From Staff Reports

 RALEIGH — District elections for seats on Asheville City Council passsed both chambers of the state General Assembly and was passed into law on June 28.

The bill provides five council districts and two at-large council seats. “No current city council members are double- bunked,” the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-Hendersonville, noted in a press release immediately after its passage.

“This bill also moves Asheville’s elections to November in even-numbered years and eliminates the primary for city council races,” Edwards pointed out.

The measure, sponsored as Senate Bill 813, requiring districts passed the North Carolina General Assembly last year. 

The law required Asheville City Council to submit a map of proposed districts by November or have the legislature handle the responsibility.

 However, ouncil defied the instructions, deciding under the guidance of former City Attorney Robin Currin to instead hold a public referendum. The referendum could not be binding, but Currin indicated it was part of a legal strategy yet to play out.

Senate Bill 285 proposed dividing the city into six districts. The purpose, supported by Republicans and members of the local business community, was to gain representation of their interests on a board dominated, now unanimously, by progressive Democrats.

 Now that the districts are drawn, a cry has gone out that the Republicans in Raleigh are gerrymandering Democratically dominated Asheville by intentionally splitting the black vote.

 The allegations serve to further ignite tensions sparked by the high-profile beating of Johnnie Rush by Asheville Police Officer Chris Hickman. The incident, caught on police bodycam, was used as evidence of systemic racism in the police department and city government as a whole.

 Current council members have been quick to respond to the complaints. The city’s organizational structure has been revised, and committees reorganized to give minorities more voice. Further, every formal council meeting this year has given audience to activists who want more oversight and attention to racial divides within the police department.

In the heat of racial tensions, as council has mounted a Herculean effort at calming through intensive listening and response, calls to divide along racial lines are now escalating in another quarter.

 Edwards denies charges that racism played into the drawing of the map. He took full responsibility for oversight of the process. Edwards noted that GIS cartographers say sufficient data is not available on the demographics of the districts to support the racism charges. 

Ironically, since the legislature began pushing district elections, Vijay Kapoor, a business-savvy Democrat from South Asheville, was elected to council. Keith Young and Sheneika Smith, both African-Americans, were also elected.

The new districts will double-bunk Young with Councilman Brian Haynes. Any Republicans running from South Asheville will have to run against Kapoor, who has built a record of representing sound business practices and government accountability.

Then again, its possible that something in Currin’s legal strategy is yet to unfurl.

Meanwhile, in a press release posted on June 29, Edwards said, “After operating a City Council election process that has gone fundamentally unchanged since 1935, I am pleased that the citizens of Asheville will now employ an election system that will offer a stronger voice for more of its citizens.”

He added, “The most populated cities in North Carolina have previously converted to a system that incorporates some form of districted elections. With the passage of S813, Asheville can now benefit from an increased candidate pool, accountability of council members to a specific geographic area, and a clear understanding by the citizens of where they should turn if they have concerns.

“I am excited that this laborious and sometimes controversial matter appears to be behind us. It is my since hope now that I, the Asheville City Council, and the entire Buncombe County Legislative Delegation may work together to turn our attention to other matters of concern for the citizens of Asheville.

“I often hear of, and I recognize the challenges that Asheville faces to confront our growing population and infrastructure needs. I look forward to work with all involved to help us face these challenges,” Edwards said, in concluding his press release.