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With the new districts now finalized by state courts, it's official that I'll be running in District 2, which includes a section of Asheville and the eastern part of Buncombe County.
I'm incredibly excited to connect with people all across District 2, listening to what matters most to them and getting to know them. One of my favorite parts of being on County Commission is meeting people all across our community, hearing their stories, and then working together on policies, whether it's early childhood education, affordable housing, or how we respond to the opioid crisis. I'll be filing to run for County Commission on Friday, December 6 and want to invite you to a "Filing Day Coffee Hour" from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Penny Cup Coffee (39 S. Market Street, Asheville). Come by for a cup of coffee (on us!), pick up a campaign sticker and join our campaign. We'll be kicking off our field efforts in the coming weeks so you can sign up to volunteer too. I hope to see you there! Wondering what district you're in? Just enter your address in this interactive map from the Board of Elections: https://gis.buncombecounty.org/districts/. UPDATE: We've hired for this position but anticipate hiring more campaign staff in Spring/Summer 2020 - stay tuned! In the meantime, we'd love for you to join our volunteer team!
We're really excited to be growing our campaign team! Check out this new paid part-time Field Organizer position and please help spread the word: Title: Field Organizer Start date: ASAP Organization: “Jasmine for Buncombe” is the 2020 re-election campaign for County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, running in District 2. Learn more at: http://www.jasmineforbuncombe.org/ Position Description: We are seeking an energetic, motivated part-time Field Organizer (starting at 5 hours/week) who is passionate about connecting with people and is ready to join a campaign team that believes field organizing comes first. This role involves voter contact through phone banking and door knocking, entering data, supporting volunteers, and staying nimble. The ideal candidate is a strategic and creative thinker, goal oriented, and excited about learning and growing. They are also a flexible team player who meets deadlines and is comfortable rolling up their sleeves for the wide range of tasks involved in a campaign. In this position you will:
We’re looking for candidates who bring:
Compensation: This position will earn $15 per hour and work 5 hours per week (20 hours per month). Application Process: Please send a cover letter explaining why this position compels you and a current resume by email to jasminebeachferrara@gmail.com. Please use “Field Organizer application” as your subject line. The "Jasmine for Buncombe" campaign looks forward to hearing from all applicants and strongly encourages women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, and members of other minority communities to apply. North Carolina districts are in the news pretty much every day now and continue to be in flux as we head into the 2020 election cycle. Simple solution: we need independent redistricting commissions, ideally at both the state and local levels. But for now, we weather the chaos caused by extreme gerrymandering.
Last week brought significant news about Buncombe County's General Assembly and County Commission districts. A state court accepted the redrawn maps that the General Assembly had created in September; Common Cause, the plaintiff in the case challenging the previous districts has announced they will file a narrow repeal regarding some districts in the state, but this does not include Buncombe County districts. So what does this mean for you? For a lot of people, it means your districts - both state and county - have changed; for others, you're in the same district. Under the new maps, I move from District 1 to District 2, which means I'll be running for re-election in District 2. I look forward to connecting with more folks across the district and listening to the issues that matter most to people. But one thing that's clear is that County Commissioners represent the entire county and everywhere I go I hear people talking about issues like affordable housing, early childhood education, and how we respond to the opioid crisis. You can check out this helpful map that Parker Sloan, candidate for County Commission in District 3, created to see where you live. Also at play are Congressional districts across the state, which have been ruled unconstitutional due to partisan gerrymandering by the same three-judge panel that decided the state district case. The General Assembly has been ordered to redraw Congressional districts and embarked on that project today. You can read more coverage here. Oh, one more thing: the districts will all be redrawn again after the 2020 Census. Buckle your seat belts. It was inspiring to look around a packed hall in downtown Asheville last Monday night and see about 250 people gathered for a town hall on opioid issues. The stories in the room were personal, heartbreaking, inspiring, and motivating. We heard updates about the latest local data, which shows promising reduction in overdose deaths and ER visits, heard about new initiatives like offering Medication Assisted Treatment in the county jail and heard about the power of peer-based recovery and support programs. The event was co-hosted by Buncombe County, the City of Asheville, MAHEC, and Vaya. I was honored to be among those who spoke.
This issue - how we come together to end the opioid crisis - matters a lot to me personally and because of the many community member I've met who've been personally impacted. I truly believe that the path to recovery starts by meeting people where they are, listening, offering a hand, and then helping people access the care they need and deserve. Throughout the event, we heard this message echoed: we have to end the stigma around addiction, we have to treat people as people not as their disease, and we have to be relentless in responding to this crisis. You can read coverage on the county's website here: https://www.buncombecounty.org/countycenter/news-detail.aspx?id=18251 |
