Let’s avoid Barcelona’s fate on short-term rentals

I recently saw this sign in Barcelona, Spain: “The rent of holiday apartments in this neighbourhood destroys the local socio-cultural fabric and promotes speculation. Many local residents are forced to move out.  Enjoy your stay.”  

Short-term rentals are increasing — and increasingly controversial — in popular tourist cities. To those frustrated that City Council is restricting STRs, I offer two points.  

First, STRs in residential areas, with the exception of homestays, have always been prohibited.  True, the city did not enforce these rules for years, but enforcement is discretionary and everyone has been on notice for close to two years that stepped up enforcement was coming.  

Second, there are still plenty of legal STRs in non-residentially zoned districts like downtown, in permitted homestays, and in the county.  Just because STRs are not permitted in whole houses or ADUs (for now) in Asheville’s neighborhoods does not mean STRs are unavailable in and around Asheville and that residents aren’t benefitting from the tourism trade.

Our obligation, particularly to those struggling against our less than 1 percent vacancy rate, is to maintain the housing we have for people who live here rather than people who visit here.

Let’s not invite signs like the one above in Asheville.

JULIE MAYFIELD

Asheville

EDITOR’S NOTE: Julie Mayfield is a member of Asheville City Council.

Roy Cooper working against business in N.C.

How can North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper (the “Progressive Democrat” running in the fall against current Gov. Pat McCrory) justify his actions (in opposing HB2) of contacting cities directly encouraging them to hurt North Carolina by not doing business here?

Uncovered by The Wall Street Journal and reported worldwide, our state’s top lawyer, Roy Cooper, asked San Francisco and who else — performers? companies? who’s next? — to do their best to destroy our economy.

Democrat, Republican and Unaffiliated voters should remember that Roy Cooper works hard to hurt North Carolina’s businesses, employees and families.

For years, Gov. Pat McCrory has worked tirelessly to do the opposite and has succeeded.

Our state ties with Texas for the highest economic output in the nation as of autumn 2015.

Voters can blame Cooper’s “progressives” if our next economic situation is not as good.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Mitchell is the former chairman of the Buncombe County Republican Party.

‘Doin’ what comes naturally’ not always best way to go 

North Carolina’s Gov. (Pat) McCrory to legislators on HB2: Repeat after me:

“Folks are dumb from where I come, they ain’t had any learnin’. Still they’re happy as can be, doin’ what comes naturally!” (With apologies to Irving Berlin.)

Finally, one has to wonder if Gov. McCrory read the ill-conceived HB2 bill that purports a set of “Bathroom Etiquette” rules. 

It is a stupid, unworkable, unenforceable, unconstitutional bill that deserves to be flushed!

Too bad the ‘9/11 dead’ cannot be risen from dead

On 9/11, as I watched the horror unfold on TV, I longed for the Christ-like power to raise the 9/11 dead.

But I’m a simple man, with no such power.

In the days, weeks, months and years following 9/11, I wrote letters to the editor, which supported 9/11 and terrorism.

But those were devils’ advocate letters intended to counter-balance all of the letters by people who see things in black-and-awhite and claim that the war on terror is a war between good and evil, when in actuality, the war on terror brings out both the best and the worst in America and Americans.

But like I say, those were just insincere devils’ advocate-genre letters.

I could never support terrorists who have lost their humanity, and love for humanity, and connection with their fellow men....

I would never raise the 9/11 dead.

But I’ll always wish I could!!!