Esther Manheimer

Esther Manheimer
Manheimer aboard Marine One in 2024
Mayor of Asheville, North Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 10, 2013
Vice MayorSheneika Smith
Preceded byTerry Bellamy
Personal details
Born
Esther Elizabeth Manheimer

(1971-07-24) July 24, 1971 (age 53)
Skyum Bjerge, Thy, Jutland, Denmark
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMark David Harris
Children3
EducationUniversity of Colorado Boulder (BA)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (JD, MPA)

Esther Elizabeth Manheimer (born July 24, 1971) is an American politician and attorney. She has served as the mayor of Asheville, North Carolina, since 2013.

Early life and education

Manheimer was born on July 24, 1971, in the hamlet of Skyum Bjerge in Thy, Denmark, to American expat parents.[1] She has two siblings. Her family returned to the United States when she was three, and she lived in San Diego, Olympia and Spokane, Washington, and Bethesda, Maryland before moving to Asheville when she was 17.[2]

Manheimer graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, and she served as campus director of the American Movement for Israel[3] and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology.[4] She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning degrees in law and a Master of Public Administration.

Career

After 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.[5]

In March 2016, Manheimer spoke out against the controversial Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, state legislation that eliminated anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community.[6]

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.[7] 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."[8]

Personal life

Manheimer is married to Mark Harris, long-time educator and Hall of Fame wrestling coach at Enka High School. They have three sons.[2] She is the third Jewish mayor of Asheville, after Ken Michalove in 1989 and Leni Sitnik in 1997.[9]

Electoral history

Asheville City Council Election, 2009
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
Asheville Mayoral Election, 2013
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
Asheville Mayoral Election, 2017
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
Asheville Mayoral Election, 2022
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

  1. ^ "Esther E. Manheimer Profile | Asheville, NC Lawyer | Martindale.com".
  2. ^ a b Forbes, David (January 21, 2015). "An interview with Mayor Esther Manheimer". The Asheville Blade.
  3. ^ "Making a Difference as Elected Officials". Hadassah Magazine. 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  4. ^ "Mayor Esther Manheimer". Alumni Association. 2015-09-01. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  5. ^ "Brief Rundown of Mayoral and City Council Candidates". The Tribune Papers. November 3, 2013.
  6. ^ Burgess, Joel (March 30, 2016). "Updated: Asheville mayor makes statement on HB 2". Citizen-Times.
  7. ^ "11 U.S. Mayors Commit To Developing Pilot Projects For Reparations," Associated Press (June 18, 2021)
  8. ^ "Asheville among tiny number of cities to back reparations," Associated Press (July 16, 2020).
  9. ^ Neal, Dale. "Jewish congregation marks long history in Asheville". The Asheville Citizen Times. Retrieved 2021-02-12.


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