended by the Buncombe County Democratic Party and voted on by commissioners, according to state law.
At Monday’s meeting, Edwards acknowledged the tough road ahead for Buncombe County.
“These last nine weeks in Buncombe County have been some of the most challenging in recent history. Maybe the worst in Buncombe County history, ever,” she said. “Tropical Storm Helene has devastated Buncombe County in a way that we are not likely to ever forget in our lifetime.”
She emphasized that she and the board are committed to restoring the community to an “even better” place than it was pre-Helene.
Edwards said affordable housing policies will be even more important in the wake of the storm.
“Affordable housing was a huge concern pre-storm and now we have folks who had homes weeks ago that are going to need affordable housing more than ever. So that's going to continue to be a focus,” she told BPR.
Jennifer Horton was also sworn in as a new commissioner, along with re-elected incumbents Terri Wells and Parker Sloan. Horton replaced Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, who chose not to run for re-election. Commissioner Martin Moore was also elected by the board to serve as Vice Chair for the next year, replacing Parker Sloan.
Other tidbits
- Commissioners heard an update on Helene recovery. As of Nov. 27, there are 1,680 households checked into transitional sheltering assistance. More than 170 people have been approved for direct housing assistance and two FEMA housing units have been installed in Buncombe County. There are 39 temporary unit sites in progress.
- Commissioners voted to accept $500,000 from the Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women. Over three years, the money will employ a trauma-informed Legal Assistant and two trauma-informed Intake Specialists at the Family Justice Center.
Every first and third Tuesday, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meets at 200 College St., Room 326, in downtown Asheville beginning at 5 p.m. See the full recording and agenda of the Dec. 2 meeting.
Note: This story was updated to more clearly explain the process of filling Amanda Edward's vacancy on the commission.
