Buncombe commissioners race: GOP-Dem balance of power, police funding, hotel taxes among issues

ASHEVILLE - Democrats will seek to hold and grow their control over Buncombe County's governing body, while Republicans in this year's Board of Commissioners races hope to carve out spots in a county that has become solidly blue.

Along with Democrats' 4-3 board majority, issues at play range from law enforcement drug interdiction funding to control of millions of dollars in hotel tax money.

Candidates as of Oct. 17 had collectively raised more than $300,000, including funding from political parties and environmental and real estate interests, according to campaign finance reports filed with the state and county.

The board is made up of two representatives from each of the county's three districts and a chair who is elected countywide.

All county voters, including those in Asheville, Black Mountain and other municipalities, will get to choose commissioner candidates. They will vote in the chair's race and in a race for the district where they live. (Note: While districts have two commissioners each, only one is up for election at a time.)

Chair's race

The top race features incumbent Democratic Chair Brownie Newman of Asheville and Republican Vice Chair Robert Pressley, a District 3 commissioner who lives in the Bent Creek area.

Newman, an outspoken environmentalist, is running on increased funding for education, renewable energy and his work to install a $15 minimum wage for county employees.

"As chairman of the county commission I won approval to install solar on 40 of public schools and county buildings which will save taxpayers $25 million," he said in a campaign video.

Pressley, a former racecar driver, voted to approve more than $1 million in county and federal funding for the Sheriff's Office which Newman opposed because of money for drug enforcement the chair said was not the best investment for fighting drug addiction. Pressley posted an endorsement from the N.C. Trooper's Association that called him, "a strong, proven conservative leader who promotes law and order within the county."

He also criticized the May 22 party-line vote for a county mask mandate that was stricter than state rules, saying "as commissioners, our job is to support our community, not to create unnecessary rules or hardships."

Recent history though, gives the advantage to Newman. In the chair's race, Democrats have won by 10- to 24-point margins since 2008. In 2016, Newman beat Chuck Archard 56% to 44% despite the Republican spending $255,000, more than four times what Newman did.

As of Oct. 17 this year, Newman had collected more than $32,000, while Pressley had raised $43,000. Almost all the money came from individual contributors.

This year's election will have new lines after districts drawn by Republicans were deemed illegal partisan gerrymanders designed to give the GOP an unfair advantage.

While that will have no effect on the countywide chair's race, District 1, 2 and 3 will have different demographics.

District 1

District 1, once a Democratic stronghold covering the central Asheville area, is now drawn to include the north and northwest of the county. That gives an opening to Republican Glenda Weinert of Alexander, who is running against Democrat Terri Wells of Sandy Mush.

Weinert on her website lists fiscal responsibility as well as issues of "setting priorities" and being "a voice for workers."

"With resources more scarce than in years, it is essential that we have sound leaders that know the difference between needs and wants," said the former child care center owner.

She has raised nearly $72,000, compared to the $46,000 by Wells. A ninth-generation farmer, Wells on her campaign page highlights farm and forest preservation, equity issues and public safety.

"I acknowledge that racial injustice exists and persists in our community. I will ensure that our policies and priorities promote racial justice and equity so that everyone has the opportunity to feel safe and thrive," she said.

District 2

The redrawing of the lines has District 2 covering Buncombe's entire east and pits two incumbent commissioners against each other, Democrat Jasmine Beach-Ferrara of Asheville and Republican Anthony Penland of Swannanoa.

The new district gives an advantage to Democrats such as Beach-Ferrara, a minister and LGBTQ activist who says on her campaign site she wants to increase early childhood education, "harm reduction" models for fighting opioid addiction and affordable housing.

"Every child deserves an equal opportunity to thrive and that starts the day they are born," she said. "I support expanding access to quality early childhood education from birth through universal pre-K."

She had $41,000 in contributions, including $500 from the N.C. Sierra Club Political Action Committee and $3,500 donated from Newman's campaign.

Penland had raised $11,000. The chief of the Swannanoa Fire Department since 2001, he said on is campaign site that public safety needed to be the key focus for the county.

"As we address issues of feeding the hungry, working with homeless programs, addressing issues of affordable housing, greenspaces, education and development, honoring our seniors, creating job opportunities, all of these efforts must be paired with safety and security," he said.

District 3

The most solidly Republican district, new lines will give Democrat Parker Sloan a chance against incumbent Republican Joe Belcher. Both are from Candler. 

"I strongly believe that the combination of education and infrastructure are the building blocks for economic development and jobs," Belcher said on his site that noted his support for school construction, including playgrounds at intermediate schools as well as endorsements from both Asheville City and Buncombe County Schools educators associations. It also touted the work of Belcher, a former manufactured home company vice president, on the Buncombe County Tourism Recovery Act that funneled some hotel tax money into grants for tourism-related businesses.

Sloan, a solar company representative and county planning board member, says in his campaign materials that more of that hotel tax money needs to go to local needs instead of being used to attract tourists through marketing and other means as it is now used.

"If elected I will work from day one to re-negotiate this arrangement so that the County and municipalities can use the funds to help meet the needs of our growing community," he said.

Planning for growth and clean water are also top priorities, he said.

The money race between the two were unclear since the state and county had not received Belcher's last campaign finance report, though what had been submitted showed Sloan with more than $40,000 including $5,400 from Newman's campaign and Belcher with more than $15,000. Of that, $2,500 came from the N.C. Realtor’s PAC and $9,797 from the state Republican Party.

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.