Meeting of the Minds

Asheville Branch NAACP Executive Board members: (from left to right) Sophie Dixon, Vice-President Asheville NAACP; winner of the Dorn/Dixon Award, Martha Gardenhight; Mayor Terry Bellamy; Asheville Branch NAACP President, John Hayes.

Mayor Bellamy addresses Asheville Branch NAACP

By Johnnie Grant

Laptop in hand, Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy addressed an attentive audience at the NAACP banquet on October 20th. She gave a PowerPoint presentation full of statistical data to report on Asheville’s vision and agenda. “Asheville city government has been vigilant in listening to the concerns of the community,” the Mayor said. “I’m very pleased to share this information with each of you.”

“The vision of Asheville city government is predicated on the belief that all people should be treated equitably, and the make-up of the city’s workforce should be reflective of the community it serves,” Bellamy said. “Intelligence, talent, and skill are not limited by race, gender, ethnic origin, or culture.”

Additionally,
Asheville should be in the top quartile of North Carolina cities for
minority representation in the workforce. Currently the city’s
Workforce Diversity Profile shows the following breakdown: African
American: 10.2%; American Indian: .4%; Asian/Pacific Islander: .4%;
Hispanic: 1.2%; White: 87.8%. That ranks Asheville sixth statewide in
workforce diversity compared to the percentage of minority citizens in
the community.

Accepting the Asheville Branch NAACP Presidents Award for supporting and mentoring local businesses and the community is Mountain Bizworks Executive Director Gregg Walker-Wilson.

The city must also “increase opportunities for training and education
in order to poise minority employees for internal promotion,” Bellamy
said. Already in place is the City of Asheville Youth Leadership
Academy (CAYLA), which offers a multicultural mix of high school
students summer employment, year-round mentoring, and scholarships.
Asheville also supports Western Carolina University’s Fellowship
Program that offers two full scholarships to WCU Master’s programs;
this year both were awarded to African American students.

City Programs Promote Diversity

Among the strategies the city has adopted is the “Grow Your Own”
program that provides opportunities for recruitment and promotion for
people who grow up, live, and work in our area. Young people looking
for opportunities often leave Asheville for larger cities, draining the
talent pool of educated, well-trained youth.

To accompany the “Grow Your Own” program, the city aims to ensure
competitive wages, and benefits in key areas where minority
representation is lacking. Another essential aspect of the Mayor’s
vision for the city is to provide adequate public safety and
educational resources for children in high crime neighborhoods. Other
programs that are keys to fully realizing the city’s vision include:

•    Targeted Recruitment & Retention policies
•    Community Recruitment policies
•    Partnership with AB Tech
•    Scholarships to minority applicants

Affordable Housing

According to Bellamy, programs that entice young people to make a
career and raise a family in Asheville cannot succeed if city employees
can’t afford a home here. So the city has partnered with Asheville City
Schools and the Housing Authority to provide affordable housing options
to police officers and teachers. “These are essential elements in
enabling city workers to live in the city they serve.”

The audience waits as the Mayor is introduced by Rev. Wayne Purcell.

The Housing & Community Develop-ment Committee has improved its
efficiency, processing Housing Trust Fund loan applications for
affordable housing development in as little as two weeks, and the
Affordable Housing Task Force is working to develop a Comprehensive
Affordable Housing Plan.

Workplace Diversity

Bellamy also shared statistics on minority hiring in the city. During
the past two years in the Asheville Fire & Rescue Department, “17%
of new hires were women or minorities, two minorities were promoted to
chief officers, and 16 minorities were promoted to the rank of Senior
Firefighter or above.”

The Asheville Police Department has hired 13 African American officers
since 2004, four times the number hired in the previous four years, and
African Americans were selected for executive management positions as
the city’s Chief Financial Officer and the Parks & Recreation
Director. Eight minority employees, three quarters of them women, have
been selected for such mid-management positions as Risk Manager, Meter
Services Superintendent, Minority Business Program Coordinator, Senior
Transportation Analyst, and Community Development Analyst.

The next steps in implementing the vision, the Mayor said, are to
continue current efforts for recruitment, retention and promotion of
minorities and push forward programs in public safety, gang
intervention, and affordable housing. Achieving the goals will require
strong community support, and the Mayor encouraged those in the
audience to participate by mentoring a child or participating in
outreach with local churches.

In closing, the Mayor invited all attendees to participate in local
government by coming to the Asheville City council meetings and voicing
their concerns. “Each of you,” Mayor Bellamy added, “can contribute to
how our city government is run.”