ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Buncombe County Commissioner Drew Ball finished first in Tuesday’s Asheville City Council election, while incumbent council member Sheneika Smith lost her seat, according to unofficial returns from the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Ball drew more than 25,000 votes, close to 23% of the total. Incumbents Maggie Ullman, whose ballot name is Maggie Ullman Berthiaume, and Antanette Mosley claimed the other two open seats with about 20.7% and 17.7%.
Challengers Jeffrey Burroughs, at 15.5%, and Keith Young, at 12.6%, came up short. Smith placed sixth with roughly 10.3%.
The race drew 20 candidates, the biggest council field the city has seen in at least a quarter century. Mosley made up a lot of ground after the March primary, when she placed fifth and only Ball and Ullman topped 7%.
Mosley, who currently serves as vice mayor, first joined the council by appointment in 2020 and now begins her second full term. Ball moves to city government from the county Board of Commissioners.
All three winners have talked about trimming city costs during another tight budget year and narrowing the city’s long list of priorities through its strategic plan. Ullman said Asheville now has an entirely new team that has to work out how it will function together and which efforts it will keep going.
The council also gets a new mayor, council member Kim Roney, after Tuesday’s vote. The new council meets for the first time on Tuesday, Dec. 8, when members will pick a vice mayor. The totals stay unofficial until the county canvass is complete.
Section: More Asheville NC politics news
Filed under: Asheville NC Politics News
