District elections for Asheville?

Let’s put idea to a referendum

We think that former state Sen. Tom Apodaca’s proposal to impose district elections on Asheville for its City Council seats (but keeping the mayor’s post at-large) may have some merit.

While joining most of the Asheville community in rejoicing that Apodaca’s legislation recently was defeated in the state House of Representatives, we do so more from opposition to the process he used, rather than on the merits of the idea. 

Apodaca’s plan dividing the city into six districts (of his design) passed the Senate, but surprisingly (to some) was shot down in the House, where a coalition of Democrats and Republicans objected mainly on procedural grounds that the controversial local bill should not have been submitted in the short session. Notably, some Republicans objected to the legislature’s heavy-handedness and felt they needed to put a stop to it, fearing that it could also happen in their communities.

Council members tend to come from north and west Asheville, while residents of the fast-growing south-side, in particular, complain of under-representation.

To that end, we like Mayor Esther Manheimer’s suggestion that a good solution on the district idea is to have it put before the voters as a ballot question.