Jan
14
All Ears
ByHowdy, Hooligans. Â In an effort to create ease of access to government, I’m opening this thread for all of your Asheville concerns. Tell me what’s on your radars. Â Whether it’s big picture or potholes, leave your observations, visions, concerns, rants, and gushingly laudatory remarks here. Â Spread the word – it’s a paradigm shifting new era for Asheville City Council.
50 Comments
January 14th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Thanks for having open ears and an open heart AND open lines of communication. Great (and greatly needed) combination.
Rebecca
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January 14th, 2010 at 11:09 am
I’d like to see a sidewalk on the south side of Hilliard between Ravenscroft and Church Streets (connecting to Coxe). It’s very dangerous for pedestrians.
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January 14th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Invest money for the purpose of job creation for citizens in IT and manufacturing. Support projects that will encourage long term partnerships not short term solutions. Middle management jobs are in short supply and many of our best and brightest have to move off the mountain in order to advance in their fields. We need that talent and money to stay here.
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January 14th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
A sewer pipe is broken on property at 25 Howland (complex). City says it is on private property, and I should contact owners. Owners of property/property management do not respond. I have effluent running past my house, (downhill, which means God only knows where it is headed- certainly a whole new meaning to “runoff”)and no one seems to be concerned about it. Who do I contact next?
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January 14th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
A bicycle harassment ordinance has been on my mind a lot recently.
And also, not to sound like a giant teabagger, but in a time when we are having to trim millions out of the budget can we at least try and limit ridiculous trips and spending.
January 14th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
I agree completely with Lindsey. In California, a man was recently sentenced to five years for assaulting cyclists by by slamming on his car brakes. In Asheville, you fire a bullet from a gun at a cyclist and you’re sentenced to just four months.
January 14th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
firelady,
Here’s the answer I got to your question –
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January 14th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Lindsey,
I’ll be introducing a bicycle harassment ordinance to the Public Safety Committee soon.
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January 14th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Gordon,
Thank you for this web site. It’s a needed move to help Council be informed.
A couple of things: graffiti and trash. Little has been done about graffiti beyond talk. And then, the abundance of trash on every street in town. My grandson, five yrs old at the time commented on it when he first came to town. Now 8 yrs old, he was here recently and said he remembered Asheville because of all the trash and he noted it’s still here. If we can’t even pick up the trash, what can we do?
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January 14th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Re: Graffiti – First thing we have to do is separate Graffiti Art from Graffiti Vandalism. If you’ve got permission, and you’re adding to the cultural fabric of the city – then you’re a treasured Graffiti Artist. If you’re tagging the CVS sign “Fingerlicker”, then you’re a graffiti vandal. Graffiti vandalism is an inherently subversive activity, and that’s why graffiti vandals dig it.
Catching vandals is terribly difficult unless you want security cameras everywhere all the time.
Cleaning up graffiti vandalism must fall to one of two entities – government or the business owner. We’re doing some of this now, chipping in to help property/business owners, and Asheville Greenworks is doing their part to help property/business owners as well. The reading I’ve done suggests that the most effective way forward is requiring businesses to clean up graffiti in 48 hours or face fines. You can imagine how business owners feel about such a law. However, it does tend to discourage graffiti vandals and minimize the graffiti’s impact on the economy. I’m not prepared to burden our businesses with something like that. On the flip side, the city apparatus is not prepared to manage it either. Too expensive.
I’ll get back to you on trash. Gotta run!
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January 14th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
I certainly agree that people should not harass bicyclists. But, what about a law to stop the bicyclists who are harassing everyone else?
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January 14th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Can you get me a date with Esther? or maybe one of them fancy city jobs?
January 14th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Shad,
No.
January 14th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Thank you, Gordon. I’ve already contacted the City Sewer- it is a private line problem, so will call ncdenr. Phew, so why couldn’t the city sewer people tell me that?
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January 14th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
dang…well, how about a seat on one of dem boards where they give out free trips to Hawaii?
January 14th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
I’ve felt a little awkward posting lately since I’m not a local resident and most of the issues of local government don’t directly impact me. But as spring approaches, all I would ask is that the open, no fee policy of encouraging street performers continues. This wonderful approach helps build and showcase Asheville’s vibrant busking culture and has proven to be an international magnet for talent and visitors alike.
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January 14th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
What do you mean, Joe?
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January 14th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
The graffiti thing is difficult, in my view. There’s no question that defacing private property is vandalism. But we live in a culture where everything is about advertising, from political office to toothpaste and peanut butter. The rich, whether companies or individuals, buy billboards and TV time and radio and print ads and direct mail and all the rest. The poor and disenfranchised have no outlet.
So as a culture we model that in order to have any importance you must have a public presence but we accord importance via dollars.
To me, the billboards in Asheville are entirely as objectionable as the graffiti. The fact that the billboard advertisers paid for their displays is entirely distinct from the visual eyesore they create. No one consulted me, or the voters, or the citizens of our city about whether they’d like to see advertisements in their faces instead of mountain views. Sure, selling space to advertise is a private property issue, but infringing on my right to see the mountains shifts the argument.
I don’t have an answer, but graffiti and billboards are co-equal problems in my estimation.
January 14th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
On my bicycle in Asheville an APD officer polled up next to me while I was stopped at a traffic light and told me I must have a helmet on. (which I don’t) When I told her i did not have to she pulled me over. I challenged her to show me the law in the NCGS she called backup. When I told the other officer I did not need a “driver’s license” for my bike either I was handcuffed for being “belligerent” When they FAILED to find a violation I was fraudulently charged with GS 20-141 (H) obstructing traffic by slow speed (while stopped at a light in a 20 mph zone downtown) even though the law only applies to motor vehicles (see basic law enforcement training manual) and told I could just PAY the $146 ticket and “not have to go to court”. Are these the folks that are going to enforce the “bicycle harassment ordinance”? By the way when I made a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction the assistant DA held me over for trial.(!) The next day APD “withdrew” the charges without apology.
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January 14th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
sorry that’s PULLED.
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January 15th, 2010 at 6:20 am
Gordon Smith says:
Problems of this nature require bipartisan solutions. How’s about nominating Rick Jenkins to serve on the Public Art Board?
Sorry. Like such as and some other videos, it just never gets old.
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January 15th, 2010 at 9:25 am
Jim,
You’re right about the law, but, to be fair to the APD, you are fairly belligerent.
And, to answer your question, yes.
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January 15th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Hey Cecil, how about getting Fulton Street paved? I can pick chunks of it up with my hand. That is if the Kimberly Ave. improvements don’t take too long. I hate for the Grove Park to be burdened in any way.
Oh… and the abandoned crack house at the entrance to the street kinda sucks as well. Can you do some city counciling type things for those?
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January 15th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Help the homeless.
Feed the hungry.
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January 15th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Also: have a discussion on that proposal not to let nuclear materials and waste go through Asheville. I have a feeling it will be voted down, but I think we should have a discussion.
And a lot of cities have voted to end our foreign wars and occupations. We spend more on that than we do on infrastructure here in the USA.
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January 15th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
You should have elected me. I actually had a plan that would have eliminated both of these problems.
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January 16th, 2010 at 1:56 am
Perhaps I don’t know the proper proceedure for dealing with with what might appear to be a rookie mistake but was in actuality a senior patrol officer’s ignorance of the very law she was hired to enforce. (incompetence?) Was I out of line INSISTING she SHOW ME THE LAW I supposedly was violating? How about refusing to present a license (privilege granted to do something otherwise unlawful) for exercising my RIGHT to travel on the public right of way. Is this “belligerence”? Was it proper to be threatened with indefinite detention until I could “identify” myself with a document I told these “public servants” I was not carrying. (nor was required to) Perhaps INDEPENDENT OVERSITE of APD’s actions could prevent further acts carried out under COLOR OF LAW possibly saving the taxpayer the cost of defending against a title 42 sec.1983 civil rights violation lawsuit.
January 16th, 2010 at 8:50 am
I’m with ya Jim.
January 17th, 2010 at 4:40 am
Work to merge all governmental services of the City of Asheville and Buncombe County — beginning with the police and sheriff departments — into one entity to save duplication of services, improve efficiency, and save money for taxpayers.
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January 17th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Bthwll’s pblshd prrts r xtrmly ntrstng nd vlbl hr:
< hrf="http://www.mntnx.cm/nws/2010/bthwll_dcrmnlzng_drgs_pblcly_fnncd_lctns_gls_fr_2010" rl="nfllw">http://www.mntnx.cm/nws/2010/bthwll_dcrmnlzng_drgs_pblcly_fnncd_lctns_gls_fr_2010
spclly lk Bthwll’s grdtd wtr rts bcs t wll tx lrg fmls nd prvd dscnts t chldlss rsdnts, hlpng th nvrnmnt fr mr thn vn h rlzd, fr mr thn “grn bldng” bk lns, slr pnls, r ny f tht thr “grn” flff.
Dcrmnlzng prstttn wll ls st sxl plcy prcdnt tht cn pv th wy fr mncpl, nvrnmntl cntrcptn fndng, whch wld hlp th nvrnmnt vr 10 tms s mch s pyng rbn plnnrs’ slrs.
January 17th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Wy t g Bthwll! fr txng th brdrs wth grdtd wtr rts!
January 17th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
’m thnkng th Cty f Knxvll shld py fr th brkn swr ln bcs t’s thr drnkng wtr.
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January 17th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Way to bring the crazy
DengI mean Alan. Bravo!Rate this comment:
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January 18th, 2010 at 7:47 am
Not to minimize what might be police wrongdoing, but it doesn’t seem reasonable for officers to have to carry legal volumes around with them, or even to take time to do handheld on-line searches for statutes at the time of an arrest.
One downside to our system is that people wrongly arrested have to comply and challenge things later or face legitimate resisting arrest charges. The upside is the potential to make a successful challenge to a wrongful stopping, and to advocate for policy changes.
Alan, please stop insulting most of your audience, and your own parents (“breeders”) in your posts.
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January 18th, 2010 at 11:40 am
Th plc r n rd cntct wth sprrs wh hv ccss t nln lgl rfrncs 24/7 nd nythng bynd thr blty t lk p shld nt b nfrcd ntl thy cn, lk f th cmptrs g dwn nd thy dn’t hv bks n th dsptch ffc s thy shld. Ws th rd brkn? dbt t!
nd my prnts rgnlly tght m bt vrppltn, thgh my dd nd Mrshll grndprnts rrd n th gncst sd, whch xplns my xstnc. gncs bng cmmn bck thn lclly. blv t s qt prbbl tht my grndfthr, s Mrshll dctr, rfrrd ppl t th NC gncs brd, f whch my fthr stll pprvs.
H dd prdc vlbl vrppltn ctvst, hwvr thr r nt ngh vrppltn ctvsts mng my sblngs nd csns fr m t cnsdr my vrppltn ctvsm gntc nd thrfr wrth rprdcng gntclly wth ny ffrt t brd vrppltn ctvsts. Thgh MLK ws n, dn’t thnk ny f hs kds r.
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January 18th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
“Not to minimize what might be police wrongdoing, but it doesn’t seem reasonable for officers to have to carry legal volumes around with them, or even to take time to do handheld on-line searches for statutes at the time of an arrest.”
I disagree as it is part of their job to explain the law they are enforcing. Not to mention the fact that police vehicles have access to the internet. I remember reading about Jim’s situation some time ago. And while we may disagree on many topics, we are in complete agreement that police must SHOW the law.
Is having to take time off work to go to traffic court for an erroneous charge reasonable? I was pulled on my scooter last summer in Henderson County for going over the speed limit. The officer – without me requesting – showed me the statute in less than a minute on the INTERNET IN HIS CAR. The officer in Jim’s case seemingly didn’t like to have her authority questioned so she searched for something else in which to charge him. All for Jim’s fairly reasonable request to have the law explained to him.
Was he brandishing a firearm and making threats? Is Jim a known violent felon? Did the officer have some other pressing public safety matter that would have explained her not taking the time for a simple explanation?
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January 18th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Recycling pickup every week, trash pickup every 2 weeks. Thank you!
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January 19th, 2010 at 12:32 am
John, #1 NO #2 NO #3 she was too arrogant to admit she was wrong after claiming she “knew there was a law” and not finding one.
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January 19th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Dear Councilman Smith:
Could me maybe change the elevator music on the Asheville Channel to something a little less offensive?
Respectfully,
Michael Muller
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January 19th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Michael,
Please make some suggestions.
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January 19th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Someone needs to have sex with Alan, for the good of humanity. Who is going to take one for the team?
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January 20th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Ths pst s rspns t Ccl’s vrppltn dscssn whch sbjct drftd frm hr:
< hrf="http://scrtnyhlgns.s/2010/01/17/cty-plnnng-sng-th-lphnt" rl="nfllw">http://scrtnyhlgns.s/2010/01/17/cty-plnnng-sng-th-lphnt.
Frstly, rfrncd th fdrl vrppltn grps Ppltn Cnnctn nd P wtht lnks s hr thy r:
< hrf="http://www.ppltncnnctn.rg" rl="nfllw">http://www.ppltncnnctn.rg
< hrf="http://www.ppltnctn.rg" rl="nfllw">http://www.ppltnctn.rg
s xplnd (nw tht hv srs ntrst) dn’t blv FDRL vrppltn plcy s cnsstnt wth th rt f th pssbl, nr wll t b ntl FTR svrl mncpl nvrnmntl cntrcptn fnds hv bn stblshd, ssstd by Th Bg Srt:
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January 20th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
< hrf="http://www.thbgsrt.cm/mps.php" rl="nfllw">http://www.thbgsrt.cm/mps.php
Ths m nt ds pyng mmbr f thr grp nd thgh sgn thr pttns, dn’t wst t mch tm n sch fdrl lngshts. Hwvr Brwn Nwmn S ds pyng mmbr f Ppltn Cnnctn, whch mks tw (fdrl) vrpplltn ctvsts n cty cncl (28%). Ths strngly dsgr wth Ccl’s ssssmnt f pltcl rlsm. d rspnd t pltcl rlsm nd t s xctly why m nt flly n brd wth th bv fdrl ffrts. Th Bg Srt dsn’t hlp fdrl cntrcptn t bcm mr rlstc, nly lcl cntrcptn n sm plcs, sch s shvll.
smtms s “chldfr” t dscss dvntgs, bt slly s chldlss t dnt n pprssd mnrty tht s xpltvly txd t sbsds brdrs nd thr sprgs nd whch, lk thsts, s sbjct t rptd scl, pltcl, fnntl nd pyscl ht bsd ttcks whch crt sgnfcnt nd rl lss. ls th nvlntrly chldlss r smlrly sbjct t nfr txtn bynd srvcs, th chldlss bng lrgr pprssd grp whch nclds th chldfr.
dn’t blv fr mnt tht prhstrc ppl hd lw chld mrtlty rts s Bthwll ssrts ny mr thn wld prmts d tdy, s h gts t prv tht. nd bsds t’s mt pnt bcs t dsn’t mn tht t’s t ll rlstc fr s t rdc r frtlty by hntng nd gthrng. W nd t fnd mdrn cntrcptn. vrppltn f hm-Spns dstryd th Nndrthl nd svrl thr prhstrc prmts, s th prblm s nt t ll nw nd grtly prdts grcltr, t sy nthng f ndstry.
ls dn’t thnk wmn’s mpwrmnt hs nrly s mch t d wth t s chldfr mpwrmnt s Cr ws n “cnsnss” nd ws nly n xcs t gv cntrcptn bck st t vstly mr xpnsv schls. Thr my b mr wmn ntrstd n lmtd nmbr f kds, bt thr r ls mr wmn ntrstd n sm kds, whch nrly blncs t t. Cntrcptn s nt wmn’s ss nd chldlss mn dsrv ql mmbrshp t t’s dvccy.
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January 20th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
s fr ggrssvly cmptng fr sbjct spc fr cntrcptn, spclly wth rbn plnnng, w mst rlz tht ths r ltmtly n cmpttn fr pblc fnds nd bdgts hv n cltns. Bng tht cmmnt spc s ttntn nd ttntn lds t bdgts, cmpttn fr bdgt dllrs mns cmpttn fr rdrshp ttntn nd ths cmpttn fr prm cmmnt spc. Ths cmpttn s nvtbl nd mst d whtvr cn f m t xpct tx mny t b spnt wsly.
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January 20th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Thanks, Alan. As to “competing”, you will be better served by building a coalition of local non-governmental leaders who believe in your cause. There is power in numbers. Have some meetings. Concoct a political strategy. Build some relationships. My guess is you’ll have a lot more success that way than you will by leaving comments at this blog.
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January 20th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Frst f ll, y r hr pstng, s prctc wht y prch, nd scndly, mtngs s gsln, spclly fr m nd rltnshps dscrmnt gnst ndvdlsts nd th ntrvrtd.
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January 20th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Thanks for the input. I’m just trying to help you be more productive. I’ll stop.
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January 20th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
So people who don’t have kids are now form an “oppressed minority?” Ah, everyone a victim…can’t wait to see where this goes next.
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January 21st, 2010 at 7:36 am
Gordon,
Regarding my suggestion to replace the elevator music on the Asheville Channel: how about featuring music from our local musicians? God knows we have have no lack of talent in Asheville.
Maybe make the selection process a function of the Public Art Board; it sure seems in keeping with their mission to “provide public art in public buildings and public spaces.”
MM
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January 21st, 2010 at 8:04 am
I did apply to the public art board…
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