The Board of Commissioners cannot direct the sheriff, but it adopts his budget every June, certifies his contracts, and co-signs the federal forfeiture paperwork (What the Law Lets the County Do). The last commissioners to question the RTIC on the record, Jasmine Beach-Ferrara and Brownie Newman, left the board in 2024. No statement on the network from any current commissioner was found as of Oct 7, 2026. Two votes are on record. On April 2, 2024, Amanda Edwards, Martin Moore, Terri Wells and Al Whitesides were among the five who approved $250,000 of forfeiture money “to purchase surveillance equipment,” 5 to 0, with no discussion recorded (minutes). On Oct 6, 2026, the board removed a $290,000 forfeiture request for the “FY27 FUSUS/Axon Contract” from its agenda on Drew Ball’s motion, seconded by Moore, with no reason stated (county video, 0:02:53; the request).
The board
| District | Since | On the camera question | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amanda Edwards, chair | 1 | chair Dec 2024 | Signed the Nov 2025 joint “do not participate in ICE operations” statement; nothing on data; voted yes Apr 2, 2024 ($250,000 forfeiture, surveillance equipment); chaired Oct 6, 2026 when the FUSUS/Axon request was removed |
| Martin Moore, vice chair | 2 | 2024 | Effectively the incoming District Attorney; no RTIC position; seconded the Apr 2, 2024 approval and the Oct 6, 2026 removal |
| Al Whitesides | 1 | 2016 | On the board for the July 2022 $130,000 vote; no statement found; voted yes Apr 2, 2024 |
| Jennifer Horton | 1 | Dec 2024 | Succeeded Beach-Ferrara; no statement found |
| Terri Wells | 2 | 2020 | On the board in 2022; on FY2027: “I support this budget in order to have a better future for all of Buncombe” (BPR); voted yes Apr 2, 2024; away Oct 6, 2026 |
| Parker Sloan | 3 | 2020 | Progressive record on housing and environment; nothing on surveillance |
| Drew Ball | 3 | Dec 2024 | Running for Asheville City Council; moved the Oct 6, 2026 removal of the FUSUS/Axon request; his candidate statements are on his page |
Every budget that funds the network has passed unanimously, most recently the $484.4M FY2027 budget on June 2, 2026 (WLOS). The roll call on the July 2022 RTIC appropriation is not in any source found; the minutes would have it.
On the November 3, 2026 ballot
- District 1: Anna Stearns (D, Black Mountain attorney; platform lists housing, infrastructure, mental health, addiction services, nothing on public safety per her site) vs Rob Stetson (R)
- District 2 (open): Lonnie Israel (D; won the primary 57.7% over Terry Threadwell) vs Greg Parks (R)
- District 3: Al Whitesides (D), unopposed
No surveillance position has been found for any of the four contested-seat candidates (as of Aug 22, 2026). The question for each: would they separate surveillance technology into its own line in the sheriff’s budget and condition it on published audits? (Election 2026)
Staff who hold the paper
Avril Pinder (county manager) · Melissa Moore (finance director)