Tough economies have a way of humbling people. Three years ago, Asheville citizens elected a progressive city council that pushed to make the city the envy of Portland as a green, New Urbanist Mecca for Richard Florida’s creative class. Now that the Fab Four’s Holly Hottie that burns Mao red (according to spoofs of some political commentators) has left council to join the county commissioners, council is looking to the right for a successor.
Forty-seven people applied, submitting resumes and answers to five essay questions. After the first cut, only five remain:
* Chuck Archerd: a CPA who, among other positions, was an assistant vice president controller for Dunn & Bradstreet, and now runs his own investment firm.
* Sylvia Farrington: a community activist with a background in disaster relief and teacher education.
* Charlie Hume: an engineer with Eaton Corp, who has served as a “community organizer†and president and treasurer of the Biltmore Park Neighborhood Association.
* Esther Manheimer: an attorney who has litigated property rights disputes and researched legal matters for the city
* Kelly Miller: executive vice president of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
