Cheat sheet: Who's running for Buncombe commissioners?
The seven-member Buncombe County Board of Commissioners creates policy, sets taxes, distributes funding and weighs in on other issues affecting the most populous county in Western North Carolina.
The chair of the board directs meetings, held on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Each member of the board has a vote.
Members are elected to staggered two- and four-year terms, so only five of the seven seats are involved in this election.
Buncombe County has three commissioner districts: District 1 in the center, District 2 in the east and District 3 in the west. The citizens of each district elect two board members. The entire county elects the chair.
For a district map from the Buncombe County Board of Elections, click here.
Check this page for expanded candidate listings and information about platforms and events. The candidates are as follows:
Chair (county wide)
- Chuck Archerd. An accountant and commercial real estate investor, Archerd received the Republican nomination in August after Miranda DeBruhl abruptly dropped out of the race in June. Archerd has never held office, but he applied for an Asheville City Council seat in 2008 and ran in the commissioners District 3 Republican primary in 2012. He placed third. Archerd's platform centers around analyzing and reducing spending, reducing traffic and preventing a tax increase. During his 19 years in Asheville, he has lived in Fairview and now resides in Biltmore Park.
- Brownie Newman. The current commissioner from Montford in District 1 is the Democratic nominee for chair. Newman is a partner in Headwaters Solar who began his political career in Asheville in 2003 as a member of Asheville City Council. He was elected commissioner in 2012 and 2014. His campaign message focuses on affordability, environmental sustainability and updating the land use plan for Buncombe County to manage development. He cites a record of promoting education, green energy and LGBT equality.
District 1 (includes the center of the county and much of Asheville)
- Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara. The executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality and minister at the First Congregational United Church of Christ is running unopposed after winning the primary race against three other Democrats. Beach-Ferrara and the organization she founded were instrumental in the push for same-sex marriage, and she has called for the repeal of HB2, the measure that limits discrimination protection in North Carolina. Her campaign commitments include ameliorating child poverty and education, promoting affordable housing, and expanding greenways and parks.
District 2 (includes Woodfin, Weaverville, Barnardsville, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Fairview, Fletcher)
- Mike Fryar. The Republican from Fairview was elected in 2012 after years of engagement at commissioner meetings. The wholesale car dealer opposes current levels of funding for nonprofits but supports allocating money for capital projects at schools and some teacher raises. In June, he proposed cutting funding from the Asheville Art Museum and using that money to create a public gun range. The motion received a 4-3 vote along party lines and did not pass.
- Nancy Nehls Nelson. The Reems Creek resident beat three other Democrats during the primary and emerged as a voice for education, access to county services and preservation of farmland and scenic areas. Originally from the midwest, where she worked for AT&T's Bell Labs, Nelson has lived in Buncombe County for more than a decade. Throughout the campaign, she has criticized the N.C. General Assembly for cutting funding for public education. She has served on the Weaverville Planning and Zoning Board and the county's Land Conservation Advisory Board.
District 3 (includes Alexander, Leicester, Sandy Mush, Enka, Candler, Bent Creek, Arden)
Due to former commissioner Miranda DeBruhl's resignation, voters will consider two District 3 seats in November. Joe Belcher and Ed Hay will compete for one seat, and David King and Robert Pressley will compete for the other.
- Joe Belcher. The incumbent commissioner from Candler has been on the board since 2012, and he serves as vice chair. A retired manufactured home industry vice president, Belcher has supported manufactured homes as a solution to affordable housing in Buncombe County. He is an opponent of the beer industry, citing an aversion to alcohol backed by religious principle. Earlier this year, he opposed offering economic incentives to Deschutes Brewery. The company and its 237 jobs located in Roanoke instead of Asheville.
- Ed Hay. The Democrat from South Asheville works as an attorney focused on bankruptcy law. He served on Asheville City Council from 1995 until 2001, a stint that included one term as vice mayor. No stranger to local politics, Hay has ran for chair of the commissioners in 2004. In this election, his platform focuses on promoting education, creating desirable jobs and planning for sustainable growth. He formed an alliance with fellow Democrat David King, who is also running in District 3 in a separate race.
- David King. The farrier from Candler served on the board as a Republican from 2012-14. He's since switched parties, and now he's running against Robert Pressley as a Democrat. The party selected him to run for the position after Miranda DeBruhl resigned. During his time on the board, King often voted with Democrats, supporting funding for education and economic incentives. This time around, he's focused on infrastructure, traffic reduction and smart growth in addition to education and job creation.
- Robert Pressley. The former NASCAR driver and owner of Celebrity's Hotdogs in Bent Creek has never run for office, but he's mounting a campaign on his identity as an engaged, accessible member of the Bent Creek community, where he has lived all his life. He is running as a Republican, and his campaign promises focus on attitude rather than policy. He has pledged to listen to community members and support public education.
