Deeply-affordable housing means creative, collaborative solutions.
After 5 years of advocating for housing for working and poor people, I understand that deeply-affordable housing is going to require creative, collaborative solutions: When the Unified Development Ordinance is reviewed, we need to ensure planning and policies that allow greater density along transit corridors for access to jobs, groceries, education, health care, and community […]
Ami Worthen on Townsend/Roney 2020
Ami Worthen, our friend and fellow community organizer, has put her powerful pen to work endorsing our collaborative run for Asheville City Council. “Celebrate and do not underestimate the importance of the fact that Kim and Nicole are running as a team. Their commitment to a collaborative approach points the way to solutions beyond the […]
Asheville Area Arts Council Primary Survey 2020
I’ve been following the conversation about whether to build a new performance arts center or renovate the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium for over a decade. Now a project estimated at $100 million, estimates just 5 years ago showed we had a project estimate for $55 million, resources were invested in planning and consulting, and there have […]
You’re invited: Roney & Townsend in January 2020
Friends & Neighbors, We hope this message finds you well. As we begin to wrap up 2019, we would like to invite you to our upcoming events. On Saturday, January 4th, 2020 10 AM – 12 PM we will gather at Garden Party AVL (West Asheville) for Tea with Townsend & Roney. We want to spend […]
“Climate Change Is The Biggest Public Safety Issue Of Our Time”
In November 2019, the Citizen Times requested a response to a proposed Green New Deal for Asheville. This is the full response I submitted: “Climate change is the biggest public safety issue of our time. A Green New Deal for Asheville must be a community-led effort that ensures equity while empowering resilient neighborhoods through a […]
Op-Ed: Asheville Deserves Fair Elections.
Asheville’s 2019 elections were hijacked by the North Carolina General Assembly, but there is still work for voters to do in advance of our 2020 elections, like getting folks registered and ensuring our voter ID. You can read my op-ed in the Citizen Times here.