Stemming from the successful ‘About Asheville’s Government’ presentations, here’s a handy list of resources, links and context about your local government Above: City Hall under renovation, photo by Bill Rhodes Welcome back, readers. I was fortunate enough to engage with many of you during our three About Asheville’s Government sessions

How the city backed away from defending renters, the housing crisis fueled segregation, a climate of fear faces tenants and much, much more on a key Asheville issue. An interview with Robin Merrell, Parker Smith and Ben Many of Pisgah Legal Services. Above: Graffiti criticizing the RAD Lofts project, which

Our city’s government is incredibly important, but it can be hard to understand or to know the most effective ways to become involved. So the Blade is providing public presentations to answer all those questions. Local government is incredibly important, shaping everything from housing to equity to safety. Asheville’s is

Major racial disparities in traffic stops and questions about police reporting, building for months, finally take center stage as Council dubs the situation an ’emergency’ Above: A chart from Open Data Policing‘s analysis of the Asheville Police Department, showing that black drivers are far more likely than white drivers to

Tensions mount over a controversial push to expand policing, some shady numbers and paltry levels of funding for local social services as Council hashes out a budget Above: Asheville Police Department Chief Tammy Hooper. File photo by Max Cooper. For months tensions built. Normally sleepy committee meetings were packed with protesters.

Three major political issues — wrangling over the budget, short-term rentals and the ‘Pit of Despair’ — take center stage for Council, but many answers wait for another day Above: a slide on ending the ‘Pit of Despair’ reputation of the city property across from the Basilica, presented in December

With major decisions at stake from policing to energy to housing, Asheville’s elected officials, bureaucrats and locals are off to an early start fighting over the shape of the coming budget Above: CFO Barbara Whitehorn, who heads up the city’s budget efforts. File photo by Max Cooper. Locals packed City

Another year, another legislator trying to force a change in city elections. A primer on the latest plan, the local reaction and what it might mean Above: Proposed Asheville City Council districts under last year’s failed state Senate bill. A state legislator is now reviving these districts if local government

Once again, a state legislator plans to force district elections on Asheville and the Airbnb issue reopens, in a Council meeting marked by old battles coming back for another round Above: Mayor Esther Manheimer, file photo by Max Cooper. The Feb. 28 Asheville City Council meeting, relatively brief as it was,

In addition to the long-form journalism Blade readers have come to know and love, please check out the round-ups of our live coverage for on-the-ground insights into what’s going on in our city. City Hall under renovation. Photo by Bill Rhodes. Hello readers, I hope this brief informational update finds you all