Greetings! We’re excited to have received the message below from a citizen of Asheville.
Ross is a retired businessman living in Asheville. He is organizing a group of citizens to reverse the dangerous trend in crime in Asheville.
Like many of us, Ross is concerned about increased crime, fewer police officers, and the city government’s lack of support for the police. You are already aware of those facts, so he asks us to consider supporting one of the solutions, RestoreAshevillePolice.com
Restore Asheville Police – Goal:
Once citizens approve their ballot measure and it goes into effect (in about 14 months), Asheville will be placed on a common-sense path to restore the Asheville PD and reduce crime. Hiring 70 additional officers will help reach that goal.
How:
The organization plans to use the Section 83 process in the city charter to pass a binding ordinance that forces city government to restore the APD. Section 83 defines a two-step process to produce the ordinance
- Collect signatures from 12,000 registered voters to be placed on the November 2022 ballot
- Campaign during the Summer and Fall to win on election day (November 8, 2022) – forcing city administration to implement the ordinance immediately.
Requirements of the Ordinance:
- Public Safety becomes the city’s #1 priority, resulting in two budget priorities: public safety first, all others next.
- City Administration hires officers back to reach the level of 250 officers within three years.
- APD officers become the highest paid in NC.
- The city administration must provide adequate recruiting funds to reach the goal.
What we need for success:
- Roughly $160,000 is needed now to help collect the required 12,000 signatures.
- We will need additional funding (~ $80,000) over the Summer (2022) to campaign for passage of the measure.
- Volunteers will be needed soon to assist with social media, research, administration, and data management functions.
Visit their website at RestoreAshevillePolice.com
If you wish to learn about the details of the program, the organization has developed a complete presentation to share – contact Ross, see below.
Questions?
