Answering Machine Attacks and the Asheville City Council

Someone sent me this audio anonymously, but I guess they got tired of waiting on me to write up a post about it, so they went ahead and posted it online...then sent me the link to where they had uploaded it. 


So, here is what I had prepared to provide context for the audio. I had more research to do, but I'm walking away from the project since they've posted it online elsewhere...




LTE in Asheville Citizen-Times dated Oct 5, 2011




Cecil Bothwell has, in my opinion, once again showed his total ignorance as to how a small business might work. Since he has never developed a successful business of his own, and loves to see his name in print, he decided to attack Jan Davis for providing tire service for the ABC vehicle fleet. He has retracted his statements, but I feel his intent to smear the good name of Davis was obvious. Mr. Bothwell, along with the new slate of left leaning progressive candidates for council, do not reflect the mainstream of thinking for the majority of Asheville citizens. Candidate Lael Gray has stated that automobiles need to be eliminated from city streets. Asheville voters need to ask candidates Pelly, Gray, and Hunt one simple question. “What portion of the city budget do they plan to cut in order to pay for their special agendas during the economic downturn?” Will it be police, firefighters, or basic city services? Or will higher taxes be their agenda?


Dr. Joe Dunn, Asheville
Dunn is a former Asheville city councilman


The above LTE generated a response from Cecil Bothwell, which was sent to me anonymously:



Download MP3






It also generated a response from fellow progressive Lael Gray in the Mountain Xpress.

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Cecil Bothwell's Eleven Goals for Asheville

The Lioness of Asheville, Leslee Kulba has posted Cecil Bothwell's Eleven Goals for Asheville in easy to understand English. They are:

1. Publicly-financed elections, in which a candidate’s ability to raise money will be matched by taxpayer contributions to his opponent(s).
2. Differential water rates, which would rid Asheville of unfair legislation preventing it from doing what all other cities with water systems can.
3. A “robust regional transportation plan” to demonstrate enough cars will be removed from the roads to cancel the DOT’s plans, for years postponed by environmentalists, to widen I-26.
4. No more downtown parking spaces.
5. Shrunken fuel budgets for city departments.
6. A simplified the UDO in presentation with no call for relief from unreasonable demands.
7. A revolving loan system for retrofits.
8. Asheville to become a sanctuary city for persons from other countries lacking legal paperwork.
9. Legal prostitution.
10. Decriminalized drugs.
11. Empowered public housing residents, through other means than drug legalization.

Source: Wild West (I suggest you add that blog to your reading schedule)

Note: I swiped the Soviet-style poster from a blog post I wrote in 2008 about the Asheville Master Plan. Communism Marches on in Asheville...

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An Open Letter From HK Edgerton What to do next? (City of Asheville)

Here is the letter below in full:

Dear Attorney Lyons,

I have contacted the Lt. Governor of the State of North Carolina about Article VI 6, section 7 & 8 of our State Constitution and the violation of it's charge by the City Council of Asheville, North Carolina in the seating of and doing business of the city with a professed atheist while knowing it is a declared breach of Constitutional law. The Lt. Governor would only vacillate in his response and move the subject to a course of legal opinion.

I would then contact the North Carolina Department of Justice and it's head , the State Attorney General, who would not even respond to my inquiry as to why the City would be allowed to continue on it's apparent unlawful conduct of the peoples business.

I have been slandered, and misquoted by some members of the media nationally and internationally on this matter while seeking an answer as to why this municipality can be allowed to place itself in operation above the law.

I have sought the aid of the Rutherford Institute, and the Southern Legal Resource Center in hopes to bring both criminal and civil action against this body and the Board of Elections who should have sought clarification on the eligibility of the candidate before he was allowed to run or be seated as a member of this body.

It is my belief that any and all business conducted by this Council with a vote by the disqualified member is null and void , and any grants, loans or actions, or policy decisions should not be binding.

I shall confer with the Sheriff and Chief of Police about making a citizens arrest of the entire body if they continue on this course without the matter being resolved in an Amendment of the State Constitution as prescribed by law, or a clarification by the State Attorney General as to the effect that what they do is legal.

H.K. Edgerton
President
Southern Heritage 411

Commentary

For more information on how this started, the Mountain Xpress has an excellent article with several links from December. I suggest that you read the article, and plow through the comments to it below it to get a feel for how the people in Asheville and Buncombe County feel about it.

I like HK Edgerton. I believe that he has a fundamental misunderstanding of the US Constitution and it's relation to the various state constitutions. Where ever they conflict, the US Constitution wins.

I've already addressed this issue one, and will excerpt a part of my article to reiterate my position on this Gross Case of not understanding what the US Constitution says, in word and spirit...

I'll wager less than one in a hundred "Republicans" have read the US Constitution and the documents that supported it, The Federalist...also known as The Federalist Papers. Or, for that matter, the Anti-Federalist Papers written by people who opposed the Constitution, and were in favor of religious tests of office.

Here is the 3d clause of Article VI:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

That is very simple language, and should be easy to understand. The US Constitution trumps the state constitutions in this case.

Further, requiring a religious test for office violates the 1st and 14th Amendment rights of the person in question, as Torcaso v. Watkins has decided in a very similar case.

The Supreme Court ruled on this case, so it is the law of the land unless you are willing to take this all the way to the Supreme Court and get it over turned. That will not happen.

I dislike Cecil Bothwell being in the Asheville City Council. However, the voters have spoken.

If you want anyone to blame, you have no need to look past what John Jay, an author of The Federalist Papers, the first Chief Justice of the United States and the second president of the American Bible Society, said when he declared, "Providence has given our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." If you wanted a religious test, the time to apply it would have been during the election campaign...not afterward.

So blame the conservative candidates running, blame the 80% of Republicans who did not go to the polls that day, blame the party leadership in that county for not having an organized GOTV plan for Election Day that could have been adapted by the candidates running for City Council.

Maybe next time there is an election campaign going on, these people will be involved in walking the precincts, seeking voters and donations to help get someone who shares their values elected to office. If they are not doing that, then they are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Source: Thunder Pig

I restate so that there is no misunderstanding...if HK Edgerton (and those who agree with him) did not want Cecil Bothwell serving on the Asheville City Council, then why did they not volunteer to help the candidate(s) of their choice? Why did they not speak out against Bothwell then, when it mattered most?

Why do they wish to return us to a period of persecution based on religious belief or non-belief?

**3.18pm**

I'd like to thank AshVegas and the Mountain Xpress for linking to this post.

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The Asheville City Council as Roman Circus

**update** A Financial Report delivered at the Asheville City Council retreat is at the end.

The Asheville City Council had it's annual retreat yesterday, and here are some thought about it from Leslee Kulba:

One of council’s five goals is job creation. The first two great providers of jobs listed by Mayor Terry Bellamy were recent recipients of corporate welfare. Workforce development was one of Bellamy’s priorities. We appear but one step from accepting as a proper role of government the determination of the highest and best use for human resources. The free market has, no doubt, failed, and the seven members on city council have the knowledge and power to employ people better than capitalists trying to provide goods and services the community demands. We do, after all, have czars. It is aggravating that three people who do not know the Supreme Law of the Land can get elected and start enacting socialist policies, and everybody else is supposed to be polite and uphold decorum by keeping their mouth shut. One feels like a schizophrenic terrorist to even suggest something about cause and effect. Socialism’s track record for failure is inadmissible evidence.

Newly-elected Cecil Bothwell never ceased to shock. He said he hoped by 2020, Asheville could be recognized for having prepared for the end of the oil industry, having made their city livable with adequate transit beforehand. He had just read in the Washington Post that gas would soon go over $3.00/gallon, and $3.50/gallon is the tipping point for getting people to use transit in droves. Bothwell mentioned about three times the threat of global warming. It is occurring much faster than anticipated, and the polar ice caps will be decimated by 2015. Bothwell expected Asheville’s plentiful water resources would be a boon in the context of global water shortages. Lastly, Bothwell stated he had become a supporter of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, and wanted to lobby the legislative delegation for statewide legalization of drugs.

Gordon Smith praised locals helping locals as healthcare costs skyrocketed. He praised the Grove Park Inn for deciding to provide domestic partner benefits and hoped the city would follow suit. Smith also wanted to enact legislation against violence perpetrated against cyclists. He said almost every cyclist he knows has had a bottle thrown at him. Special legislation of this type insinuates it is OK to throw bottles at gays, geeks, or people of color as long as they’re not on bikes.

[snip]

The mayor mentioned in addition that the legislators had let up on the Sullivan Acts. The city is now allowed to use water revenues for parks and greenways. This brought to mind a past conversation with former representative Charles Thomas, who said the Sullivan Acts were needed because Asheville had a history of irresponsible spending. His worst fears seemed to be coming to life.

City Manager Gary Jackson prepared a white paper in response to “the Locke Foundation.” On break, he clarified the comment pertained only to the “By the Numbers” report. The white paper contained no new information. After conferring with city staff, more will be posted here.

The Lioness of Asheville, Leslee Kulba nails it. Read the rest at her blog, Wild West. All emphasis in the quoted excerpt from her blog are mine.

Commentary

I think that Asheville is getting EXACTLY what it deserves. Especially since the "conservative" candidates who ran in the last election took the fool's road and pledged to not raise more than $3,000 for their election campaigns.

My hope is that some serious conservatives will run in 2011 and stop the bleeding. I do not think it likely, but am willing to be pleasantly surprised.

Here is the Financial Report, titled "Asheville 2010: A Financial Crossroads"

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Do Republicans in Buncombe County Understand the US Constitution??? Or Do They WANT A Religious Test for Officeholders?

**2.14pm** I've had several emails from Republicans in Buncombe County objecting to my use of the term Republican in my headline, several of whom I respect. I'm letting the descriptor stand because I feel it fits, and I know of no significant numbers of Republicans who have come out in support of Cecil Bothwell's religious freedom. If I am mistaken in this, please correct me.





I hope that certain people in Buncombe County will realize the folly of allowing themselves to be stirred up by listening to a moron on the radio regarding Cecil Bothwell. That guy has done nothing but cause trouble for Republicans, and as soon as they realize that, the better.

One of his latest efforts has succeeded in making the target briefly on the national radar (see AshVegas) while simultaneously exposing our side as hypocritical idiots who don't understand the US Constitution. (As many Republicans are want to do these days since it is the style of the times). I'll wager less than one in a hundred "Republicans" have read the US Constitution and the documents that supported it, The Federalist...also known as The Federalist Papers. Or, for that matter, the Anti-Federalist Papers written by people who opposed the Constitution, and were in favor of religious tests of office.

Here is the 3d clause of Article VI:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

That is very simple language, and should be easy to understand. The US Constitution trumps the state constitutions in this case.

Further, requiring a religious test for office violates the 1st and 14th Amendment rights of the person in question, as Torcaso v. Watkins has decided in a very similar case.

The Supreme Court ruled on this case, so it is the law of the land unless you are willing to take this all the way to the Supreme Court and get it over turned. That will not happen.

I dislike Cecil Bothwell being in the Asheville City Council. However, the voters have spoken.

If you want anyone to blame, you have no need to look past what John Jay, an author of The Federalist Papers, the first Chief Justice of the United States and the second president of the American Bible Society, said when he declared, "Providence has given our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." If you wanted a religious test, the time to apply it would have been during the election campaign...not afterward.

So blame the conservative candidates running, blame the 80% of Republicans who did not go to the polls that day, blame the party leadership in that county for not having an organized GOTV plan for Election Day that could have been adapted by the candidates running for City Council.

Maybe next time there is an election campaign going on, these people will be involved in walking the precincts, seeking voters and donations to help get someone who shares their values elected to office. If they are not doing that, then they are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

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Last Night's Winners in Asheville Determined by Get Out The Vote Efforts of Progressive Campaigns

I've been crunching the numbers precinct by precinct and have found some interesting things, the foremost of which is the success of the Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts by the Progressive Community in Asheville.


There were 7,113 ballots cast (almost 1 in 6 of them in early voting via One Stop).


Every voter had the opportunity to select from three candidates from a field of ten, with the top six vote getters advancing to the General Election. With the addition of Robin Cape's Write-In Campaign, this will make it seven people competing for three seats.


Cecil Bothwell and Gordon Smith received votes from more than half of those voting yesterday, and Esther Mannheimer was close to breaking that Fifty percent barrier. Carl Mumpower barely scraped by with just under one in three voting for him, and J. Neal Jackson getting votes from just over one in six voters.


Here is a simple table demonstrating these numbers, and some other comparisons:

Candidate	# Votes	% Votes	% Ballots Cast	% Registered Voters
Cecil Bothwell	3,718.	19.63	52.70	5.80
Gordon Smith	3,573.	18.87	50.23	5.58
Esther Mannheimer	3,275.	17.29	46.04	5.11
Kelly Miller	2,479.	13.09	34.85	3.87
Carl Mumpower	2,330.	12.30	32.76	3.64
J. Neal Jackson	1,270.	6.71	17.85	1.98
Ryan Croft	1,034.	5.46	14.54	1.61

Turnout was very light, with only a little over 11 % of voters bothering to vote. With such a low turn out, the campaigns with the better GOTV efforts cruised to the next round. I've included Ryan Croft, who didn't make the final cut, as an example of how just a tiny GOTV effort could have changed the results of yesterday's elections by the conservative candidates.


I see Mumpower as being in serious trouble in this re-election bid despite the spin put on it by the BCGOP on their website that touted his strong showing in several precincts. Those precincts he did well in were small precincts that will mean little in the General Election. Mumpower has said that he won't spend more than $3,000 on the election (as has the other conservative, J. Neal Jackson) so...unless they have an army of volunteers hidden away that I am not privy to...we will see the strengthening of the already strongly progressive Asheville City Council.


Here is Carl Mumpower on last night's results:

I wanted to drop a note of thanks to my supporters and the good folks who did step out to vote. I appreciate the consideration I received and am comfortable with the outcome.


It is interesting to note that we came in first in more precincts than any candidate (15) but placed 5th in the overall standings.


What’s next?


I will not be doing anything different over the coming month. As I said early on - after 8 years the people of Asheville know my name and what I stand for. I will return for a third term with enthusiasm or depart with gratitude per their decision.


In terms of campaigning forward, I will participate actively in all forums, respond to surveys, be available for questions, and come anywhere to meet with any group of citizens. I will not be spending any money on my campaign - either my own or anyone else’s. I am not interested in purchasing a seat on Asheville’s City Council.


The question has come up about my needing to campaign harder. I have been campaigning hard - by serving my office in a principled, energetic, creative, and persistent fashion. As the only conservative member of the Council (as measured by voting records) I have been given generous opportunity through the media to illuminate my positions. No one could have asked for more and no one has had more visibility on political matters in our community.


My standing in the vote outcome comes down to voter turnout and voter choice. Although I have a demonstrated unwillingness to seduce voters, there is no issue with name recognition or visibility - the things that most candidates are spending money on. The voters of Asheville have quietly said that they may want other leadership - either with their vote or by staying home.


Looking back, my consistent stance has been toward being careful with other people’s money, supporting traditional values, and resisting the expansion of socialistic governance at the local level. I would not change a thing and will not change a thing going forward.

Source: BCGOP (read the whole thing there)




Commentary


I am dismayed by Mumpower's decision. I remember how well the non-campaign worked in his "campaign" for the 11th district congressional seat. 


The Buncombe County Republican Party has been through a rough few years with leadership that has not focused on building the voter registration rolls locally in favor of getting involved in regional and state politics, and it has come back to bite them pretty hard. 


I am confident that the new leadership is seeking to correct those mistakes, and will emerge, in a few years, in a stronger position.

**1.19pm** Welcome MountainX Readers!

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Asheville Election Results (All Precincts Reporting)

Asheville City Council Race (Top Six Advance to the General Election)

Candidate	Percent	Votes
Cecil Bothwell	19.63%	3,718
Gordon Smith	18.87%	3,573
Esther Manheimer	17.29%	3,275
Kelly M. Miller	13.09%	2,479
Carl Mumpower	12.30%	2,330
J. Neal Jackson	6.71%	1,270
Ryan D. Croft	5.46%	1,034
Jenny Bowen	2.85%	540
César Romero	2.14%	405
Larry D. Chastain	1.66%	314

Asheville Mayor (Top Two Advance to the General Election)

Candidate	Percent	Votes
Terry M. Bellamy	76.22	5,150
Robert W. Edwards	17.12%	1,157
Shad Marsh	4.19%	283
Denise C. Pendleton	2.47%	167

You can see these results and more on the North Carolina State Board of Elections Website.






Commentary


The turnout was very low in Asheville, with the following numbers telling the tale...



Registered Voters: 64,061
Ballots Cast: 7,113
Voter Turnout: 11.10 %





#1--Voter apathy appears to be at an all time high, and it looks like the candidates will have to engage in some serious Get Out The Vote campaigning if they want to win.


#2--Mumpower and Neal have said that they wouldn't raise more than $3,000. I think they better rethink that if they want to win.


#3--Robin Cape will be in the race as a Write-in Candidate, and should shake things up quite a bit. 


I'll have a more detailed analysis of the race later this weekend.


**10.57pm** Edit--Thanks to an anon commenter who noticed that I forgot César Romero. I have fixed the oversight.


**7.29am 10/07/2009** Update


Leslee Kulba of the JLF Blog Wild West recognizes the primary as a "Progressive Landslide" she comments, in part...

...the semi-progressive mayor beat three contenders with 76.22% of the vote. The top four vote-getters in the city council race were progressives. A progressive who dropped out too late to get her name off the ballot got more votes than two of the nine remaining candidates.

Source: Wild West




The BCGOP posted a very remarkable spin on the story, commenting, in part...

The results are in! Robert Edwards easily made it into the general election with 17.12% of the vote. Carl Mumpower and J. Neal Jackson will also be on the Asheville ballot for City Council. Mumpower was the highest vote-getter in quite a few precincts.

Source: BCGOP Website (I have taken a screenshot in case it disappears down the Memory Hole. 


I hope that that organization can recover from errors made by past leadership, and that they will focus on building their precincts before they toss rocks from their glass house.

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Asheville Elections: Preliminary Results

Asheville City Council Race (Top Six Advance to General Election)


Candidate Percentage
Bothwell 19.5 
Smith 18.8 
Manheimer 17.3 
Miller 13.3 
Mumpower 12.3 
Jackson 6.7 (on the bubble) 
Croft 5.4 

Asheville Mayor (Top Two Advance to General Election)




So far, Mayor Bellamy is leading handily and Edwards will advance with her to the General Election.












You can see the results from other counties at the State Board of Election Website.

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Carolina Stompers and Thunder Pig recognized by Bothwell Campaign

Snapshot from Bothwell Campaign Newsletter

Information on how you can subscribe to Cecil Bothwell's newsletter. I disagree with Bothwell on virtually every issue, and I think it is imperative that we keep up with what the opposition thinks, and what they are up to in their campaigns.

Read for yourself how this all started.

I will give kudos to the Bothwell Campaign because they handled the criticism very well, and my fellow Republicans should learn from that, including my friend Chad Nesbitt and his sponsor, Tim Johnson, who continues to foster the destruction of what is left of the Republican Party in Buncombe County, and is working hard on spreading that disease to the 11th District, as well the rest of the state.

I wonder if he can tell me how many Buncombe Republicans actually won their races in the past two years?

Even though I consider Chad a friend, I will fight him every step of the way on this with every tool at my disposal. I do not want to see the circus that is the Buncombe County GOP spread past the borders of Buncombe County.

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The Carolina Stompers and the Case of the Dubbed Applause Updated with Video Mockery Update #2: A Ron Paul Supporter Goes Off...

The Carolina Stompers have discovered fake applause in a campaign commercial for Cecil Bothwell, a candidate for Asheville City Council.

I find it funny because Cecil Bothwell's slogan is "Keeping it Real". Uh-huh!

**8.11am** I was inspired by the Carolina Stomper post to make a video of my own, mocking the video for Cecil Bothwell...




**2.26pm**

A friend has forwarded an email to me concerning fallout over the Carolina Stompers spotting fake applause in a Cecil Bothwell video, and a friend was kind enough to forward me the email (not Chad Nesbitt, but a mole in the Liberty group). Here it is in all it's "Christian" glory:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gary Shoemaker
Date: Sun, Jun 28, 2009 at 10:25 PM
Subject: Re: Democrat Bothwell Busted.
To: The Nesbitt's
Cc: "Timothy F. Johnson" , "dr. carl mumpower"


Where were you and Carl Mumpower when everyone thought that vice chair
candidate Tim Johnson was going down? We were there for Tim and we helped
get him elected. Why do you have that ThunderPig bullshit video about Ron
Paul supporters on your website? Do you think that we are liberals? We
know more about the Constitution, free markets, civil liberties and limited
government than you will ever know.
Gary

On Sun, Jun 28, 2009 at 7:48 PM, The Nesbitt's wrote:

> www.carolinastompers.com

> Bothwell busted!
> Democrat Cecil Bothwell, (running for Asheville City Council) uses fake
> applause in newest video.
> The video's sound has been altered to make you think that there are more
> people to support him than what was really there.

> See it at www.carolinastompers.com

--
Gary M. Shoemaker

Of course I am a Republican, my mission is to restore the Republic.
The American Revolution continues...

Republican Liberty Caucus, the Liberty Club
http://BuncombeCountyncGOP.ning.com

Liberty Asheville
http://libertyasheville.ning.com/

9-12 Project - Asheville, NC
http://9-12projectashevillenc.ning.com

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The Carolina Stompers Expose Grafitti Problem in Asheville

Chad Nesbitt reports on the problem of graffiti in Asheville, including a bridge that the Asheville City Council PAID to be 'decorated' with Gansta 'Art' as a giant mural. Business owners are worried it may scare tourists away. Watch his report at Carolina Stompers. 

Commentary

The graffiti wouldn't scare me away, but it would cause me to make sure I had a round chambered in the .45 and the safety in the off position when doing business in the area...which includes most of Asheville now anyway.

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Asheville Stimulus Wish List A Letter From Dr. Carl Mumpower

Dr. Carl Mumpower, ever the faithful watchdog, has issued a letter [copy available here] on the recent effort by others on the Asheville City Council to seek Federal Monies.

The list of projects will cost $122 million, according to a recent article in the Asheville Citizen-Times, include:

Projects for Asheville include:

Hendersonville Road sidewalk

McDowell Street sidewalk

Beaverdam Road sidewalk

Replacement buses

installation of bus stops

Brian and Burton Street drainage/Roadway

Old Toll Road Drainange/Roadway

Victoria Road Drainange/Roadway

Traffic Signal at Charlotte and Edwin Place

Traffic Signal Upgrade at Charlotte and Chestnut

Complete Wayfinding Project

Bike Lockers

Bike racks

North Fork High Pressure Pumping Station

Black Mountain Pumping Station

Mills River Pumping Station

Walnut Cove Pumping Station

Upgrade parks to become ADA assessible (sic)

AB -Tech Connector to Depot Street

Expansion Buses

Bike shelters and sidewalks

Patton Avenue sidewalk

Edgewood Road sidewalk

Backwash loggon at Debruhl Water Treatment Plant

Brookside Circle 12-inch water line

Monte Vista Road/Sand Hill Road 16-inch water line

Beaucatcher Road 30-inch water line

College Street 24-inch water line

Tunnel Road 8-inch water line

Swannanoa River Road 12-inch water line

Reid Creek - Phase III greenway

Building Lighting Retrofit (T8's,motion sensors, exit signs, CFL)

Parking Deck LED Retrofit

Community Center/ Public Pool/Fire Station Solar Thermal

Electric Golf Cart Solar PV

Nature Center Solar PV

Building HVAC Retrofitting

Multi Site Solar PV Project

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Report on the Asheville City Council Retreat

The most excellent wordsmistress Leslee Kulba has issued a report on the Asheville City Council Retreat that took place recently.

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Asheville City Council Report For Dec 9th

Leslee Kulba, wordsmith of the John Locke Foundation's western blog, Wild West, has her latest notes up (via Tim Peck) on the Asheville City Council blog. You can watch the video of the meeting as you read along if you wish.

This is something I would like to see happen for all the local government bodies in western North Carolina, and am in the process of creating a type of infrastructure for those wordsmiths who don't want to go through the trouble of setting up their own blog. As soon as I can free up some time, I will be attending the monthly county commissioner meetings in Macon County, and reporting on those meetings.

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Sparks Fly Regarding Application For Asheville City Council, Conservative Activist Disemvoweled

The Carolina Stompers have been reviewing the applications for consideration to be selected for the seat being vacated by City Councilman Holly Jones. 

Chad Nesbitt, founder of the Stompers, has been trying to contact Gordon Smith about the application he submitted, and (in typical liberal fashion) he has been "disemvoweled" [1] [2] by the blog admins at the progressive group blog Scrutiny Hooligans. 

That is what I get for stepping away from the local scene for a couple of days...but at least I can count on the Carolina Stompers to keep an eye on things while I am away.

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Asheville City Council Report For August 26th

The ever capable Leslee Kulba of the blog The Wild West has made her latest City Council Report available. You may find it on Google Docs.

The meeting she reported on can be viewed below:



**update** 8.58 PM If you are using Fire Fox 3, you may have trouble viewing the video.I cannot make it work in that browser and have to switch over to Internet Explorer myself.This problem is persistent across multiple machines, and I would like to thank KR forreminding me about it. If you know how to fix it, lemme know in the comments.

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