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Wednesday, 14 December 2005 01:31 |
By DAVID FORBES
| Bryan Freeborn is sworn in as a member of Asheville City Council following his appointment on a 4-2 vote on a Bible held by his daughter Wild, while his wife Bridget and son Emmett observe.
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In its first actions, Asheville??s new City Council voted 4-2 to appoint Bryan Freeborn to fill a vacant council seat and chose Councilwoman Holly Jones as the new vice mayor on Dec. 6.
In addition, incoming Mayor Terry Bellamy promised to consider the interests of all citizens while reforming the process of tackling issues including development, basic city services and affordable housing.
?®I have tremendous hope and optimism that whatever our individual differences, this council will be one that works together in harmony,?∆ Bellamy said. ?®Over the past several years, City Council has not done all it should. In fact, we have often failed our most vulnerable citizens. Previously, council has spent a great deal of time looking at development and property issues. The life of a great city demands more.
?®We have outgrown the simple times when City Council members were able to personally debate the type of siding a developer uses on a duplex or deliberate over a council agenda that resembles one from planning and zoning.?∆
Freeborn, 26, a carpenter from West Asheville who finished fourth during the Nov. 8 general election, will occupy Bellamy??s seat on council, which she vacated to become mayor, for the next two years.
Councilman Brownie Newman made the motion to appoint Freeborn ?? a measure promptly seconded by newly elected Councilwoman Robin Cape.
Council members Jan Davis and Carl Mumpower cast the two dissenting votes against Freeborn.
Newman, who campaigned for Chris Pelly, the fifth-place finisher in the
election, recently had raised the issue of a ticket for an unauthorized
street mural, intended to calm traffic, which Freeborn and some West
Asheville residents painted in May 2004.
However, Newman had said that he was ?®leaning very strongly?∆ toward
appointing Freeborn, because of his status as the fourth highest
vote-getter.
However, there was no discussion of the matter at last week??s council
meeting, and Freeborn was sworn in quickly by City Clerk Maggie
Burleson, with his daughter Wild holding a Bible.
In remarks just before being sworn in, Freeborn thanked Newman and his
own supporters, who not only campaigned for him before the general
election, but also sent numerous letters to local newspapers supporting
his appointment afterwards.
One of the opponents of Freeborn??s appointment, Mumpower, told the
Daily Planet last Wednesday that his opposition was based on the
concern that council will become skewed.
?®It is my belief that Mr. Freeborn??s appointment will unbalance council philosophically and pragmatically,?∆ Mumpower said.
Freeborn remarked that he was not surprised by his appointment and that
council ?®has to tackle a lot of issues,?∆ for which he would try to
quickly get as much information and expertise as possible.
?®I??ll work quickly to discern how the issues have to be faced,?∆
Freeborn said. ?®I??ll try to get as much information as possible from as
many different sources as possible, including outside experts we??ll be
consulting with.?∆
After Freeborn??s appointment, council chose Jones as vice mayor, to
preside over council meetings in the mayor??s absence. This time the
vote was 6-1, with only Mumpower dissenting.
In remarks just before Jones?? appointment, Newman noted that she had
won the council elections ?®with the highest percentage of any candidate
in Asheville in recent memory?∆ and that her first term on council gave
her valuable experience.
?®The vice mayor takes an important role in representing council when
the mayor is not able to do that and providing an important role in
working with our neighbors,?∆ Newman said. ?®I believe Holly has both the
experience and the support to provide effective leadership for City
Council in that role.?∆
In his explanation for his vote against Jones?? appointment, Mumpower
later said, ?®I don??t vote on the basis of expediency or policing
people. I vote on doing the right thing.?∆
While saying he had no further explanation, Mumpower added: ?®I wish Vice Mayor Jones the best in carrying out her duties.?∆
In a speech at the end of the meeting, Bellamy said that the city will
have to be ?®transformed?∆ to meet the ?®large spectrum of issues facing
Asheville.?∆
?®Our city??s infrastructure must be rebuilt,?∆ Bellamy said. ?®We have
hundreds of children living in violent and unsafe surroundings who need
protection now. We stand at a crossroads economically, with much to be
done if we are to offer the type of jobs to attract ?? and keep ??
families in our community.?∆
Those issues ?®must move to the forefront ?? now,?∆ Bellamy added.
?®We must dramatically expand the vision and works of this council,?∆ she
said. ?®As mayor, we will look at other issues and the agendas will
change.?∆
Looking in that direction, Bellamy said she will review Asheville??s
land use plans and annexation policies in 2006 with an eye toward
reform.
?®We have issues with Staples, Greenlife and Kenilworth developments
that could indicate we have major issues that are not being addressed
by our current policies.?∆
To solve those problems, Bellamy asserted, Asheville needs ?®a system
that promotes clear relations with developers and is efficient as well
as effective. We must support dialogue between neighborhoods and
developers, especially when the ultimate result is a project that could
meet the needs of the community today and in the future.?∆
Basic city services also need improvement, Bellamy continued.
?®Sidewalks, street repair, garbage pickup, police protection, less or
none at all, panhandling ?? these basic city services need to be a top
priority for this council,?∆ Bellamy said. ?®While it may have been on
the radar for some, these need to be on the agenda for all the council.?∆
Affordable housing also remains a problem, Bellamy noted, and one that
must be solved for Asheville to be prosperous in the future.
?®It is a problem when a full-time employee working 40 or more hours a
week cannot afford to live in the community in which he or she works to
make it profitable,?∆ she said. ?®Council must become a player in
creating an environment where people live and work.?∆
Steps council can take to further this goal include embracing the HUD
project, Bellamy noted, which outlines a plan for economic growth in
the city and county, and lessening regulations on the affordable
housing trust fund so more developers can make use of it for needed
projects.
Bellamy also called on the public to give their input on these issues.
?®I commit to you not to meet with any individual who has created a plan
that you have not had the opportunity to have any input on,?∆ Bellamy
said.
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