A candidate endorsement and other Letters to the Editor

Likes Campbell for the Montreat town council

Martha Dimmock Campbell is the most experienced and knowledgable candidate for Montreat Town Council.

She values all the people who live, work, study, worship, play, and own property in Montreat.

She listens and communicates well.

She understands the roles, responsibilities, legal requirements, limitations and complexities of town governance.

She engages in good problem-solving and fair, thoughtful, well researched decisions.

She understands that people elected to town council are charged with representing the whole town.

She has remained positive in the midst of a campaign of persistent misinformation and personal attacks on town council and staff.

Martha has the capacity to do many things and to do them well.

She is well-respected by those who work with her in her various roles in the community.

She serves on the Board of The Presbyterian Heritage Center, as Clerk of Session of Montreat Presbyterian Church, on Montreat Landcare.

She volunteers at Montreat Conference Center, Montreat College, Cottagers, Adult Summer Clubs, Second Loaf, Room in the Inn, SVCCM Overnight Shelter, etc.

Martha has been recognized as an outstanding community leader everywhere she has lived.

She has deep generational roots in Montreat and is excited about Montreat’s future.

She is a person of deep faith and integrity. She works positively and consistently for the good of others.

Marylyn and Olson Huff

Black Mountain

Elections are a chance to start over

It is safe to say that we will all be glad when November 3 is over!

Running against friends is difficult, but our experience in meeting with and listening to our fellow citizens these past months has reinforced our strong belief that new leadership is both desired and necessary.

We are anxious for closure on the divisive issues that have disrupted our ordinarily peaceful community.

We think that the best solutions will be those that residents and taxpayers can claim as their own, once given the opportunity to have their ideas heard and valued.

Kitty Fouche and

Bill Gilliland

Montreat

(Editor’s note: Kitty Fouche and Bill Gilliland are candidates for the Montreat board of commissioners.)

Small-town election, big-time questions

Small-town citizens are fortunate in many ways, one of which is that one is likely to know personally the candidates standing for election.

In Black Mountain, voters know that Larry Harris, Don Collins and Maggie Tuttle have served on the Board of Aldermen and are running for re-election.

Voters know that Rachel Allen has served as chair of the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Most voters know quite well personally or by reputation what each of these candidates has or has not done for the small town of Black Mountain.

Those voters who do not know may easily learn from their neighbors.

Voters demand that the candidates make clear in public meetings their accomplishments and, above all, their vision and practical intentions should they win the privilege to serve.

Voters demand that each candidate has demonstrated intelligence, imagination, civility and compassion in dealings with the public in the past to be worthy of service in the future.

How, for instance, has each dealt with issues concerning the golf course, the town square, existing small businesses and zoning?

And voters will demand to know how each will encourage affordable housing and new small businesses, especially among the young.

David Madden

Black Mountain

Candidate rebuts other candidate’s remarks

In response to Rachel Allen’s comments on school investments (BMN Oct. 22), we as a town do not finance the school system.

Buncombe County taxes do.

As to her comment that “no one else on the board of aldermen could know this as well as I do,” did she forget Maggie Tuttle who worked 39 years as a teacher and went through school here in Black Mountain and graduated from Owen?

Did she volunteer as I and Mayor Sobol to build the FFA barn for Owen?

Talking about schools is more than that. It is action.

Don Collins

Black Mountain

(Editor’s note: Don Collins, Rachel Allen and Maggie Tuttle are candidates for Black Mountain Board of Aldermen.)

Montreat needs Fouche and Gilliland

With early voting underway, the moment for action – electing Kitty Fouche and Bill Gilliland as Montreat commissioners – is now.

I heartily endorse the election of both of these excellent candidates.

Electing Kitty and Bill will reset the direction of Montreat’s Town Council such that respect for all stakeholders -property owners, taxpayers, residents - is evident and transparent; ideas and opinions are valued; and a positive path forward is illuminated.

Fouche and Gilliland will leverage their superlative experience outside of government for the benefit of this small town.

They bring to the table the requisite skills, leadership, and creativity, honed through their successful careers in business and education.

We need new leaders for responsive, responsible governance. Please vote for Kitty and Bill.

Alice Lentz

Montreat

Boosterthon thanks its sponsors, helpers

Black Mountain Primary and Elementary Schools are grateful for the tremendous support shown from this community in the recent Boosterthon Fun Run.

As a main fundraiser for each school, the event successfully raised over $24,000 to be used for school support, technology, instructional materials and beyond, shared between the two schools.

Thank you to the many individuals, neighbors, families and businesses that helped make this success possible.

Thanks to generous business support ($250 or more), every student ran wearing an event T-shirt on which laps were recorded.

Event business sponsors included Christopher Elder, MD of Asheville Orthopaedics Associates; Sunshine Pharmacy and Heath; Harwood Home for Funerals; The Keller Williams Local Team; Black Mountain Savings Bank; Greenspan Wellness Center; Common Housefly, a kitchen emporium; Louise's Kitchen; State Farm, Jerry Morris; and Dynamite Roasting Co.

We feel blessed to live in such a caring and compassionate community, where deep understanding and commitment is shown to our schools.

Teresa Elder and Amy Berry

Boosterthon Fun Run coordinators