This is a developing story and will be updated.
City Manager Debra Campbell announced her retirement last week in a letter to Asheville City Council.
Campbell has served as the city manager since 2018. Her last day will be Dec. 5, 2025.
In her resignation letter, which was made public today, Campbell wrote that her commitment to Asheville "remains steadfast" during the 10-month leadership transition.
"While there is much work to be done, particularly concerning the recovery efforts following Tropical Storm Helene, I am fully dedicated and committed to leading these efforts for the remainder of my tenure," she wrote.
"My focus will be on ensuring that the initial phase of our recovery is robust and solid groundwork is established."
Throughout her seven-year tenure, Campbell earned a reputation as a quiet leader, who brought a calm demeanor while overseeing multiple crises, including two water outages, a pandemic, a racial reckoning, and most recently, Hurricane Helene.
She also oversaw a turbulent police department, which saw four different police chiefs, and received criticism in 2020 during the George Floyd protests for destroying a protester medical station and deploying tear gas.
