Asheville City Council member Bill Russell posted the following message to his Facebook page on Nov. 4. Russell dropped his own bid for reelection in September, citing the need to spend more time with his family.
I hope you'll consider voting for Jan Davis, Marc Hunt, and Mark Cates this year. Let me tell you why.
Jan Davis is Asheville's anchor on City Council. Moderate and always fair, I admire Jan for his steady wisdom, his balance, and the institutional experience he brings in these very fast-moving times. It's also been a real privilege to serve with a man that history will regard as one of Asheville's finest citizens. Let's keep Jan Davis on City Council.
For the last four years, I've also had the pleasure of working with Marc Hunt: he's a smart, compassionate, and hard-working guy. And he's also proven to me that he's receptive to new ideas and, importantly, he works well in a mature spirit of compromise. Unlike some, he is not a partisan ideologue. Mark Hunt will make a valuable addition to City Council.
I'm also voting for Mark Cates. Although I don't know him personally, I can tell you that he's run a positive, upbeat campaign focused on Jobs and the Economy — and providing essential city services without raising Property Taxes. Sometimes that's a lone voice, but it's voice that needs to be heard.
We all find ourselves at an uncertain financial crossroads. I believe that it's in our best interests to have a City Council that's a true reflection of who we all are — Democrats, Independents, and Republicans — so we can work things out together. That's how the best decisions for our city are made: now's not the time to take a Hard-left turn on City Council. Let's keep some balance as we move forward.
Thank you. And thank you for giving me the honor of serving the people of Asheville.
Bill Russell
Asheville City Council
I hope you'll consider voting for Jan Davis, Marc Hunt, and Mark Cates this year. Let me tell you why.
Jan Davis is Asheville's anchor on City Council. Moderate and always fair, I admire Jan for his steady wisdom, his balance, and the institutional experience he brings in these very fast-moving times. It's also been a real privilege to serve with a man that history will regard as one of Asheville's finest citizens. Let's keep Jan Davis on City Council.
For the last four years, I've also had the pleasure of working with Marc Hunt: he's a smart, compassionate, and hard-working guy. And he's also proven to me that he's receptive to new ideas and, importantly, he works well in a mature spirit of compromise. Unlike some, he is not a partisan ideologue. Mark Hunt will make a valuable addition to City Council.
I'm also voting for Mark Cates. Although I don't know him personally, I can tell you that he's run a positive, upbeat campaign focused on Jobs and the Economy — and providing essential city services without raising Property Taxes. Sometimes that's a lone voice, but it's voice that needs to be heard.
We all find ourselves at an uncertain financial crossroads. I believe that it's in our best interests to have a City Council that's a true reflection of who we all are — Democrats, Independents, and Republicans — so we can work things out together. That's how the best decisions for our city are made: now's not the time to take a Hard-left turn on City Council. Let's keep some balance as we move forward.
Thank you. And thank you for giving me the honor of serving the people of Asheville.
Bill Russell
Asheville City Council
Subscribe to XpressMail. Free Sneak Peek. Every Week.
Want to know what's coming out in Xpress this week before the paper even hits the stands?
We've got your free sneak peek, along with deals available in XpressMail, our weekly email newsletter. (It's the best we can do without time travel.)
-
Comments
-
Related Articles
-
Comments
Make a comment
Does Marc Hunt need to disassociate from the Bothwell-led PARC signs linking him to Lael Gray and Chris Pelly?
By Politics Watcher
11/07/2011
Hi Bill, I'm guessing you have reconsidered your departure from the Republican party, based on your recommendations.
I recently spent some time going through Mr. Cates' economic plan, and I wonder why anyone would take it at face value.
One thing that jumps out is this economic development council he proposes, to make Asheville the "Silicon Valley of environmentalism". His proposal for that body has no spots for environmentalists, but lots of chairs for big business, the CIBO and an automatic and permanent conservative majority on this new and powerful board; not to mention the ability of this body to circumvent the established master plan for development.
Likewise, if you strip away the fluff language about environmentalism, and it is strictly fluff, you are left with typical and very radical right wing free-market crap.
Does anybody really think that a corporate tax rate a full percentage point lower than anywhere in the entire country, even the most remote area of say, Montana, is really not going to have a negative effect on our property taxes, schools, services, and other tax revenue streams?
Please, don't be fooled by that smiling huckster. What he is selling is the same old snake-oil.
By Ascend (of Asheville)
11/07/2011
Ah yes, the good ol' "balance" argument. (As if Lael Gray and Chris Pelly were "hard left," as Bill describes them - please!)
I'm not sure Jan Davis wants either this endorsement OR to be on this slate.
By Barry Summers
11/07/2011
Ah yes, the good ol' "balance" argument. (As if Lael Gray and Chris Pelly were "hard left," as Bill describes them - please!)
I'm not sure Jan Davis wants either this endorsement OR to be on this slate.
By Barry Summers
11/07/2011
Ascend,
Where was your vigilance when city council was creating a policy that allows property owners 8 years of exemption from property taxes for taking LEED measures and additional housing?
If you believe tax breaks hurts the overall community, you should have been opposed those actions as well.
By J
11/07/2011
Mark CATES is the #1 choice for the well informed voter. His intelligence helps him lead the pack
in the smarts dept...really he is the ONLY one you should vote for...
By Unaffiliated Voter
11/07/2011
Maybe next time he'll run openly on his "Tea Party values" as he calls them. This time, people are going to reject someone who hides their true objectives...
By Barry Summers
11/08/2011
Well, Bill, three strikes, you're out. You whiffed on those choices.
The best choice you made was in dropping out of the race. It was a classy move in everyone's best interests, and I thank you for it.
By Jake
11/08/2011
Well, Bill, three strikes, you're out. You whiffed on those choices.
The best choice you made was in dropping out of the race. It was a classy move in everyone's best interests, and I thank you for it.
By Jake
11/08/2011
Well, Bill, three strikes, you're out. You whiffed on those choices.
The best choice you made was in dropping out of the race. It was a classy move in everyone's best interests, and I thank you for it.
By Jake
11/08/2011