Esther Manheimer

Office: Asheville Mayor

Primary Candidate Survey Response

To what extent do you agree with the following statement? Please briefly explain your answer.

“Local government should play an active role in supporting arts and culture because of their impact on the economy, quality of life, and community recovery.”

Strongly agree – Local government should be a proactive partner through funding, policy, and planning

Americans for the Arts and The United States Conference of Mayors awarded me the 2025 Public Leadership in the Arts Award in recognition of strong, effective support of the arts in Asheville. I strongly agree that local government should be a proactive partner in supporting the arts and culture because of their impact on the economy, quality of life, and Asheville’s recovery from Hurricane Helene. Arts and culture drives the uniqueness of a community and provides spaces for people to come together and experience joy and expression together. But the arts also are a substantial economic pillar of Asheville’s economy supporting jobs and creating revenue that support our community. Whether its individual artists struck down by the Hurricane or the effort to bring a state of the art performing art center to Asheville, it’s incumbent on the city to work with the arts community to create the most robust and vibrant arts scene possible.