Asheville City Council elects Kilgore vice mayor; new council members sworn in
ASHEVILLE - City Council elected council member Sandra Kilgore as its new vice mayor at a brief Dec. 6 organizational meeting.
Kilgore was elected to the position with support from four of her fellow council members, with Antanette Mosley being the sole “no” vote. She replaces Sheneika Smith in the vice mayor's seat.
The vote, as Mayor Esther Manheimer noted during the meeting, is one electoral decision that the council makes alone.
“We are a council of diverse backgrounds and viewpoints, and our constituents reflect those views,” Kilgore said, reading prepared remarks after she was voted into the position. “That being said, it is important that all the people we represent feel and know that their voices are heard even if their perspectives are not able to garner the popular vote with council. Democracy is, at its very best, when we agree – also, when we disagree – with integrity and respect.”
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Elected to Asheville City Council in 2020, Kilgore announced her intention to run for the N.C. Senate District 49 seat in 2021. She lost that bid to incumbent Julie Mayfield in the May primaries.
After the Dec. 6 meeting, Kilgore said that she would “be there to … bridge some of those gaps” with the business community, for example.
“I am a business owner and I have a business downtown, and I understand some of the impacts that they feel,” said Kilgore, who works in real estate. “I think, sometimes, voices may go unheard, and I think that sometimes when you don’t hear the other side, it’s easy to go along with the flow.”
“I’m really happy that fellow council members felt confident in me to do a good job at this,” she said.
Kilgore will be the second consecutive Black woman to serve as vice mayor, after Sheneika Smith. She will serve in the position for the next two years.
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“It is a common practice of this body to give first option to the person for vice mayor who received the most votes in the last election,” Council member Kim Roney said as she motioned to nominate Kilgore, calling it an opportunity to “acknowledge the process of democracy” and the “importance of our voting, and the people who show up to vote.”
Mosley could not be reached for comment after the meeting.
In other business, a newly elected council member, Maggie Ullman Berthiaume, was sworn in alongside returning members.
After the meeting, Ullman said she had heard from “folks all over our city, and we are all struggling with housing affordability and affordability in general.”
That and protecting the environment locally would be two priorities for her going into the new position, she said.
City Government Reporter Sarah Honosky contributed reporting.
Ryan Oehrli covers public safety for the Citizen Times. Comments? Questions? Tips? Send them to coehrli@citizentimes.com.
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This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville City Council elects Sandra Kilgore as new vice mayor
