The 10th District, which stretches eastward all the way to Gaston County, is currently represented by the powerful four-term Republican, Patrick McHenry, of Cherryville. If Bellamy wins the May Democratic primary, she'll likely face him in the November 2012 general election. Observers have said the demographics of the new district seem to favor a Republican.
Here's the press release from Bellamy announcing her run:
Asheville, NC—Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy announced today that she is running for Congress in the 10th Congressional District. Bellamy has served as mayor of Asheville since 2005, and is running for Congress on her record of creating jobs, finding pragmatic solutions that increase access to affordable housing and reducing violence.
“Washington is broken, and people are tired of watching the bickering and political posturing while businesses and families are struggling,” said Terry Bellamy. “As mayor, I’m expected to get results and we should expect no less from our Representatives. It’s time to send some people to Congress who can get the job done, and put North Carolina and the country back to work.”
A lifelong resident of Asheville, Bellamy is married to Lamont Bellamy and the mother of two children, Seth and Imani and her nephew, Keithan. She is the first African-‐American and the youngest person elected mayor of the city. In 2009, she handily won re-election to a second four-‐year term.
Bellamy said jobs would continue to be her top priority. Most of the counties in the district have double-‐digit unemployment and have been hard hit by trade policies that sent manufacturing jobs overseas.
“We need to refocus our priorities and stop outsourcing our jobs,” said Bellamy. “Instead of looking at companies’ bottom lines, we need to look at families’ bottom lines. We need to make serious investments in education that give our people the skills to create a workforce that attracts new industries and keeps those that are already here.”
As mayor, she developed a reputation as a business-friendly leader who is also focused on affordable housing, decreasing gang violence and keeping children in school. She serves as a member of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Land-‐of-‐Sky Regional Council, and the Metropolitan Sewage District Board. She was appointed to the 21st Century Transportation Committee, the Joint Legislative Committee on Housing and the North Carolina League of Municipalities Board of Directors.
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I'm a Democrat and I think Terry being a Member of Congress is not a reality-based goal. And by all means I wish for more minorities and women in congress and government generally.
Our political class have to have something significant on their minds these days that's operable, ethical, modern and relevant for the 99%. I don't know what's really behind Terry's forehead.
Pragmatic? Wow! That's not the word I'd use to put on her work in council. She's done nothing to reduce citizen frustration with local government.
Obviously we need better politicians around here and certainly Shuler, McHenry, Myrick and Foxx are scraping the bottom of the barrel. What is Mel Watt doing? I never see anything in the news from that dude.
Any takers?
By Viking
11/15/2011
http://bothwell2012.com/
By Barry Summers
11/15/2011
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Gantt
By sharpleycladd
11/15/2011
Let's not forget that McHenry has a GOP opponent next spring - Lincoln County newspaper publisher Ken Fortenberry.
http://www.kenfortenberry.org
By Ken410Berry
11/15/2011
I think this is pretty unrealistic... The majority of the people that voted her into office feel let down and betrayed by her service...
By JOHN-C
11/15/2011
Everything she said in that just comes across as talk, particularly given how she's treated occupiers. What, is she trying to steal her campaign platform from people she's demonstrated pretty much nothing but disdain for? Could a person be any more transparent as a political ladder climber? Nothing new here.
By zensane
11/16/2011
This is not going to end well for Ms. Bellamy. But if this means that she will no longer be mayor of Asheville, then at least the city can rejoice.
By Doug Sahm
11/16/2011
Ha! Jobs are her "priority"...while those in need of jobs (occupiers) have her total disdain.
By D. Dial
11/16/2011
Bellamy lives in a bubble with her steadfast black christian supporters. Her arrogant hypocrisy towards the LGBT community is just one example of her disdain for anyone who disagrees with her majesty. Her recent reactions to the Occupy Asheville protesters is only the most recent example of her disconnect from the citizens of Asheville. It is completely incredulous that she thinks she has a chance of winning based on her record. It's time for Asheville to move on to a brighter future without the likes of Bellamy's political hypocrisy.
By jeffsguy
11/16/2011