Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower resigned from two city committees at councilís Nov. 13 meeting.

Mumpower quit the Public Safety Committee, which he chaired, after council approved a gun-buyback program without first sending it to the PSC for consideration.

The program calls for the city to spend $25,000 in addition to private donations for police to buy guns in an effort to decrease the number of weapons on the street.

Mumpower said that while he thinks the gang-related violence problem the program seeks to combat is ìoverblown,î he does not object to the effort.

However, he said that if council was going to approve the plan without sending it threough the PSC, then he saw no reason for him to serve on the committee.

Council members disagreed, voting 5-1 to approve the program. Mumpower cast the dissenting vote.
He also resigned his seat on the council Finance Committee.

Mumpower announced in September that he would seek the Republican nomination for the 11th District congressional post.

He is currently councilís sole Republican, though he will soon be joined by Republican Bill Russell, who successfully took Bryan Freebornís seat in this monthís election.

In another clash Nov. 13, Mumpower† accused Mayor Terry Bellamy of repeatedly delaying a discussion over whether to change the system for choosing city school board members from appointment by City Council to popular vote.

Mumpower said he requested Bellamy put the item on councilís agenda back in March and that she told him she would do so in November.