Residents Push Council to Seat Fourth-Place Finisher in Roney Vacancy
City Council • AshevilleNovember 10, 2026
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Asheville's next council fight began before the new council was sworn in: who fills the seat Kim Roney leaves when she becomes mayor. At the Nov. 10, 2026, meeting, the last for Mayor Esther Manheimer and Councilmember Sheneika Smith, public commenters spent much of the evening urging council to appoint election fourth-place finisher Jeffrey Burroughs. Council also approved a $6.95M I-26 Connector agreement and re-voted a batch of October consent items to fix disputed minutes.
- Should the runner-up get Roney's seat? Commenters cite 17,277 votes and appointments made in 2001 and 2005.
- $6,952,453 city share approved for I-26 Connector bike, pedestrian and aesthetic upgrades.
- River Arts District groups organize to protect a $30M flooded-districts earmark in federal recovery funds.
- Council re-votes Oct. 27 consent items after a watchdog says no vote was ever taken.
- Manheimer and Smith depart after 17 years and two terms, respectively.
Who Fills Roney's Seat: Voters vs. Process
The basics: Under Section 7 of the city charter, council fills the seat Councilmember Kim Roney vacates to become mayor. The city says no special election is allowed.
Why it matters: Council alone picks a colleague, and the method it chooses becomes precedent for future vacancies.
Where things stand: No action was on the agenda, but the vacancy dominated public comment. Patrick Conant, of Sunshine Labs, asked council to appoint the fourth-place finisher from the Nov. 3 election. He cited two precedents: Jim Ellis in 2001, appointed 5-1, and Brian Freeborn in 2005, appointed 4-2. He also asked for a charter amendment to settle the question for future vacancies.
"Appointing the next highest vote-getter is the most democratic option available to you," said Conant.
Bobby Skelton, a public commenter, pointed to Burroughs' 17,277 votes and criticized decisions made behind closed doors. Nina Tovish, a public commenter, urged council to honor voters' expressed intent. She said the argument is about process, not the person.
The briefing clip: An unnamed commenter played video from the Nov. 5 agenda briefing. In the clip, members disagreed over whether to open an application process or appoint someone directly. The commenter criticized how a councilmember was treated and alleged that two council members posted support for Burroughs before council reached consensus. That is the commenter's allegation, not an established fact. The commenter also asked why the 2020 appointment process would not be enough this time.
The other side: Soren Peterson, a public commenter, backed Burroughs on his qualifications but rejected the principle behind the appointment push.
"I think that setting a precedent or reinforcing a precedent, as others have mentioned, that the fourth-place finisher is automatically elevated does not benefit our city," said Peterson.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No vote was taken. Burroughs' supporters and transparency advocates such as Sunshine Labs want a result tied to the ballot box. Some residents, including Peterson, want a process that does not lock in automatic elevation. Any residents hoping to apply depend on whether council opens an application process at all.
What's next: In the briefing clip, members agreed to take up the question at the PFI work session. No date was given.
I-26 Connector Upgrades Come in Under Prior Deal
Why it matters: The city's money buys the greenways, bike lanes and bridge details that will shape how West Asheville and the riverfront connect across the interstate for decades.
Where things stand: Transportation Director Ashley Hare said the resolution amends a 2024 reimbursement agreement with the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT). It covers two segments:
- Section B: I-26 from Haywood Road to south of Broadway.
- Section D: Riverside Drive.
The city's share is $6,952,453 and NCDOT's is $6,527,185, for a combined $13,479,638. NCDOT's bids came in over its budget. The resulting redesign required reallocating "betterment" funds, which are the extras a city pays for beyond the state's base design. Staff worked out the changes with the city's Aesthetics Committee.
"This is an amendment to the previous agreement, which was $7 million, and so this is slightly lower," said Hare.
What the money buys:
- Bike and pedestrian: Haywood Road Bridge bike lanes, the West Asheville Greenway, and multi-use paths at Hillcrest Apartments, the Bowen Bridges and Patton Avenue, which will be widened to 18 feet.
- Aesthetics: railings, lighting, planters, medallions and dark-green interstate light poles.
- Future lighting: conduit installed now so fixtures can be added later.
Mayor Esther Manheimer offered "a really big thank you to the Aesthetics Committee who isn't with us tonight."
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Council adopted the resolution authorizing the city manager to reimburse NCDOT up to $6,952,453. It passed on a voice vote the mayor declared unanimous. Individual tallies were not recorded. Cyclists, pedestrians and residents near Hillcrest Apartments and the Riverside corridor gain protected connections. The cost is shared with the state.
River Arts District Rallies for $30M Earmark
The basics: CDBG-DR, or Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery, is federal flood-recovery money. Asheville's action plan for its $225M allocation includes a $30M earmark for flooded commercial districts. Council is weighing whether to amend that plan.
Why it matters: Three River Arts District (RAD) organizations spoke in sequence with a shared message. Changing the plan, they said, would delay recovery for businesses still rebuilding.
Where things stand: Lisa Raleigh, Executive Director of RiverLink, asked council to "please preserve and launch at least a portion of this earmarked fund for its original proposed use." She said that would let the RAD Creative Campus compete for the money.
Joe Balkan, a founding member of Unified RAD, made three requests:
1. Direct the funds to projects in the RAD and Biltmore Village.
2. Make the money available to nongovernmental organizations through a competitive process.
3. Weigh ongoing project costs, given the city's budget challenges.
Amy Michaelson Kelly, buildings chair of the RADA Foundation, described the campus planned on Lyman Street, above the floodplain, with $2.18M from the TDA. She warned of a knock-on effect: applicants for state CDBG-DR money must wait until the city spends its own funds.
"Amendment equals delay, and our businesses are desperate to recover," said Kelly.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No action was taken. RAD and Biltmore Village businesses and nonprofits have the most to lose if the earmark shrinks or the timeline slips.
What's next: Any amendment to the action plan would come back to council.
Council Fixes a Missing Vote
Why it matters: Minutes are the legal record. The disputed items included a $4.4M Malvern Hills pool contract amendment.
Where things stand: Patrick Conant, of Sunshine Labs, said the Oct. 27 consent agenda was moved and seconded but never voted on. The draft minutes nonetheless recorded a unanimous vote. "The minutes record a vote that I don't believe happened," said Conant.
He said he had asked council and staff on Friday and Monday to pull the item under Rule 5, the council rule for removing items from the consent agenda, and received no confirmation. He cited a 2021 re-vote as precedent.
The City Attorney cautioned against simply amending the minutes. "The proposal that you've made would actually be an actionable vote on multiple items of the previous consent agenda," the attorney said, and suggested a separate motion instead.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Councilmember Kim Roney moved to approve the Oct. 27 consent items and amend the minutes to show approval at this meeting. The one item that involved a recusal was excluded. The motion passed on a voice vote with no audible opposition. The fix shores up the legal standing of contracts approved Oct. 27.
Manheimer and Smith Close Out Their Tenures
Where things stand: Council read resolutions of appreciation for both departing officials.
Smith's record: Her resolution credited Smith with:
- The 2017 election that put two Black members on the dais.
- Advocacy for the reparations resolution.
- The selection of the city's first Black female city manager.
- The Community Responder Pilot launched May 1, 2023, which became the REST team.
- Early advocacy for resilience hubs, now backed by $2.125M in federal disaster-recovery funding.
"Thank you for the honor and the privilege of serving the city for 2 terms," said Smith.
Manheimer's record: Her resolution covered her 2009 election, 13 years as mayor, the water-system case and her lobbying for Helene recovery. Manheimer pointed to the Business Improvement District, the continuum of care built with the county and a privately funded homelessness-prevention program.
"I'm very proud of the recurring bond program we've established first in 2016 and voted again in 2024," said Manheimer.
Several public commenters also thanked both officials.
Minor Items
- Consent agenda: Approved by voice vote, declared unanimous, after Items A and B were pulled for separate votes.
- Funding transparency: Public commenter Jonathan Wainscott used consent Items D, E and F to again request daily public visibility into city spending. Manheimer said consent shorthand tells staff "what bucket of money this comes out of" and floated a public key linking items to capital, CDBG or disaster-relief funds.
- Item B: Approved after council voted to recuse Vice Mayor Antanette Mosley. The item's subject was not described.
- Appointments: Chapel Carter was named Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board chair and Charles Treiber was reappointed. Alexander Ruiz filled Jay Hackett's Riverfront Commission seat, which is reserved for a housing authority resident, staff member or voucher recipient. A round-robin for the open ABC seat gave Michael Bacote four of six votes, but a formal appointment was not announced. The Board of Electrical Examination received no applications and will be readvertised.
- Workforce warning: Public commenter Gino Perez said housing growth is outpacing a shrinking workforce. He cited youth out-migration, rising ambulance calls and flat sales tax collections amid city service cuts.
Looking Ahead
Roney moves to the mayor's seat, and the method for filling her council seat goes to the PFI work session. Council also still faces a decision on the $30M CDBG-DR flooded-districts earmark, and the electrical board vacancy will be readvertised.