RiverLink Questions City Council Candidates

It's election time; the air is crisp, the leaves are changing and city council candidates are making their priorities known in an effort to be elected to the Asheville City Council. RiverLink is eager to know what these potential city council members are proposing as part of their campaign platform to protect and enhance the French Broad River Watershed. RiverLink developed a short and simple survey, with the following questions:

1. What is your vision for implementing the Wilma Dykeman Riverway (a regional model consisting of 17 miles of greenways along the Swannanoa and French Broad River)? How would you ensure funding to implement this plan? How/or should the City of Asheville work with the Buncombe and other counties to expand and replicate this plan throughout the watershed? Why or why not?

2. Over 25 municipalities in North Carolina require buffers ranging from 30 to 100ft along streams. A new proposal (click and scroll to page 13 to see new proposal) by the City of Asheville calls for changes to Asheville's current 30 ft stream buffers. What do you feel is the right size stream buffers in Asheville?

3. What is your vision for future uses within our city's floodplain? How will you implement that vision?

4. What regulations and enforcement do you think are adequately protecting our streams and rivers and what, if any, areas need additional regulation and enforcement?

5. With Asheville having the largest tax and population base in the region, is there a leadership role for Asheville when it comes to land use planning along waterways throughout the region?

6. How does the French Broad River and its watershed contribute to the region's sustainability?

The French Broad Watershed is a valuable resource for the region. Both city and regional river fans need to understand how the folks they elect view the river. RiverLink will publish the candidate's answers on Monday, October 26th, using all its media outlets. RiverLink encourages the public to participate in the survey as well to find out how their opinions compare to those of the candidates (click here to voice your opinion concerning the watershed or to participate.) The public's answers will remain anonymous. RiverLink will link the potential candidate's names with their respected answers .

RiverLink, is a regional non-profit spearheading the economic and environmental revitalization of the French Broad River and its tributaries as a place to work, live and play. RiverLink is home to the French Broad Riverkeeper, and employs full-time education and volunteer coordinators. Volunteer information sessions are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 10am & 5pm at RiverLink offices, join RiverLink this Wednesday, October 14th. RiverLink also conducts monthly bus tours with an over-view of the past, present and future of the French Broad River Watershed, with a tour this Thursday, October 15th from 12-2pm. Sign up
for RiverLink's monthly newsletter at http://www.riverlink.org/newsletter.asp, follow RiverLink’s tweets at www.twitter.com/RiverLink, befriend RiverLink on facebook at www.facebook.com/RiverLink and check out RiverLink's space at www.myspace.com/RiverLink. Hop aboard this election season, and be a voice of the French Broad River Watershed.