The state Board of Elections has set a new filing period for candidates for Asheville City Council in the wake of a successful petition drive that challenged councilís decision to make municipal elections partisan.

Those seeking to run for council now have until Aug. 20 to file with the election board. The primary election will move from Sept. 12 to Oct. 9.

Election officials announced July 31 that a petition drive by the group Let Asheville Vote had successfully gathered 5,022 signatures ó 22 more than was needed to force a public referendum on whther elections should be partisan.
Initially, LAV turned in more than 6,000 signatures, but a number of those were disqualified because they listed addresses that did not match county records.

Asheville has used a non-partisan system since 1994, but a 4-3 vote by council in June switched back to partisan elections, in which candidates are listed by political affiliation. Under the system passed by council, independent candidates would need to gather more than 2,300 signatures to get on the general election ballot.

However, the success of the petition drive means that the upcoming election will revert to the non-partisan system, in which any candidate can run in the primary election by filing and paying a $75 fee. The top vote-getters in that election would go on to the general election.

All eight candidates who have already filed for the upcoming elections will now have to refile, according to BOE officials.

Meanwhile, council will have to work out the wording of the referendum and set a date for it. Mayor Terry Bellamy says she wants to hold the referendum during the primary election.

However, Councilman Carl Mumpower said he would like to put it on the general election ballot, as more people are likely to vote in that election.

Both Mumpower and Bellamy, along with Councilman Jan Davis, opposed the switch to partisan elections.
Council members Brownie Newman, Robin Cape and Bryan Freeborn and Vice Mayor Holly Jones supported the change.

Newman, Freeborn and Davis are all up for re-election this year.