Esther Elizabeth Manheimer (born July 24, 1971[1]) is an American politician and attorney serving as the mayor of Asheville, North Carolina.
Esther E. Manheimer | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Asheville, North Carolina | |
| Assumed office December 10, 2013 | |
| Vice Mayor | Sheneika Smith |
| Preceded by | Terry Bellamy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 24, 1971 Skyum Bjerge, Thy, Jutland, Denmark |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mark David Harris |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Colorado Boulder (BA) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (JD, MPA) |
Early life and education
editManheimer was born on July 24, 1971, in the hamlet of Skyum Bjerge in Thy, Denmark, to American expat parents.[2] She has two siblings. Her family returned to the United States when she was three, and she lived in San Diego, Olympia, Spokane, and Bethesda, Maryland before moving to Asheville when she was 17.[3]
Manheimer graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, and she served as campus director of the American Movement for Israel[4] and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology.[5] She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning degrees in law and a Master of Public Administration.
Career
editAfter graduating from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Manheimer returned to Asheville, North Carolina in 2002. She was elected to the Asheville City Council in 2009 and served until 2013. She was elected mayor of Asheville in 2013.[6]
In March 2016, Manheimer spoke out against the controversial Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, state legislation that eliminated anti-discrimination protections for the LGBT community.[7]
In June 2021, Manheimer was one of 11 U.S. mayors to form Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), a coalition of municipal leaders dedicated to starting pilot reparations programs in their cities.[8] (Earlier, in July 2020, the Asheville City Council had "voted to approve reparations in the form of investments in areas of disparity for Black residents.")[9]
Personal life
editManheimer is married to Mark Harris. They have three sons.[3] She is the third Jewish mayor of Asheville, after Ken Michalove in 1989 and Leni Sitnik in 1997.[10]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Esther Manheimer | 6,586 | 19.2 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gordon Smith | 6,318 | 18.5 | |
| Nonpartisan | Cecil Bothwell | 5,919 | 17.3 | |
| Nonpartisan | Carl Mumpower | 4,754 | 13.9 | |
| Nonpartisan | J. Neal Jackson | 3,487 | 10.2 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ryan Croft | 2,530 | 7.4 | |
| Write-in | 4,627 | 13.5 | ||
| Total votes | 34,221 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Esther Manheimer | 8,375 | 68.3 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Miall | 3,810 | 31.1 | |
| Write-in | 71 | 0.6 | ||
| Total votes | 12,256 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Esther Manheimer (incumbent) | 13,051 | 80.7 | |
| Nonpartisan | Martin Ramsey | 3,009 | 18.6 | |
| Write-in | 106 | 0.7 | ||
| Total votes | 16,116 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Esther Manheimer (incumbent) | 20,790 | 54.05 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kim Roney | 17,677 | 45.95 | |
| Write-in | ||||
| Total votes | 100.0 | |||
References
edit- ^ United States Public Records
- ^ "Esther E. Manheimer Profile | Asheville, NC Lawyer | Martindale.com".
- ^ a b Forbes, David (January 21, 2015). "An interview with Mayor Esther Manheimer". The Asheville Blade.
- ^ "Making a Difference as Elected Officials". Hadassah Magazine. 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
- ^ "Mayor Esther Manheimer". Alumni Association. 2015-09-01. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
- ^ "Brief Rundown of Mayoral and City Council Candidates". The Tribune Papers. November 3, 2013.
- ^ Burgess, Joel (March 30, 2016). "Updated: Asheville mayor makes statement on HB 2". Citizen-Times.
- ^ "11 U.S. Mayors Commit To Developing Pilot Projects For Reparations," Associated Press (June 18, 2021)
- ^ "Asheville among tiny number of cities to back reparations," Associated Press (July 16, 2020).
- ^ Neal, Dale. "Jewish congregation marks long history in Asheville". The Asheville Citizen Times. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
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