On Thursday Sep. 24 and Friday Sept. 25, Asheville was host to a gathering of the N.C. Metropolitan Mayors Coalition. Mayors from North Carolina’s 26 largest cities, including Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy, gathered to discuss important issues common to their municipalities and build an advocacy agenda to present to the North Carolina General Assembly.
The N.C. Metropolitan Mayors Coalition is part of the N.C. League of Municipalities, and works as a group to address state and national policies that affect local governments. This year’s adopted agenda focuses on the fate of municipal revenues in a statewide shortfall, the North Carolina justice system, the growing biotechnology industry, transportation and statewide broadband availability.
Special guest speakers during the event lent their expertise in statewide issues that paralleled the group’s agenda, including Lt. Governor Walter Dalton, N.C. State Treasurer Janet Cowell and N.C. DOT Chief Operating Officer Jim Trogdon.
Click here for a press release from the N.C. Metropolitan Mayors Coalition about the event.
Mayor Bellamy said the event provided a good platform with which to bring representation from all over North Carolina to Asheville.
“The last couple of days was an opportunity for mayors from across the state to come together to create a unified agenda to put forward to our state legislators,” Bellamy said. “Also, it was very important for them to be in Asheville, to welcome them to this part of the state.” Bellamy said. “It was an opportunity for the City of Asheville to be part of a larger collaboration.”