We cannot police our way out of the mental health and substance abuse crises in our community. Criminalizing desperation and mental illness is costly: in human lives, in moral terms, and in actual dollars spent. Stigmatization and “tough love” aren’t the only or most effective ways to help people recover from substance abuse. Let’s follow…
April 1, 2022: Interview with the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce This was the last question in a 25-minute interview. The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce will publish the full video on April 15th.
Since I started running for office, I’m interacting with way more people in person now. So I’m still being diligent about wearing a mask—not so much on my own account (vaxxed & boosted), but because I’d hate to find out that I’d been a vector for someone vulnerable. I’m also testing regularly, even when…
City Council Meeting, March 8th: The Avery Project In a stunning reversal, and using a procedure no one can remember ever implementing before, City Council reconsidered its 5-2 vote—take just 2 weeks previously—against “The Avery” project, a large, high-end residential development at the corner of Clingman and Hilliard. (Ordinarily, a downvoted project like this would…
City Council Meeting, March 8th — Public Comment This is yet another City plan created without the prior detailed input of the people who will be most affected by it. In the Workshop I attended yesterday, I detected zero enthusiasm for the new structure (and lots of skepticism) from participants. Rather than using the overly…