- Title
- Candidate for Asheville City Council · jeweler · president, River Arts District Artists’ Association · jeffreyforasheville.com
- In this role since
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- Current term ends
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- Next voter decision
- Nov 3, 2026: City Council general; advanced from the March 3 primary (7%) · Election 2026
Surveillance record
No prior office, so no votes. Two campaign statements, both posted to his campaign’s Instagram account:
- May 14, 2026, two days after council authorized the RTIC grant and the Axon contract (the May 12 record): “I’ve been hearing from a lot of my neighbors and constituents that they do not support the RTIC or the Axon agreement. I hear you loud and clear. If I had been on council, I would have voted no. Proud of everyone who showed up and stuck it out on Tuesday night. Your voice matters and will forever live in the public record. Keep organizing, speaking out, and asking questions.” (the reel, caption)
- Aug 25, 2026, the day council voted to end the Flock contract (the Aug 25 record): “Asheville, I’ve been listening to you and my stance has not changed since May. To speak plainly: I am against mass surveillance. I support ending our city contract with Flock cameras. I support protecting civil liberties and privacy. See you at 5:00 PM at City Hall.” (the reel, caption) Whether he spoke at the meeting’s public comment is not recorded on this site.
- Sept 16, 2026. Answered the surveillance and check-ins questions at the West Asheville council candidate forum; his words and audio are in the forum section below.
He was the first of the six council candidates to state a position on the RTIC or the Flock contract; Drew Ball and Keith Young followed at the Sept 16 forum. Neither statement addresses the questions still open after the Aug 25 vote: a surveillance-oversight ordinance, posting of the itemized Axon quote and the RTIC’s audits, or a council vote before the fixed Axon plate readers already authorized under the contract are installed (Getting Flock Out · Promise Tracker).
At the Sept 16, 2026 candidate forum
Words are from an audience recording this site holds, with ums and repeats removed and nothing else changed; times are minutes into it. Every candidate’s answers are on the Sept 16 forum record.
On surveillance and the Flock vote (3:37)
“How did we get to this place where neighbors are talking to neighbors in a way where we’re not able to find common ground? It’s because if you look at it systemically, the pipeline is broken.” (3:50)
“If CPAC or Citizens Police Advisory Committee had been enacted, and it was paused in 2020, would this have been something that came through the pipeline that would have enabled our community to be able to lead and have conversations about this? So that instead of it getting passed, we were able to have a conversation about this maybe within the last two years as this grant was being worked through.” (4:13)
“There are community members who want this technology and there are community members who don’t. And the reason we’re at this pivotal time is because we didn’t do the work ahead of time.” (4:47)
“Could I vote on supporting this tomorrow? We haven’t done the work. We haven’t sat as a community and felt and realized what is important and what we value.” (5:24)
He cited a Texas case of a woman seeking reproductive care who was subpoenaed and jailed “because of these systems” (5:39). The committee’s history is on Police oversight in Asheville, 1991 to 2026.
On three-person check-ins out of public view (52:27)
“If this is the work that’s happening to leading to the result of the vote, it just needs to be done in public. It’s not that difficult.”
“So maybe just have that meeting once, maybe go ahead and tape it, put everything down. If it’s going to be said out loud, if there’s nothing to hide … then there’s no reason that it can’t just be done out in public.” (53:05)
In his words
- “If I had been on council, I would have voted no.” (Instagram, May 14, 2026)
- “I am against mass surveillance. I support ending our city contract with Flock cameras.” (Instagram, Aug 25, 2026)
The question for him
The River Arts District and downtown business communities are where Fusus’s private-camera integration recruits (What Is the RTIC): business owners will be asked to wire their cameras into the police network. Where does he stand on that? And on the three commitments the record still leaves open: an oversight ordinance, releasing the Axon contract and audits, and a vote before any fixed reader goes in (the questions to ask).
Region: Asheville · Last verified: Sept 17, 2026
Region: Asheville · Last verified: September 17, 2026