Elect Elaine

We may not know whether our municipal elections will be partisan or non-partisan, but that doesn’t have to stop us from taking a look at the candidates. Scrutiny Hooligans will be taking a look at (almost) all of them over the next several weeks. The major issues facing our city – Growth and Development, Business, Housing, and Crime are all at critical junctures, and we’re going to need real leadership in every area to ensure that Asheville’s progress doesn’t become its downfall.

Our first stop is with my favorite candidate on the ballot, Elaine Lite. Elaine is a founding member of Mountain Voices Alliance, a member of People Advocating Real Conservancy, a board member of Hope for Horses and of the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe county, and Publisher and Editor of Critter magazine. She’s a 20-year resident of Asheville whose leadership has been vital as the tidal wave of overdevelopment hits western North Carolina.

Elaine has managed to leave me with a richer perspective on growth and development every time I’ve spoken with her. She believes strongly in the right of communities to determine their future. Her campaign platform is here, and here’s the condensed bullets for you:

Stop Overdevelopment
- Protect quality of life and infrastructure by controlling growth
- Support strong land use regulations and enforcement
- Enact Comprehensive Land Use Planning
- Support strong steep slope ordinances
- Protect and expand green space and public parks

Promote Safe, Affordable Housing
- Reinstate Asheville’s Mandatory Minimum Housing Code
- Implement Inclusionary Zoning for all new developments
- Prioritize affordable developments
- Create a City-funded Land Trust

Build a Strong, Vibrant Local Economy
- Propose a city-wide retail size cap
- Expand the current living wage ordinance
- Prohibit chain stores downtown and support locally owned businesses
- Support City sponsorship of a downtown farmers and artisans market
- City sponsorship of a “buy local” campaign
- Support a hotel tax to ensure that visitors to our City contribute to local infrastructure.

Promote Open Public Process And Election Reform
- I would not have voted to return to partisan elections
- I support fair, open election
- I support a full-time, paid position for the Mayor
- require city staff to incorporate community input into plans and actions

Protect, Preserve, And Restore Our Environment
- requiring green building practices and energy efficiency for new construction in Asheville
- Advocate for stronger oversight and enforcement of existing ordinances
- Advocate for energy independence on a local level
- Promote and improve public transportation, bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and other green transportation options
- Reduce waste
- Work with state leaders to press for changes to the tax code to promote conservation and preservation of land

Elaine Lite is a bona fide alternative in this year’s City Council race. She has demonstrated passion, competence, and effectiveness as a watchdog for citizens concerned about overdevelopment and bad development. She was instrumental in the fight against the unnecessary oil burning power plant in Woodfin. She has volunteered her time and energy to advocate for community decision making instead of having our city’s growth being dictated by an outsider’s profit margin. There are innumerable cases of abuse in developments across the city, and Elaine Lite is ready to stand up to those who think that their money can shield them from city ordinances, regulations, and penalties.

Elaine is not, as her detractors ignorantly say, “anti-development”. She is very much pro-development. The difference between her and many others running for council is that she believes that the citizens of Asheville ought to have a say in how their city grows. There is no more pressing issue than this – Who will decide our future? Profit-driven private interests or citizens working in the public interest?

As we see across the country in communities like Portland, OR and Madison, WI, Smart Development and a booming economy can go hand in hand while improving the quality of life for everyone. Elaine Lite is ready to demonstrate national leadership in these areas, and I heartily endorse her run for Asheville City Council.

You can donate to Elaine’s campaign here.
You can help out by checking this out.
Get on her mailing list here.
Her MySpace page is here.
Her Facebook page is here.
Her blog, newly minted, is here.