Asheville NC Politics & Civic News
Covering Asheville City Council, Buncombe County Council, North Carolina General Assembly, and your federal representatives in Washington, D.C. Accountability journalism for Buncombe County residents.
Buncombe County sits inside one of the most layered governmental structures in the region. Residents answer to at least five levels of elected authority simultaneously: the federal government, statewide offices, Buncombe County Council, Asheville City Council, and school district boards — each a separately elected body covering its own geographic slice of the county.
Buncombe’s federal delegation includes US Rep. Chuck Edwards (NC District 11) and Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis.
Buncombe County Council controls property tax millage, land-use zoning outside city limits, and fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreements. Downtown zoning decisions and the Asheville Police Department budget run through Asheville City Council. State funding for schools, roads, and Medicaid flows from the North Carolina General Assembly. The Buncombe County Elections and Voter Registration Office administers local balloting under NC Election Commission oversight.
HEREAsheville covers Buncombe County Council meetings, Asheville City Council sessions, North Carolina General Assembly session, federal delegation votes and town halls, school board meetings, and candidate filing windows. We also pull FOIA-sourced travel records and contracts at both the city and county level. If it shapes how Buncombe County is governed, it’s HERE.
HERE! NOW! — Politics
Report a Civic Issue
Anonymous. No sign-up. Your report goes to the right people.
Your Voice. Their Responsibility.
The only local news platform where citizens can publicly surface issues to elected officials and get answers.
HERE Answers
Civic issues submitted by the community. Answers pending from officials.
No issues reported yet. Be the first to speak up.
Asheville Speaks
What do you think: Appeals Court Sets Saturday Deadline?
What do you think: Intelligence Chief Warns Iran Is Stepping Up Plots?
Local & State Political News
Civic Calendar
Your Asheville Reps
Every official with a vote on Asheville's future — pulled live from our roster.
Quick Resources
Asheville is in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Mayor: Esther E. Manheimer; City Manager: Dakisha "DK" Wesley; Buncombe County Commission Chair: Amanda Edwards.
Latest Asheville Politics News
Federal Workers Rally Outside VA Hospital in Asheville
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Members of the largest union of federal employees joined other Western North Carolina labor groups on Oct. 22 in front of the Charles George VA…
Three Constitutional Amendments Face Asheville Voters
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Voters in Asheville and the rest of Buncombe County who head to early voting sites this week will find three proposed changes to the North…
Asheville Voters Weigh Ager, Balkcom in Open NC-11 House Race
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Voters in Asheville and across the western mountains are choosing a new member of Congress this fall, and both candidates for the open 11th District…
Manheimer Runs on Helene Recovery Record in Asheville Race
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer is asking voters for a fourth term, and her pitch centers on continuity: the relationships she says she has built in…
No Kings March in Asheville Turns Focus to Early Voting
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Saturday’s No Kings gathering in Asheville looked more like a get-out-the-vote drive than a protest. Marchers set off from Pack Square Park in the afternoon,…
Buncombe Early Voting Draws 7,049 Ballots in Asheville
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Early in-person voting opened strong across Asheville and Buncombe County on Thursday, with 7,049 people checking in at the county’s 13 sites — roughly 3.2…
Health Care Cost Rally Targets Medicaid Cuts in Asheville
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A traveling health care rally stopped in downtown Asheville on Oct. 15, where two Buncombe County state lawmakers used the stage at Pack Square Park…
Appeals Court Sets Saturday Deadline
LOS ANGELES — California has until noon Saturday to answer the federal government in a fast-moving fight over whether about 20,000 mail ballots should be pulled aside before…
Intelligence Chief Warns Iran Is Stepping Up Plots
WASHINGTON — Iran has sharply ramped up its effort to go after American personnel outside the United States, and some of its plans to kill U.S. citizens have…
Justice Department Sues Over Alaska Senate Certification
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The U.S. Justice Department has gone to federal court in Alaska asking a judge to keep the state from certifying its Nov. 3 U.S. Senate…
Supreme Court Lets New Hampshire Bar Student IDs
WASHINGTON — New Hampshire can turn away student IDs as proof of identity at the polls in next month's midterm election after the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday…
Outside Money Tops $18M in Arizona Race for Feely, Shah Seat
PHOENIX — Outside groups have poured roughly $18.8 million into the general election fight for Arizona's 1st Congressional District, one of the state's two most competitive House seats,…





