Brownie Newman, Democrat, candidate for District 1, Buncombe County


Party: Democrat
Slogan: Effective, Progressive Leadership
Profession: Partner, project finance director at FLS Energy
Residence: Asheville
Funding: Largest donor is Mack Pearsall, $1,000. Amount raised is $2,152 at last report.
Endorsements: North Carolina Sierra Club, Holly Jones, Gordon Smith, Esther Manheimer and Marc Hunt

1. Do you favor A) creating a regional water authority, B) giving the existing system to the Metropolitan Sewerage District or C) leaving it under Asheville’s control? Why?
The water system belongs to Asheville, and Asheville is doing a good job managing the system, investing more than $40 million in capital improvements. If a regional approach is to be considered, it must be with the support of Asheville, not driven by politicians in Raleigh.

2. Do you support granting domestic-partner rights and/or benefits to Buncombe County employees? (Yes/No) Why?
Yes. As a member of Asheville City Council, I co-sponsored the proposal to extend domestic-partner benefits to Asheville’s public employees as well as to create a domestic-partnership registry for all the members of the community. I will support equal workplace rights for all county employees as well.

3. Do you favor offering tax breaks and other economic-development incentives to companies that agree to move here or expand existing facilities and hire local workers? (Yes/No) Why?
I supported the economic-incentive plan that brought New Belgium to Asheville, which will create 150 new jobs that pay an average of $48,000 a year, and the initiative to recruit Limanar, which will create 400 good-paying jobs. The incentive policy supports existing local businesses as well.

4. Do you think the county should make funding the Connect Buncombe greenways a high priority? (Yes/No) Why?
Yes. There are few investments that will have a greater positive impact than expanding our greenway systems. Our current greenways are heavily used. My kids love them. Connecting our existing greenways will make Asheville/Buncombe a more bike and pedestrian friendly community.

5. What’s the most important role of county government in job creation?
Providing great public education. I applaud the current county commissioners for investing funds for architectural planning to consider the best way to improve Asheville Middle School. Middle school is a critical time for young people. Asheville Middle School is in need of significant improvements.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Margaret Williams
Editor Margaret Williams first wrote for Xpress in 1994. An Alabama native, she has lived in Western North Carolina since 1987 and completed her Masters of Liberal Arts & Sciences from UNC-Asheville in 2016. Follow me @mvwilliams

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.