Gwen Wisler unanimously elected vice mayor

From Staff Reports

The winners of November’s Asheville councilmanic election were sworn in on Dec. 1 at City Hall in a short-but-festive ceremony.

 Sworn-in were Brian Haynes, Julie Mayfield and Keith Young. They joined the four council holdovers — Mayor Esther Manheimer and council members Cecil Bothwell, Gordon Smith and Gwen Wisler.

The newly seated governing body then voted 7-0 to pick Wisler as vice mayor.

The swearing in and vice mayoral election are held every-other-year. This year, those taking the oath were all new members with no re-elected incumbents. Among them was the first African-American elected to the body since 2009.

The proceedings included an honor guard from the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at Asheville High School, leading the Pledge of Allegiance. 

In addition, senior firefighter Bentley Andrews, who accompanied herself on guitar, sang the national anthem.

Also, an invocation was written by Manheimer’s father, Ron, who led audience members in the singing of “Asheville Is Our Town” to the tune of “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie. 

Then, council members-elect each stood, surrounded by family, and swore to uphold local and national laws, as Buncombe County Chief District Court Judge J. Calvin Hill presided.

Afterward, the new members said they were humbled by the experience, thanked voters and said they looked forward to working together.

Speaking first — and most briefly, Haynes, the Habitat for Humanity assistant manager, said he looked forward “to working with everyone on council.”

Haynes added that he is “very proud of our city voters” and he drew laughs when he quipped that he thought “they did a good job.

“I don’t want to let you down,” he said, more seriously. “I would also like to tell voters to stay involved. Join committees. Come to meetings. And let your voices be heard.”

Mayfield, the co-director of the regional environmental advocacy group MountainTrue, reviewed the campaign and said candidates seeing their names on signs and in the newspapers run the risk of getting “a really big head.

“But what this is for me is an incredibly humbling experience.”

With the support of the public and other council members, she expressed confidence that Asheville could be led to a place “where this city remains a great place for the people who live here” and where economic opportunity is increased every day “for more and more people.

“My hope is also that we are able to come together as a city. We have some big challenges in front of us and we will do better in those challenges if we are together pulling in the same direction,” Mayfield said.

Young, a deputy clerk of Buncombe County Superior Court and the first black council member to be elected in six years, said “our city is in a very transitional time, a very transformative time.” Young was the top vote-getter in the six-way election.

All council members have the city’s best interests at heart, Young said, adding, “I’m looking forward to being able to roll my sleeves up and dig in and work with each and every one of you.”