The City of Asheville officially has a new manager. Dakisha “DK” Wesley was sworn in on Thursday amid a packed room of friends, family and colleagues.
In her speech, Wesley, a former assistant manager for Buncombe County, pointed to a myriad of challenges facing the city that have only been exacerbated since Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the region in late 2024.
“Housing affordability, infrastructure needs, climate resiliency, workforce stability and public safety are among a few,” she said. “None of these issues can be resolved in isolation. They require partnership between governments, community organizations, the business community, residents and regional partners.”
She added that her decisions will be “grounded in data, shaped by community voices, and guided by commitment to fairness.”
Wesley will make $265,000 annually. She replaces former City Manager Debra Campbell, who retired in December 2025. Campbell served for seven years, and throughout her tenure, earned a reputation as a quiet, calm leader who oversaw multiple crises, including two water outages, a pandemic, a racial reckoning, and most recently, Hurricane Helene.
Campbell also oversaw a turbulent police department, which has burned through three different police chiefs in the last six years, and received criticism in 2020 during the George Floyd protests for destroying a protester medical station and deploying tear gas.
Wesley’s first day on the job is Jan. 12. One of her first major decisions will be to appoint another new police chief after the most recent chief, Mike Lamb, retired last month.
