The following candidates are running for the HCCA Board of Directors in 2020. Please come vote at our annual meeting on Monday, March 2 at 7:00 pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

Candidates for Board Seats 1-6 (one-year term to expire in 2021)

• Holly Arghiere: To participate as a member of the board of the Haw Creek Community Association is an opportunity to become more engaged within the place I love and call home.
• Elizabeth Matthews: I’ve lived in Haw Creek for 40 years. I’m proud of our community and want to be part of the team that continues to work for keeping us safe in all respects.
• Susan Michael: Susan Michael is a natural collaborator and will listen to what the community values and help bring those visions to fruition. She has facilitation skills that would be valuable in meetings. She has a passion for the community and has many ideas that would help the community become more friendly, not only to new people, but to those who have been here a long time. She recognizes the need for a solution to the Haw Creek entry off of Tunnel Road and would work to achieve that goal. She would love to see more sidewalks so our neighborhood is more user friendly to pedestrians and would do all she can to achieve this goal. She sees a need for our streets to be improved and would love to further this initiative along. She would love to keep our greenways and improve upon them, securing more spaces that all neighbors can enjoy. She has hosted parties to welcome new neighbors and has sensed a yearning for more of these gatherings, which she will encourage. She would be a great addition to the Haw Creek Community Association Board.
• Georgena Millar: I have lived in several areas in Buncombe County but my home and heart are in Haw Creek. Being able to hike to the Parkway or share an evening with friends surrounding a warm fire or being in Asheville in 10 minutes is wonderful. I live in the North Haw Creek zone at Haw Creek Villas.  Many years back we started a “Final Friday” get-together; monthly we host an outdoors gathering for shared food and fun. I have lived here for almost 30 years but it was only a few years ago that I became an active association member by working on Move Haw Creek.  Through the meetings and work, I gained a greater appreciation of our diverse needs.  The problem of how people in Haw Creek can move safely is an ongoing issue. I would like to continue working with other residents as a Haw Creek Association Board member.
• Jason Monstrola: I’ve lived in Haw Creek for the past decade and have been serving on the Haw Creek Board for the last two years.  I’ve enjoyed being able to engage with the community and neighbors for the benefit of Haw Creek.
• Renate Rikkers: Hello Neighbors, As a Haw Creek home owner since 1998, I’ve been committed to taking action for “Green and Clean” concerns. I am running for our Community Association board to support environmental stewardship for the great valley we live in. Precious open spaces are quickly disappearing.  We continue to lose important possible green spaces to development.  Despite its rural character, Haw Creek has few safe walking options which limits how we connect with and get to know our neighbors and community. These are concerns we all share and need to address. Litter is a significant problem in the Asheville area, and in Haw Creek. With tremendous support from GreenWorks and a great Haw Creek group of volunteers, the HAW CREEK LITTER BRIGADE, we have done many litter clean-ups on New Haw Creek Road over the past 10 years.  GreenWorks has been instrumental in helping organize several creek clean-ups, pulling out tons of plastic, junk, and tires.  Last fall, we tackled the overwhelm of kudzu invasion at our Haw Creek Park, with 50 local high school students contributing hard labor. Vote for the great candidates running for the 2020 Haw Creek board!

Candidates for Board Seats 7-12 (two-year term to expire in 2022)

• Nancy Baker: I have lived in the Haw Creek for over 15 years and love this community. I want to work to make sure we keep our beautiful area with as much open space as possible. Continue to work for better transportation with our bus lines.

• Wyndy (Rhonwyn) Bonesteel: I have lived in Haw Creek since 2002. I am grateful to enjoy both the convenience of living close to downtown while retreating to the beautiful and quiet community of Haw Creek. We have the luxury of great hiking trails, a neighborhood school, public ball fields and pool for our children, a nearby golf course, and now even amazing restaurants. My husband and I have raised two boys here in Haw Creek, and I look forward to sharing all of these amenities with grandchildren one day. While I believe that Haw Creek is already amazing, I also believe there is room for improvement. I would love the opportunity to dig in and give back to the community that has given so much to me.

• Patrick M Gilbert: I consider service in a community organizations a civic responsibility. I did that during the time I lived in Southern Shores in Dare County, and now, living in Asheville. There are many important issues facing  communities, not the least of which are those related to development, and more specifically, to the push toward limiting public input into the development process. The Haw Creek Community Association and its members deserve to have a voice in addressing issues that affect the community’s well-being and quality of life. As a Board member, I will work to preserve that voice and to strengthen the community. I currently serve on the following: Vice President, Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods (CAN); Member, City of Asheville Urban Forestry Commission (UFC); Member, City of Asheville Noise Ordinance Board of Appeals; Member, Tree Protection Task Force; Alternative Representative from the UFC to the City of Asheville Technical Review Committee. On behalf of CAN, I co-wrote a proposed new City of Asheville Noise Ordinance, nearly all of which will soon go before the City Council. I’m also involved in writing a Tree Protection Amendment to the UDO and revisions to the City of Asheville Tree Ordinance.

• Torin Kexel: I am Torin Kexel and my wife Alice and I and our children live on Bell Rd. As new homeowners in Haw Creek we love the community and plan to be here a long time. As parents we want to protect our family and keep them safe, not only from crime but also safe simply to take a walk. Haw Creek needs more safe places to walk whether it be sidewalks or greenways or trails.  If elected, I pledge to help make this happen. As a small business owner–Flying Bike Electric Bike Tours on Coxe Ave–I’m used to taking initiative, solving problems and helping the public. I will bring this same focus to service on the association board. As a continually growing community, traffic in Haw Creek will likely increase. We need to plan for this with improvements such as preservation of open spaces and dedicated places for walking and biking. I believe our community association should actively invite public participation as this leads to better decision making. If elected, this is the leadership model I will follow. Please vote Torin Kexel. Thank you.

• Barber Melton: One of the founders of Haw Creek Community Assoc over 30 years ago. Resident for 78 years. Neighborhood activist for entire community over 33 years. Presently I am Chair of the Neighborhood Advisory Comm which is appointed by City Council to interact and also help neighborhoods get organized. I am responsible for East Asheville. Also sit on the Close The Gap Committee, newly appointed by the city, which is formulating a new plan for Greenways, ADA complaint sidewalks, etc. and transportation plan. This will be one plan instead of separate plans. I sit on the Committee working with the TDA to come up with a plan that Neighborhoods can get some money spent on infrastructure that we pay for but tourists use.  I am very involved with Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods which is an umbrella group that are advocates for concerns of neighborhoods throughout the City and we stay abreast of changes to the ordinances that effect neighborhoods. It would be a privilege to stay on the board of this very active and well-informed Haw Creek Community Assoc.   Thank you.

• Chris Pelly: I’m Chris Pelly and my wife Juanita and I have lived on Cisco Rd 28 years. Haw Creek is a wonderful place to call home. The mountain ridges that border our valley remind me of a comforting blanket and the neighbors who inhabit our valley are friendly and courteous. We have much for which to be thankful. As nice as Haw Creek is, challenges exist. I worry about the safety of residents, especially children, as they walk and bike our community. With ever more people moving in, without action, the safety of our residents will diminish. As growth and development continues, our challenge as residents is how best to respond. Stopping growth–not allowing any further building–is not an option. The law allows development, besides, people need a place to live. A better course of action is identifying the unmet needs in our community and working together to address them. For this reason I ask your vote for a seat on the Haw Creek Community Association board of directors. If you want action on sidewalks, greenways, walking trails and land preservation, I will be a strong advocate. Please Vote Chris Pelly for a safer Haw Creek.

• Wayne Robbins: Hi, I am Wayne Robbins, and my family has lived in Haw Creek since 2013 and in the Asheville area for over 20 years.  I live in the Sondley neighborhood with my wife and two boys, 11 and 15.  We also have a daughter who is 22 who is out of the home, living her dream in Colorado.  My main reason for wanting to be an HCCA Board Member is because I want my community to be a safer place for everyone.  I would love to work toward having more sidewalks in our community, for example.  It would also be great to have more public spaces, like parks and playgrounds.  I want to be able to advocate for funds and use them to make our community a better place.  I will be at the meeting on Monday, March 2nd and will deliver a more thorough statement at that time.  Thank you!