Shane McCarthy is an Asheville native and an NC State alumnus who has worked in many industries, from hospitality to civil engineering. Affordable housing issues motivated him to run for city council.
Affordability:
- Housing needs to include manufactured (mobile) homes, which are not allowed in city limits.
- The increase in apartments hasn’t affected prices, which are still rising. There is a gap in affordable/low income housing.
- Shane McCarthy will look at how bonds can help fund housing, as well as other incentives to grow home ownership. This will help residents build wealth.
Short-term housing: This doesn’t seem to be as much of a voter issue this year.
Transportation: Shane is striving to make Asheville more walkable and expand the bus system.
- Funding the transit master plan to extend hours. Council is also looking at a possible switch to fare-free transit.
- We need to make sidewalk and crosswalk improvements to decrease injury & fatalities and danger for pedestrians.
The environment: Shane McCarthy also plans to focus on fixing the climate crisis by increasing efficiency and regulating energy usage with local programs. Protecting the tree canopy and other environmental actions are part of the strategy.
Tourism: It’s time to focus on living wages, especially in the hotel industry, and attract businesses that pay better wages. Examine and change the occupancy tax spending ratio.
Learn more at mccarthyforavl.com and listen to our interview!
