Keep strong with your actual community. Organize outside of the ballot box. Put not your faith in politicians. Whoever wins here will continue the escalating attacks on our communities and rights, and we'll have to fight them accordingly. We keep us safe. There is no other option.

Depressingly, if not surprisingly at this point, Democratic candidate Jamie Ager's also vocally an anti-trans bigot. And whoever the Republicans' ruling clique coughs up to take Chuck Edwards' place will no doubt also be an utter horrorshow.

NC-11 candidate Jamie Ager signs on to conservative 'Promise to America' led by anti-trans, pro-ICE Dems | The Asheville Blade

Jamie Ager, the Democratic candidate for the NC-11 congressional district, which includes Asheville, has signed on to the conservative Promi

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Shocked, shocked that Chuck Edwards, the far-right politician whose main claim to fame was being the fascist who was quieter and less blatantly on drugs that Madison Cawthorn also turned out to be an abusive scumbag...

N.C. Republican Chuck Edwards to end his campaign after facing harassment allegations

Edwards made the announcement after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured over "persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers."

npr.org

It's telling that every homeless person, even sober, is automatically a sign of "the drug problem." But belligerently intoxicated tourists — a far worse danger to those of us living and working downtown — somehow never are.

That's all for us at the @avlblade.bsky.social tonight as we weathered (literally) a tornado warning and hours of #avlgov handwringing bad decisions in yet another nearly 6 hour meeting. Thanks for supporting us! Subscribe below Or send us a one-time donation at paypal.me/AshevilleBlade

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Manheimer runs through a list of names - apparently none of them stuck around for this nearly six hour meeting - & adjourns the meeting. #Avlgov yet again proves it is out of touch w/ the survival needs of many in this town as, among other deeds, it inches ever closer to gutting its transit system.

Next commenter is asking Manheimer to step down #avlgov

Problems at Weaver Park include bad design and gravel in the mulch preventing children from playing barefoot. #avlgov

Next commenter will speak 10 minutes - depending on three yielding their time - concerning problems with Weaver Park in North Asheville. Playground is apparently unsafe for children. #avlgov

Thanks @davidforbes.bsky.social Onto the general public comment period. First commenter is saying that parking app is charging exorbitant fees when people make errors in paying for their spots. #avlgov

David Forbes@davidforbes.bsky.social · last wk.

Anti-displacement resolution passes 6-0. Thanks, y'all. Handing things over to @matildabliss.bsky.social to cover the last part of this council meeting. Support @avlblade.bsky.social and subscribe: patreon.com/AvlBlade Or donate: paypal.me/AshevilleBlade

Anti-displacement resolution passes 6-0. Thanks, y'all. Handing things over to @matildabliss.bsky.social to cover the last part of this council meeting. Support @avlblade.bsky.social and subscribe: patreon.com/AvlBlade Or donate: paypal.me/AshevilleBlade

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Next speaker GAP Avl rep, supoorts resolution but wants clear plans for city government to be accountable to actually carrying it out. Quotes letter from Sekou Coleman of neighborhood coalition that major questions and concerns about specifics remain. #avlgov

Public comment on the anti-displacement resolution. First speaker supports it. Second with YIMBY group Asheville for All, calls "anti-displacement" a "wacky term." Spoken like a well-off transplant who's never been forced out of their home. #avlgov

Mosley: heard concerns from the Legacy Neighborhoods Coalition, that there aren't enough measurable milestones in the resolution. So will make an alternative motion including that. City manager DK Wesley, "it will take significant time" to craft those. #avlgov

City staffer even notes this, that while the anti-displacement push is coming from local groups, the resolution is written by #avlgov officials and mostly consists of promises about crafting future policy. City hall has a long history of ignoring these or quietly gutting them.

Housing repair program passes 6-0. On to anti-displacement resolution. Effort is driven by alliance of mostly Black community groups demanding city hall stop ignoring their neighborhoods and pushing gentrification full tilt when making policy. But #avlgov has a long history of ignoring resolutions.

On to post-Helene home repair program, with $3 million in bond funds, something council only did after public outcry on how little was going towards it. #avlgov

Huh, apparently council are Yeats fans. Not shocking considering they personify the late imperial decay of "The Second Coming." Manheimer says that housing at the abandoned parts of the mall will not happen and they just need to get some businesses in there. #avlgov

Only speaker at public hearing on the sketchily secretive mall rezoning is quoting Yeats' "Sailing to Byzantium" to justify passing it. No, I am not making this up. Roney makes a motion to deny the mall rezoning, it fails 2-4 with just her and Turner in favor. It then passes 4-2, same tally #avlgov

Damn, even Turner, usually as big a shill for developers as you'll find on council, doubts the lawyer's claims that the owner can't find other uses for some of the space under the current zoning. "If you can't accomplish those things on 40 acres and a mall, I don't know what to tell you." #avlgov

Lawyer claims working within the current zoning would require tearing down the entire mall and starting over. Mosley (a corporate lawyer herself) stops him and questions him about it and he shifts his rant. Lawyer: "I don't want to see Tunnel Road Beyond Thunderdome" Why not? That sounds awesome.

Developer's lawyer is going on about how the current zoning "stifles market forces" which isn't ominous at all.

Nearly five hours into this damn meeting, a gal gets to have a bit of gallows humor about it #avlgov

Artisanal torment nexus is the going theory for the mall site, given the general direction of Asheville local government and developers #avlgov

Roney's hopeful for housing at the mall, says local businesses are moving into the spaces abandoned by the chain stores. Loming over all this is why even the usually developer-friendly staff are against it: there's weird secrecy from the owners about why they want the zoning changes. #avlgov

Thanks, Matilda. Turner's worrying that the city's not friendly enough to developers (no, I am not making this up) like those circling around this part of the old mall site. #avlgov

Matilda Bliss@matildabliss.bsky.social · last wk.

Handing things over to @davidforbes.bsky.social to cover the next bit. Thankfully I now have power where I'm covering this, so will perhaps see yall later tonight. Thanks for supporting the @avlblade.bsky.social Subscribe below. Or send us a one-time donation paypal.me/ashevilleblade #avlgov

Staff is not mincing words. "We strongly recommend denial," citing the lack of specificity in the property owner's request #avlgov

At nearly 9:30, we're onto our last public hearing of the night. Staff proposing on potential changes to Asheville Mall parking lot to include housing #avlgov

Turner: "There has to be something we can do about the traffic." But she'll vote for it anyway. Councilmember Sheneika Smith makes the motion to approve. Turner seconds. Project passes unanimously. Turner can be heard over the mic saying "Sorry South Asheville, though." Sacrifice zone shit #avlgov

Commenter says that there is a petition that has been circulated that includes over 400 signers opposing the project. #avlgov