ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Should Asheville City Council members discuss city business in shared Google documents or meet privately before issues come up for a public vote?
Mayor Esther Manheimer and challenger Kim Roney differ on where to draw the line between gathering information and making decisions outside public meetings.
With early voting beginning Thursday, Oct. 15, 828newsNOW asked both candidates to answer the same questions about government transparency, their priorities for Asheville and what they would change if elected.
Both identified affordability and public safety as major concerns. But they have different ideas about how to tackle those problems and how City Council should operate.
Where should council discussions take place?
Roney, who currently serves on City Council, criticized the use of shared Google documents to weigh in on issues before public meetings.
She pointed to council members’ use of a Google document to rank projects seeking federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.
According to Roney, proposals involving mental health crisis response at the transit center and the BeLoved Tiny Home Village ranked among the highest for feasibility, but council ultimately directed money to lower-ranked projects.
“If voted on in public, the vote may have landed the same, but there would’ve been more opportunity for public engagement and accountability,” Roney said.
Manheimer said shared documents can help with scheduling, distributing background materials and submitting questions to city staff.
“But decisions and positions are shared and debated at public meetings, in front of the people we serve,” she said.
Manheimer said the city attorney could be asked to establish clearer guidelines for electronic communications among council members.
The candidates also disagreed over the role of private conversations and small-group meetings before issues reach the full council.
Roney said she would end what she described as behind-the-scenes meetings and schedule public council meetings instead.
Manheimer defended conversations with colleagues, staff, experts and residents as part of the work elected officials are expected to do.
“Some of the conversation assumes elected leaders shouldn’t talk to each other unless a camera is on,” Manheimer said. “But no good policy comes from leaders working in silos and surprising each other at the dais.”
She said council members should come to public meetings prepared to explain their positions, listen to others and cast their votes openly.
Affordability and public safety are priorities for both
Manheimer identified three priorities: standing up for Asheville, affordability and public safety.
She said she would continue pushing for state and federal funding to help Asheville recover from Tropical Storm Helene while working to expand affordable housing, protect residents from displacement and provide home repair assistance.
Manheimer said she helped secure an initial $225 million in federal recovery funding and expects approximately $1 billion in total recovery funding over the next several years.
On public safety, she pointed to efforts to rebuild police staffing, including 20 recently sworn-in officers, and support for the Asheville Fire Department’s REST team and mental health co-responders.
Roney listed public safety, affordability and climate and neighborhood resiliency as her three priorities.
She wants to add certified mental health professionals to police and fire response efforts and expand programs aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness.
Roney also called for more affordable housing, changes to water rates and greater support for local businesses that pay living wages.
She wants to strengthen neighborhood planning, protect food and water supplies and encourage renewable energy and waste reduction. She also said she wants to protect Asheville from data centers.
What is Asheville’s biggest problem?
Asked to identify the city’s biggest challenge, Manheimer pointed to affordability, while Roney focused on public safety.
Manheimer said Asheville was already expensive for working families before Helene damaged homes and infrastructure, adding to the cost of living and rebuilding.
She argued that securing outside recovery funding is essential to addressing those problems.
“If we don’t win the fight for outside dollars, we’ll face a choice between fixing our water system and building affordable housing,” Manheimer said.
She said she wants teachers, nurses, firefighters and other working families to be able to afford to stay in Asheville.
Roney argued that the city’s approach to public safety needs to go beyond traditional law enforcement.
“Everyone in Asheville deserves to be safe, but a narrow definition of public safety limits successes and creates new problems,” she said.
Roney proposed expanding Buncombe County’s Community Paramedicine program, exploring an approach modeled after Durham’s HEART crisis response program and using community health workers to help prevent violence.
She also wants Asheville to regain its living wage certification, saying first responders should be able to afford to live in the communities they serve.
Although Asheville has its own living wage policy for city employees, the city is not currently certified by Just Economics of Western North Carolina. The nonprofit has set Buncombe County’s 2026 living wage at $24.10 an hour.
What would they change at City Hall?
Both candidates pointed to the city’s decision to end its contract with Flock Safety, the company that provided Asheville’s license plate reader cameras.
City Council voted 5-2 on Aug. 25 to terminate the contract covering 11 stationary cameras. Roney made the motion to approve the resolution, which Manheimer presented and supported.
Manheimer cited the decision as an example of her willingness to reconsider city policies after hearing concerns about privacy and civil liberties.
Roney also pointed to her efforts to end the Flock contract as part of her broader approach to public safety and constitutional rights.
Manheimer said she also supported pausing a proposed transit system plan that would have eliminated some bus routes while increasing service frequency elsewhere. She said staff needed more time to determine whether service could be improved without cutting routes.
“I’m not looking to relitigate everything. I’m looking to get things right, with strong data, open debate, and public input,” Manheimer said.
Roney said she would revisit the Asheville Downtown Improvement District, focusing more of its resources on safety and wellness.
She proposed using district funding to expand responses to homelessness, substance use and mental health crises, potentially in partnership with Buncombe County to avoid duplicating services and administrative costs.
Early voting runs through Oct. 31
Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election runs from Thursday, Oct. 15, through Saturday, Oct. 31. Voting ends at 3 p.m. on the final day. Voters can cast ballots at any early voting site in their county.