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Issues
Where Esther stands.
Her positions on the issues Asheville voters care about most, in plain language and in her own words.
What’s next
Her priorities for Asheville’s next chapter.
01
Stand up for Asheville
Protect our residents, our water and our values from overreach in Raleigh and Washington.
02
Housing people can afford
Preserve and build deeply affordable housing so working families can stay in the city they love.
03
Safe neighborhoods
More officers from our own community, mental-health responders on crisis calls, and public safety built on trust.
04
Finish the rebuild
Put every recovery dollar to work in the open, starting with the neighborhoods and small businesses hit hardest.
Her positions
Every issue, in plain language.
01
Standing up for Asheville
Protecting our residents, our water and our values from overreach in Raleigh and Washington.
03
Public safety & community trust
More officers from our community, and the right responder for every call.
05
Economic development & jobs
Living-wage employers, and $15.5 million in direct help for small businesses.
06
Transportation & infrastructure
$154 million in General Obligation bonds for, in part, roads, sidewalks, greenways, parks and infrastructure.
07
Environment & sustainability
Recovery dollars that build resilience: clean water, river parks and resilience centers.
08
Fiscal responsibility & the rebuild
Balanced budgets, a AAA bond rating, and every recovery dollar spent in the open.
09
Community engagement & equity
Recovery dollars invested where the need is greatest, and decided with the community.
Protecting our residents, our water and our values from overreach in Raleigh and Washington.
When state legislators tried to take Asheville’s water system, the city fought it to the N.C. Supreme Court and, with Esther as mayor, won. When threats of federal immigration raids came, she led city and county leaders to keep local police out of civil immigration enforcement. And when reporting showed the city’s license-plate camera vendor had shared data with ICE elsewhere, she called for ending the contract, and council did.
- Kept Asheville’s water system in local hands
- Kept local police out of civil immigration enforcement
- Ended the city’s Flock camera contract
- Championed Asheville’s nondiscrimination ordinance and speaks out for trans rights
We will not let federal overreach and political theater put our residents in danger.
— Esther Manheimer
More homes of every kind, and protection for the neighbors already here.
Esther supports well-planned infill that protects neighborhood character, paired with anti-displacement strategies, and zoning changes that allow more “missing middle” housing like duplexes and triplexes. Hundreds of affordable homes are in the works, and in September 2026 council approved new protections for tenants living in unsafe rentals.
- Property tax relief and home repair help for longtime homeowners
- Stronger code enforcement on abandoned properties
- Expanded rent assistance and eviction prevention
- Anti-displacement policies with displacement-risk monitoring
Preserving existing affordable housing and protecting long-term residents is one of the most urgent challenges facing Asheville.
— Esther Manheimer
More officers from our community, and the right responder for every call.
Esther supports professional, accountable policing alongside investment in root causes: mental health care, housing and economic opportunity. She recently swore in 20 new officers, many from the local community. Police now bring mental-health co-responders to crisis calls, and the Fire Department’s REST team handles non-emergency calls a badge can’t fix.
Trust is built through transparency, accountability, and genuine community engagement.
— Esther Manheimer
Housing first, services first, not criminalizing poverty.
Esther supports a housing-first approach through the Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care and champions the REST team, which connects people to services instead of citations. For those experiencing homelessness, permanent supportive housing, housing paired with wraparound services, is a real path to staying stably housed.
I oppose criminalizing poverty.
— Esther Manheimer
Living-wage employers, and $15.5 million in direct help for small businesses.
Esther focuses on the fundamentals: supporting small businesses, reliable infrastructure, faster permitting and a workforce that can afford to live here. She personally asked Costco to reconsider West Asheville, and Costco came back with new plans.
My priority is clear: ensure Asheville is a great place to live and work for residents. When we do that, it will naturally be a great place to visit.
— Esther Manheimer
$154 million in General Obligation bonds for, in part, roads, sidewalks, greenways, parks and infrastructure.
Esther championed the 2016 and 2024 bond packages that together fund $154 million in multi-modal transportation, public safety, housing and infrastructure, and prioritizes historically underserved neighborhoods. She has championed transit expansion and supports letting voters decide on a sales-tax referendum for transit.
- Grow Transit Master Plan funding
- More routes and more frequent buses
- Saturday, Sunday and evening service
- Better bus stops
Recovery dollars that build resilience: clean water, river parks and resilience centers.
Recovery funding includes millions in federal funding for resilience projects: new North Fork water filtration, river parks rebuilt with hazard-mitigation funds to withstand future floods, and new community resilience centers, with residents brought into the planning. Asheville has much to be proud of, including already diverting a million pounds of food waste through the city’s composting pilot.
We need to ensure that all future development enhances our environment, protecting watersheds, tree canopy, and the natural beauty that makes Asheville special.
— Esther Manheimer
Balanced budgets, a AAA bond rating, and every recovery dollar spent in the open.
Esther negotiated what’s been called the most equitable budget in Asheville’s history while keeping the city’s AAA bond rating. She secured $225 million in federal recovery funding, and four Helene Recovery Boards guide how it’s spent, with community input.
- Affordable housing
- Climate-resilient infrastructure
- Competitive pay for city employees
- Quality-of-life services
Recovery dollars invested where the need is greatest, and decided with the community.
Per HUD guidelines, 70% of the city’s $225 million recovery grant goes to low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The city created a Communications and Public Engagement division to keep residents informed and involved.
These investments must be community led, not a top down approach.
— Esther Manheimer
Parks, arts and recreation that everyone can afford to enjoy.
Esther sees parks, arts and recreation as core city services, and supports continued bond investment in parks and greenways. As a mother of three Asheville-raised sons, she prioritizes youth mental health, childcare and after-school programs.
In her own words
Read her full questionnaire answers.
Equality NC, Get There AVL, Sunrise Movement WNC, the NC AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club and Mountain Xpress each asked Esther detailed questions. Her answers are published in full.