PUBLIC SPEAKS MINDS ON DRUG INITIATIVE AT CITY COUNCIL MEETING

ASHEVILLE - Asheville City Council again Tuesday revisited the idea of a
drug eradication initiative in public housing, this time with plenty of
public input.

At a hearing on the city's proposed budget, 19 residents spoke about the
council's approach to fighting drugs in public housing and elsewhere. One
recurring theme was that council should first get public opinion.

"You need to ask, `What do your neighborhoods need? What do our
neighborhoods want?'" said Dian Robinson, a public housing resident.

A four-member majority of council has directed the city manager to look at
funding a $600,000 Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, which includes provisions
for hiring four police officers, and boosting community policing and
affordable housing efforts while creating more job opportunities for youths.

The city manager's proposed budget calls for spending $27.4 million on
public safety, an increase of $104,000. Public safety accounts for about a
quarter of the $103.3 million budget proposal.

The budget, which calls for no property tax rate increase, is for the
fiscal year that begins in July. City Council is scheduled to adopt its
budget June 22.

About 10 speakers favored the Safe Neighborhoods plan over Councilman Carl
Mumpower's $750,000 proposal, which included some social services
provisions but mostly would move forward through tough law enforcement.

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Three people spoke in favor of Mumpower's approach.

"The problem has been solved in many cities, and there's only one way it's
been solved: by tough police action," Asheville resident Ivor Thomas said.

Last week, council members Brownie Newman, Holly Jones, Terry Bellamy and
Mayor Charles Worley presented their Safe Neighborhoods Initiative and
proceeded to vote for it. Council members Mumpower, Joe Dunn and Jan Davis
voted for Mumpower's plan.

Neither camp seemed to alter course after Tuesday's hearing.