From Staff Reports

Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chairman Brownie Newman, a Democrat, fended off a challenge from Vice Chair Robert Pressley, a Republican, to retain his leadership over the county’s most powerful body on Nov. 3.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Newman won 90,265 votes (58 percent), while Pressley received 65,845 votes (42 percent) in the race for the chairmanship. Newman, who was first elected to the board in 2012, has served as commissioners’ chairman since 2016. Despite the defeat, Pressley will keep his seat on the board.

In an interview with Asheville television station WLOS (News 13), Newman was quoted as saying, “2020, of course, has been a hard year in so many ways with the COVID-19 health concerns in the community and economic impacts of that. So, we’re going to remain focused at the county to get through what’s, hopefully, the last stages of this until there’s a safe and effective vaccine.”

In the county commissioners other races, all three of the Democratic candidates beat their GOP opponents by large margins, with the results as follow:

• District 1 seat — Terri Wells, a Democrat, netted 31,270 votes (60 percent), to beat Republican Glenda Weinert, who garnered 20,665 votes (40 percent).

• District 2 seat — Democrat Jasmine Beach-Ferrara won 29,914 votes (60 percent) to defeat Republican Anthony Penland, who had been appointed to serve on the board after the death of Mike Fryar. Penland received 20,258 votes (40 percent).

• District 3 seat — Parker Sloan, a Democrat, recorded 30,970 votes (59 percent) to defeat incumbent Republican Joe Belcher, who finished with 21,952 votes (41 percent).