The county built its network first, in 2022, and the city copied its rulebook. These are the people who decide what the county’s cameras do: the sheriff (on the ballot), the board that funds him (three seats on the ballot), the staff who certify payments, the school board, and the district attorney.
On the ballot November 3, 2026
| Role | Since | Surveillance record | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quentin Miller | Sheriff, seeking a 3rd term | 2018 | Built the Fusus network; his policies allow sharing for “intelligence operations” with no federal limit |
| Gary Parris | Republican nominee for sheriff | Feb 24, 2026: pledged a “Unified Operations Intelligence Center to share actionable intelligence with all agencies”; nothing found on Fusus, Flock, or plate readers (searched Sept 17) | |
| Board of Commissioners | All seven, plus the November candidates | No member has questioned the RTIC on the record since 2022 | |
| Board of Education | Buncombe County Schools board, plus Asheville City Schools | Controls deputy access to ~1,500 school cameras; no public vote on the agreement is on the record; three seats on the ballot |
County government
| Role | Why they’re here | |
|---|---|---|
| Amanda Edwards | Commission chair | Funds the sheriff’s network; signed the 2025 “do not participate in ICE operations” statement |
| Martin Moore | Commissioner; incoming District Attorney | No public statement on the county network found |
| Avril Pinder | County manager | Presents a budget with no RTIC line |
| Melissa Moore | Finance director | Preaudit certificates; the enterprise fund; the DOJ paperwork |
| Rob Jackson | BCS superintendent, retiring Sept 1, 2026 | Inherited the 2021 schools MOU; no public vote revisiting it |
| Todd Williams | District Attorney, leaving Dec 31 | The April 30, 2026 support letter |
The county network itself: Buncombe County. The law that divides the sheriff from the board: What the Law Lets the County Do. The city’s deciders: Asheville.