My friend and fellow blogger, Gordon Smith, is running for City Council in Asheville, North Carolina and he recently posted the following piece over at BlueNC. While most of the attention goes to national issues, I think it's always good to keep in mind that everything starts in our own backyards. I am re-posting this with permission from Gordon, so please follow his vision for beautiful Asheville below the fold. And a big howdy to all the Nocackalackians at Netroots Nation! Thanks for representing!
Cross posted at BlueNC
The city of Asheville, North Carolina is a blue oasis in west of North Carolina. Seated in Buncombe County, Asheville has a population of 73,875 (per 2007 Census calculations) and is made up of 41.3 square miles of neighborhoods, industrial areas, forest, and rivers. Famous for its vibrant arts, openmindedness, architecture, environment, and various tourist attractions, Asheville winds up on several top ten lists a year.
This charming, bustling mountain mecca stands at a crossroads in its history. Property value spikes have made purchasing a home all but impossible for many citizens, and finding affordable rentals is also very expensive. Rapid growth and development have threatened our slopes and our public square. Industry after industry has closed up shop, leaving a service-based economy subject to the fluctuations in tourism. An influx of new residents has raised our energy demands to the point that some considered building a diesel-fueled power plant upwind from west Asheville. Cyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders have sought infrastructure improvements for years. City employees have been denied domestic partnership benefits in what's considered one of the gay-friendliest towns in the southeast. The DOT threatens to raze a historic neighborhood that only recently began winning its fight against drugs and violence.
I'm running for Asheville City Council because I want to help create more affordable housing and a more sustainable economy, environment, and community. I'm writing this post at BlueNC because I need your help.
I was a busy front-page blogger here at BlueNC in 2006/2007, and I've got a local-focused blog called Scrutiny Hooligans that's been operating for over five years to advocate for progressive principles and empower citizens to make a difference in their communities.
You can read a lot more about my biography and issue positions at my campaign website - Gordon For Asheville, but here's a sampling:
- Enact Asheville's Affordable Housing Plan of 2008, which will help create 500 units of affordable housing each year for the next 20 years through allowing more density on our existing transportation corridors among other initiatives.
- Focusing on our existing corridors will reduce sprawl and preserve our open spaces.
- Raise the bar on energy efficiency in order to preclude the building of another dirty power plant, make our air and water cleaner, and provide our growing alternative energy economy a boost.
- Improve conditions for a homegrown alternative energy industry in Asheville that will provide living wage, career track jobs that will stay in Asheville. Already we've got solar manufacturing and installation, green retrofit companies, and a green construction industry that will thrive once the city commits to conservation.
- Move forward on creating multimodal transporation infrastructure.
- Fight for an I-26 Connector project that preserves our neighborhoods among other important principles.
- Extend domestic partnership benefits to our city employees.
If you believe that these stances are worth fighting for, then please consider supporting my campaign with
your time or money. I'm a first-time candidate running in a crowded field, so every hour and dollar helps.
http://gordonforasheville.com/...
Thanks to over 80 volunteers, I've been running a first-class field operation that's already contacted thousands of voters in person and over the phone. Thanks to over 125 donors, I've been able to raise over $11,000. With early voting only thirty-six days away, I'm ramping up my field operation, public events, and fundraising.
http://gordonforasheville.com/...
If you've been wondering what you can do to help make North Carolina a more progressive place to live, please offer this candidate your support.
Thanks, BlueNC, for being a bastion of sanity and community. Give me a shout if you're ever up in the mountains. I'd love to show you around.