Day 8- Government

Parking and Venue Directions

Click here for a map of the Pack Square area with all of our locations and parking circled. Remember to allow time to walk from the Buncombe County deck to the fire station.

Wear comfortable clothes and layers!

LAS36-8-GovernmentDay

Presenter Bios

Dr. Chris Cooper is the Madison Distinguished Professor and Director of the Public Policy Institute at Western Carolina University. His research and teaching focuses on state and local politics, elections, and southern politics. Cooper's written work includes over 50 academic journal articles and over a hundred op-eds, magazine pieces, and other writings aimed at more popular audiences. He is also co-author of the book, The Resilience of Southern Identity: Why the South Still Matters in the Minds of its People and co-editor of the New Politics of North Carolina (both published by University of North Carolina Press). Cooper is a frequent source for news stories about North Carolina and national politics and he has been quoted hundreds of times in a variety of media including the New York Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio, and the Wall Street Journal.

Quentin Miller

Quentin Miller was born and raised in Asheville. He graduated from Asheville High School in 1981 and joined the U.S. Army where he served as a Military Policeman for 11 years. While stationed at Fort Bragg in 1985, Quentin met Army Specialist Karen Sconiers who he has been married to for 35 years. They now enjoy spending time with their 11 grandchildren.

Quentin and Karen also have fostered more than 100 children in their home since 2005. Quentin holds an Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate from the North Carolina Department of Justice and graduated from the Administrative Officers Management Program at N.C. State.

Quentin served as a member of the Asheville Police Department’s original community policing unit "PACT", where he received Officer of the Year and the Overall Regional Award for initiating a street ministry and midnight basketball program for at risk youth. He also led a job training program for unemployed community members, and ran a summer camp for at risk youth for nearly a decade.

David Zack

David Zack was appointed to Chief of Police for the Asheville Police Department on February 4, 2020. He began his career in law enforcement in 1984 where he worked as a New York State Corrections Officer at both Sing Sing and Attica Correctional Facilities. In 1987 he joined the Cheektowaga Police Department and rose through the ranks serving in a number of different roles, including patrol supervisor and Detective Bureau Commander, before being named Chief in 2011. During his career in Cheektowaga he also served as the President of the Erie County Chiefs of Police Association, President of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, and was a member of the Board of Governors of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Chief Zack’s other accomplishments include introducing the first Fair and Impartial Police (FIP) training program in the state of New York, receiving the National Federation for Just Communities Law Enforcement Leadership Award in 2016, and the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) President’s Award for his role in creating the first crisis intervention team in Erie County.

Chief Zack holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Hilbert College and has been an instructor of forensic science and crime scene photography for several colleges and universities. He is also a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Senior Management Institute for Police.

Fire Chief Scott Burnette

Chief Scott has been a member of the Asheville Fire Department since 1995 and has served as Chief of the Department since November of 2009. During his 26 years with the Department, he has been promoted several times and held several important positions within the Department. Chief Burnette has an associate degree in Fire Protection Technology from Gaston College, a bachelor’s degree in Fire Engineering Technology from UNC-Charlotte, and a master’s degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership from Grand Canyon University. Chief Burnette is a graduate of the United States Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. In 2004, he received his Chief Fire Officer Designation through the Center for Public Safety Excellence.

Debra Campbell

County Manager Avril Pinder

Avril Pinder was unanimously appointed County Manager by the Board of Commissioners on Feb. 5, 2019, and sworn in on March 5, 2019.

Prior to Buncombe County, Mrs Pinder served New Hanover County, NC, for 13 years as Finance Director, Assistant Manager, and most recently, Deputy County Manager. Prior to that, she spent 10 years in service to the City of Jacksonville, NC, as Community Development Director and Assistant Finance Director.

Mrs. Pinder is a Certified Public Accountant. She holds an MBA from Delaware State University and is an International City/County Management Association credentialed manager.

Mayor Esther Manheimer

Mayor Manheimer is a graduate of Asheville High School and earned her Master of Public Administration and a Juris Doctor degree from UNC Chapel Hill. She was elected to the Asheville City Council in 2009 and was elected Mayor in 2013 and again in 2017.

Mayor Manheimer is a principal with The Van Winkle Law Firm focusing her practice on commercial litigation, land use, and land disputes stemming from encroachments, easements, boundary lines, erosion, and title matters. In addition, she provides skilled legal counsel to help homeowners’ and property owners’ association boards enforce restrictions, manage assessments, handle infrastructure issues, and draft and redraft covenants and by-laws.

Previously, Mayor Manheimer was a lawyer for the North Carolina General Assembly, where she served as counsel to various legislative committees.

She is also the recipient of many awards for her professional achievements and public service.

Brownie Newman

Brownie grew up on a working farm in Pickens County, South Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He and his brother Boyd spent much of their time in the summer bailing hay and in the winter, they planted trees with their dad, Leon. Brownie moved to Asheville in 1990 to attend Warren Wilson College, where he received a BA in History and Political Science.

Brownie served as the Executive Director of the Western North Carolina Alliance, where he worked with state legislators to develop and pass the North Carolina Clean Smokestacks Act. This legislation reduced air pollution emissions from the Duke Energy coal-fired power plant in Asheville by more than 90%. It also required the clean-up of other coal-fired power plants across North Carolina.

Brownie was elected to the Asheville City Council in 2003 and was re-elected in 2007. Brownie was elected to the Buncombe County Commission in 2012 and was elected to represent District 1. He was elected Chairman of the County Commission in 2016.

During his time on the County Commission, Brownie led the effort for Buncombe County to commit to using 100% renewable energy. He supported increased pay for public school teachers, increased the minimum wage to $15 an hour for all county employees.

In 2008, Brownie joined with four other people who had recently started FLS Energy, a local solar energy company. As a member of the management team, Brownie helped FLS Energy become a national leader in the solar industry, growing from seven to 70 employees. Brownie served as the VP of Business Development for FLS. In 2015, Brownie founded a new solar energy company, Headwaters Solar.

Brownie and his wife Beth live in the Montford neighborhood. Beth is originally from LaGrange, GA. She received a BA from Davidson College and a Master of Divinity from Columbia Seminary. Beth and Brownie have two daughters, Tess and Lizzy.

Colby Wellshear

Ways to Get Involved

Comment on the County Comprehensive Plan

Following list compiled by Charlotte Wade, LAS 26:

Boards & Commissions

Buncombe County Boards and Commissions

Land-of-Sky Regional Council

Waste Reduction Partners is seeking part-time, retired volunteer engineers to perform energy and water efficiency assessments. Visit https://wastereductionpartners.org/about/volunteer-application for more information.
Volunteer Services Department connects today’s over 55s with the people and organizations that need them most. Visit http://www.landofsky.org/volunteer.html for more information.

Crime Prevention

Community Watch is available in 150 neighborhoods throughout the county. You can volunteer with your neighborhood watch, or you can work with the Sheriff’s department to organize one.
Triad is a partnership facilitated through Land-Of-Sky Regional Council, law enforcement, senior leaders and others that are concerned about the safety and wellbeing of mature citizens in the community.
City of Asheville Citizens Police Academy is a 13 week program offered twice a year and is designed to give residents an appreciation for the problems and challenges facing law enforcement, as well as an up-close opportunity to offer insights, ideas and solutions. The course provides in depth tours and descriptions of inner workings of APD to give them a better understanding of law enforcement and to build relationships with APD officers. Note: Citizen’s Police Academy programming is currently on hold. For more information, please contact APD’s Community Unit.

General Volunteer Opportunities

City of Asheville Volunteer Program covers a variety of departments, services, special projects, and events. The Volunteer Program has an opportunity that will fit with most schedules, from a one-time service project lasting half a day to long term volunteer positions requiring a commitment of several hours per week. The Volunteer Program also has a process to work with citizens to identify new and innovative volunteer projects, so if you have an interest or special talent to share, please contact 259-5506 or volunteer@ashevillenc.gov.
Precinct Workers are needed for each election including people to serve as chief judge, judge, and assistants. Workers are compensated for their service and for attending mandatory training. Apply online at www.buncombecounty.org and click on election services or contact 250-4216.

Public Library