PART 1: Leader with an Asterisk | Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer

By North Carolina constitutional law, mayors count as just another vote on the city council and have no singular authority to enact initiatives or manage the city. But residents and city staff expect their mayors to show leadership and vision, along with an authority that goes beyond their constitutional purview. And when things go wrong, mayors are often the first target of outrage.

In the first of a two-part conversation, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer defines her leadership when all the legal authority to run the city sits with the city manager. She also addresses whether the city manager and city council are tackling issues with the same urgency.

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