Title: City Council member · climate/sustainability consultant · chairs the Planning, Economic Development & Environment Committee (sometimes appears as Maggie Ullman Berthiaume) In this role since: Dec 2022 (elected Nov 2022, top vote-getter) Current term ends: Dec 2026 Next voter decision: Nov 3, 2026: seeking re-election, having co-led the March 3 primary field with ~16% (BPR) · Election 2026
Surveillance record
Voted yes on both RTIC items on May 12, 2026, and seconded both motions (each passed 6–1, Roney the sole no; confirmed on the city’s own video).
In her words
For the three months after her May 12 vote, through the loudest stretch of the controversy, nothing: no statement at council, on the campaign trail, or in the DSA, BPR, or Chamber questionnaires (checked through Aug 17, 2026). Her first public comments came at the August 20, 2026 agenda briefing on the Flock termination resolution (attribution confirmed by watching the video; captions don’t label speakers):
- She supports pulling the cameras now, past the old wind-down plan: “I was under the impression that 10 were coming down already and one would stay until February. I’m happy to move forward on just pulling them now, so long as we’re not increasing safety risks.” She also noted the neighborhood cameras residents asked to keep are county-owned and unaffected by the city’s vote, and that Flock cameras had produced leads in a recent case.
- And she drew a line at Axon: residents are saying “get rid of all surveillance… specifically, get rid of Axon,” but “the call for ‘get rid of Axon’… starts to hit a wall where I can’t fathom pulling back on our transparency tools.” Her question to Chief Stepp established the stakes of that line: everything APD runs besides Flock, body cameras and in-car cameras included, is Axon.
The line she drew protects body and dash cameras, tools with a real transparency case. What it doesn’t address is the part of the Axon contract that isn’t a transparency tool: the pre-authorized fixed plate readers a staff memo says the city is “expanding,” the same meeting’s central revelation. Whether her wall has a gate for Axon ALPRs is now her page’s open question.
Questions for her
Would she support a separate council vote before any fixed Axon plate reader goes up (demand 7)? Releasing the executed Axon contract? Publishing the quarterly audits (Promise Tracker)? As the primary’s top vote-getter, her answer would carry weight with the rest of the field. Contact: maggieullman@avlcouncil.com · see Election 2026.
Region: Asheville · Last updated: Aug 20, 2026