{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Esther Manheimer","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"Esther Elizabeth Manheimer is the incumbent mayor of Asheville, North Carolina, and is seeking re\u2011election in the non\u2011partisan race for City of Asheville Mayor on November 3, 2026. As mayor, she serves as the city\u2019s chief executive, overseeing municipal operations, proposing the annual budget, appointing department heads, and representing Asheville in regional and state matters\u202f[6].\n\nManheimer was born on July 24, 1971, in Skyum Bjerge, Thy, Denmark, to American expatriate parents and moved to the United States at age three. She grew up in several western states before settling in Asheville at 17\u202f[6]. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1993\u202f[6] and later attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she received a Juris Doctor and a Master of Public Administration in 1997\u202f[6].\n\nAfter law school, Manheimer returned to Asheville in 2002 and practiced law, focusing on commercial litigation, land use, and land disputes as a principal at the Van Winkle Law Firm\u202f[6]. She entered public service by winning a seat on the Asheville City Council in 2009, where she served until 2013\u202f[6]. In the 2013 municipal election she was elected mayor, taking office on December 10, 2013, and has been re\u2011elected in 2017, 2021 and 2022\u202f[6][15].\n\nDuring her tenure, Manheimer has championed several initiatives. She opposed North Carolina\u2019s Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act in 2016\u202f[6] and helped launch the Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE) coalition in 2021, positioning Asheville among the first cities to explore reparations\u2011related investments\u202f[6]. She has overseen the passage of major bond measures for open\u2011space conservation and affordable housing, including a $30\u202fmillion greenways bond and a $40\u202fmillion housing bond approved by Buncombe County voters in 2022\u202f[15]. In response to Hurricane Helene, she met with President Joe Biden and Governor Roy Cooper aboard Marine One to discuss disaster relief in 2024\u202f[6]. She also co\u2011authored a joint statement in 2025 affirming Asheville\u2019s stance against federal immigration enforcement actions and emphasizing community safety\u202f[3].\n\nManheimer\u2019s platform for the 2026 race continues to focus on affordable housing, equity investments, climate resilience, and fiscal responsibility. She has spoken publicly about reparations as \u201cinvestment in communities that have been underserved historically,\u201d citing urban\u2011renewal displacement and proposing grant programs to restore generational wealth\u202f[20]. Her record of working with the city council, securing bond funding, and engaging in regional policy debates positions her as a seasoned municipal leader seeking another term.\n\nManheimer is married to Mark David Harris, a longtime educator and wrestling coach, and they have three sons\u202f[6]. She remains active in the local Jewish community and is the third Jewish mayor in Asheville\u2019s history\u202f[6].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Esther Manheimer (Mayor of Asheville, North Carolina, candidate 2022) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Esther_Manheimer_(Mayor_of_Asheville,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2022))\n- [3] [Joint Statement from Mayor Esther Manheimer, Board of Commissioners Chair Amanda Edwards, and Members of Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners - The City of Asheville](https://www.ashevillenc.gov/news/joint-statement-from-mayor-esther-manheimer-board-of-commissioners-chair-amanda-edwards-and-members-of-asheville-city-council-and-the-buncombe-county-board-of-commissioners/)\n- [6] [Esther Manheimer - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Manheimer)\n- [8] [News briefs: Mayor Esther Manheimer to hold gerrymandering press conference | Mountain Xpress](https://mountainx.com/news/news-briefs-mayor-esther-manheimer-to-hold-gerrymandering-press-conference/)\n- [11] [2022 Primary Voter Guide: Asheville Mayor \u2013 Mountain Xpress](https://mountainx.com/news/candidates-for-asheville-mayor-2022-nonpartisan/)\n- [15] [Asheville Mayor Manheimer wins reelection, Buncombe voters pass bond measures](https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2022-11-08/asheville-mayor-maheimer-wins-reelection-buncombe-voters-pass-bond-measures)\n- [20] [Mayor: Reparations, past racial discrimination can mean 'investment' | North Carolina | thecentersquare.com](https://www.thecentersquare.com/north_carolina/article_b1d778c6-1040-4af8-a5fd-f7e782950d84.html)","firstname":"Esther","lastname":"Manheimer","middlename":"Elizabeth","suffix":null,"token":"2fd0d82f85ed8176"},"token":"Qsfye175Cn_1sKK6"},{"candidatename":"Kim Roney","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"Kimberly Ann \"Kim\" Roney is a current Asheville City Council member who has entered the 2026 race for mayor of Asheville, North Carolina, with the general election slated for Nov.\u202f3, 2026 [16][17]. As a councilmember since 2020, she serves on the city\u2019s legislative body and works alongside the city manager on policy initiatives.\n\nRoney was raised in Asheville and has deep ties to the community. Sources differ on her college education: she is reported to have graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville [16][17] and also to hold a degree in Music Industry from James Madison University, earned after moving to Asheville in 2006 [19]. She works as a music educator, piano technician, and small\u2011business owner, and she helped found and serve as the station manager of 103.3 Asheville\u202fFM, a community radio station.\n\nBefore her council service, Roney served on several city advisory boards, gaining experience in local governance and community outreach. She previously ran for mayor in 2022, advancing through the municipal primary before losing to incumbent Esther Manheimer in the general election [16][17].\n\nIn her 2026 campaign, Roney emphasizes three core priorities. First, affordability: she proposes building deeply affordable housing on city\u2011owned land, partnering on home\u2011repair programs, investing in resilient infrastructure, directing Helene disaster\u2011relief funds to local businesses, and completing long\u2011awaited transit and multimodal projects [12][16]. Second, public safety: she plans to work with the new city manager, DK\u202fWesley, on collaborative solutions addressing mental\u2011health and behavioral\u2011health needs, homelessness, and preventing intimate\u2011partner and gun violence [12]. Third, representation: she seeks to mobilize voter turnout in 2026 to secure elected officials at all levels who will invest in Western North Carolina\u2019s health and well\u2011being [12].\n\nRoney also cites advancing climate action and neighborhood resiliency as part of her platform, echoing a Labor\u2011Day social\u2011media post that highlighted affordability, climate, and public\u2011safety responses as key goals [16][17]. Her campaign narrative stresses community solidarity, resource sharing, and grassroots engagement, urging residents to participate in door\u2011to\u2011door outreach, digital organizing, and other volunteer activities to build a stronger, more connected Asheville [12][19].\n\n## Sources\n- [11] [Kim Roney for Asheville (@KimRoneyforAsheville)](https://www.facebook.com/KimRoneyforAsheville/)\n- [12] [Looking ahead: Council member Kim Roney emphasizes community solidarity and getting out the vote in 2026 \u2013 Mountain Xpress](https://mountainx.com/news/local-government/council-member-kim-roney-emphasizes-community-solidarity-and-getting-out-the-vote-in-2026/)\n- [16] [Asheville City Council member Kim Roney enters 2026 mayoral race | WUNC News](https://www.wunc.org/2025-09-02/asheville-city-council-member-kim-roney-enters-2026-mayoral-race)\n- [17] [Asheville City Council member Kim Roney enters 2026 mayoral race](https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2025-09-02/asheville-city-council-member-kim-roney-enters-2026-mayoral-race)\n- [19] [Home - Kim Roney for Mayor](https://kimroney4asheville.com/)","firstname":"Kimberly","lastname":"Roney","middlename":"Ann","suffix":null,"token":"cade77272b666de4"},"token":"JultlFdbZt_k9nBy"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"city_mayor","o.office":"city_mayor","office":"city_mayor","officedescription":"A city or town mayor is the municipality's chief executive, responsible for administering city departments, proposing the city budget, and representing the city. In some Tennessee cities the mayor is a strong executive; in others the role is more ceremonial alongside a city manager.","officequalities":"- Executive leadership of a city government \u2014 police, fire, public works, parks, and administration.\n- Ability to negotiate and defend an annual budget before the city council.\n- Intergovernmental capacity: with the county, the State of Tennessee, federal partners, and neighboring municipalities.\n- Working familiarity with the city charter, Tennessee municipal law, and open-meetings rules.\n- Crisis-management and public-communication capacity.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"Mayor","partisan":0,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"City Of Asheville Mayor"}