Drew Ball is a seasoned environmental advocate, public policy expert, and community organizer with over two decades of experience. Holding a Master’s in Public Administration from American University and a B.A. in Political Science from NC State, Drew is currently the Southeast Campaigns Director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He also serves as a volunteer firefighter at Reynolds Volunteer Fire Department.

Drew is a board member of the North Carolina Sierra Club and co-chairs its state political committee. He has worked on Democratic campaigns since 2004, including serving as the Western Regional Director for Voter Protection during the 2020 Biden/Harris campaign.

When Hurricane Helene struck, Drew worked tirelessly with his fire department, helping lead disaster relief efforts, opening a community supply depot, while also raising money to support disaster relief. As Buncombe County enters the next phase of recovery, Drew hopes to bring his policy experience and passion for service to the county commission.

His priorities include helping neighbors recover, rebuilding with a focus on resilience, protecting our environment, addressing rising housing costs, ensuring access to quality education for all children, and supporting local businesses. Drew is committed to maintaining Buncombe County’s welcoming atmosphere while safeguarding its unique character.

In his free time, Drew is a musician who organizes events for nonprofits and the Democratic Party, and he enjoys hiking and maintaining trails with the Carolina Mountain Club. Learn more about Drew and why he's running at www.ball4yall.com

Doug is a life-long Democrat and retired water resource scientist living in East Asheville (Precinct 25.1). Over his 40-plus year career he worked for consulting engineering firms on a diversity of water and wastewater planning and permitting, stormwater and watershed management, and infrastructure environmental assessment and permitting projects. Most of his experience has been for local, state, and federal government agencies focused on infrastructure planning and implementation. While he had the opportunity to work across the country (and internationally), his focus has always been in the southeast. One of his most relevant experiences was leading the development of the integrated water resources management plan for the metropolitan Atlanta area which involved 15 counties and 90 cities in central Georgia. A key element of this project was the development of model ordinances for floodplain and stormwater management to be applied across the entire region addressing both water quality and flooding concerns.

Currently, Doug is on the board of directors for two local non-profits - RiverLink and Environmental Quality Institute - is active with the Haw Creek Community Association and a member of Leadership Asheville Forum. He is, above all, a “get it done” person that works well with diverse teams to address critical issues. Doug and his wife, Wendy, have been married for nearly 40 years and they have one daughter who’s lived in Asheville for 14 years.

J is a Licensced Clinical Mental Health Counselor who listens deeply and applies hard-earned wisdom to help people of all ages and backgrounds. She is eager to help Buncombe County not just recover from the impacts of Helene but come back even stronger and better positioned for the future. She loves to listen to people to understand their concerns and their unique perspective, and to find common ground to improve lives. Her priorities include helping area businesses, entrepreneurs and artists thrive, reimagining our infrastructure for resiliency and flexibility, investing in our schools for a brighter future, and providing support for our struggling neighbors.

J grew up in West Virginia and worked for the Space Shuttle Program in Florida for 23 years, beginning in Software Quality, advancing to Software Engineering, and moved up to Project Engineering, despite having no technical background. When the program ended, she worked a variety of jobs: as a grocery store clerk, in workforce development, in education as a substitute, coach, teacher’s aide, teacher, and data entry person, as a tax preparer, as a human resources assistant, as a gig worker for Uber and Rover, and delivering pizzas.

J earned her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling and moved to Asheville in 2021. She has been working hard to increase turnout in her position as District 9.1 Vice Chair, and teaching many others how to canvass. J also volunteers at her church and Brother Wolf Animal Rescue. In her spare time, J enjoys running, writing and crafting.

Sabrina Delk is a dedicated community leader with more than a decade of experience in nonprofit management, communications, and public service. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Clemson University and a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from the University of South Carolina. She has lived in Asheville, specifically District 3, since January 2020.

Delk currently serves as the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Mars Hill University, where she fosters innovation and entrepreneurship by connecting students with local businesses and supporting an ecosystem of growth and opportunity. Her work includes developing partnerships, overseeing strategic initiatives, and managing projects that drive economic and educational outcomes.

Previously, Delk held various leadership roles with North Carolina Outward Bound School, where she led development strategies, raised millions in annual funding, and collaborated with diverse stakeholders to achieve organizational goals. Her career has been defined by her ability to engage communities, build meaningful relationships, and manage complex projects with precision and care.

Deeply committed to her community, Delk has served as an election official and Chief Judge with Buncombe County since 2020, and is passionate about civic engagement and transparent governance. She has dreamed of public service since childhood. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors and reading books from local independent bookstores.

Lauren is a dual-licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Clinical Addictions Specialist, with a longstanding record of public service in Buncombe County. Lauren has not just worked in the mental health field in WNC since 2016, she is also a product of its educational system, having obtained her bachelors degree from UNCA, and her masters from WCU. Both in her professional capacity where she connects the region’s Medicaid recipients to critical services, and in her work as a board member with both the North Carolina and local chapters of NAMI, Lauren works tirelessly to protect our most vulnerable neighbors here in Buncombe County. Lauren is also an elected official on the Woodfin Sanitary Water and Sewer District, following a race in which she received over 300% more votes than the incumbent she unseated. Lauren hopes to bring her public health subject matter expertise to the County Commission in this pivotal moment, when continued federal funding is far from certain.

Asheville native Kevan Frazier is an educator and downtown business owner who earned 18,990 votes in November's City Council race. Kevan rallied support for building a community in which all residents feel safe, welcome, and know they belong; a community that offers meaningful work, better wages, and a reasonable cost of living; and a community that ensures an equitable recovery from Hurricane Helene, reliable infrastructure, and effective environmental stewardship. Listening to voters over the past year shaped Kevan’s vision for our shared future.

Kevan believes that the power of community cannot be undervalued, especially in these trying times. Being in relationship with other people, human to human, is what makes life worth living. Kevan is connected with people throughout our community, region, and state through his work in education, community and economic development, and as a volunteer. As a primary-winning, campaign-tested leader, Kevan's vision, values, and history of service and collaboration are transparent.

Kevan is a leader on small business Helene recovery, serving on the County, Chamber, and Downtown Association workgroups. Kevan serves on nonprofit boards, is a longtime LGBTQᐩ business advisor, past professor at UNC Asheville, owner of Well Played Board Game Café, and longtime Executive Director of Western Carolina University’s Programs in Asheville at Biltmore Park. Kevan holds degrees from UNC Asheville (BA), Kent State University (MA), and West Virginia University (PhD).

Jay Lively has dedicated more than 20 years to making sure that folks in this community have access to a great education and a good job. His professional experience spans every level of education. Currently, Lively runs the Pathways to Freedom Program at A-B Tech, providing education and career counseling to justice-involved individuals. In this role, Lively has written grants and lobbied for state and federal resources that have allowed A-B Tech to increase their programming and the number of students they serve. Lively was elected Treasurer of the NC Prison Education Consortium, a state-wide coalition of educators that provide programming in prison settings. Lively has also worked with the Asheville City Schools Foundation, in early childhood education, high school/early college, and four-year colleges.

Lively is also passionate about our land and waterways. He owns a family farm in Kentucky and is working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to launch a native seed operation that will serve conservation programs across the Southeast. Lively supports small businesses and the people that run them, having started one himself a decade ago that connected businesses in Mexico to business in the United States. Lastly, Lively is deeply invested in the artists and makers of our community and serves on the Board of LEAF Global Arts.

These experiences – leveraging local, state and federal resources, both private and public – has laid the foundation for Lively to to fight for our youth, our working families, our land, and our small businesses in Buncombe County.

Aaron Sarver was raised in Eastern NC and graduated from public schools – New Hanover High School in Wilmington and N.C. State University with a B.A. in economics.

He moved to west Asheville in 2009. For six years he worked as the Communications Director of the Campaign for Southern Equality traveling across the South in the fight for LBGTQ equality. From 2019 to 2024, he worked at the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office. As Director of Public Affairs for Sheriff Miller he worked to strengthen community relationships and respond to the crisis of the opioid epidemic. In 2022, then A.G. Josh Stein toured the Buncombe County Detention Facility and called its drug treatment program the gold standard for the state of North Carolina.

Aaron has been actively involved in county and state Democratic politics since moving to WNC, including served on the BCDP board third vice chair from 2011-2013, the NCDP State Executive Committee and separately as a precinct chair in 15.1. In 2018, he was elected as Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor by the voters of Buncombe County. Aaron has been active with local non-profits and served on the board of Just Economics. This election cycle he was campaign manager for Martin Moore in his bid for the Court of Appeals.

In his free time, Aaron plays basketball, enjoys growing veggies in his yard and tending his apple trees. Helping on harvest days at 10 Mile Farm in Old Fort is one of his happy places.

Responsible, effective, and just use of our tax dollars in the best interest of all is County government’s most basic role. In this post-Helene era, Buncombe County has crucial choices to make. We must address both the immediate needs of our neighbors and the major challenges of long-term recovery. The decisions County Commission makes now about how to allocate government resources will have consequences for decades to come.

Two major natural disasters in recent years (the pandemic and Helene) have shown us how vulnerable we are to disruption of tourism, and how important it is to broaden our economic repertoire. With the support of County investment and incentives, Buncombe could become a national leader in sustainability-related products and services—building an equitable local economy with steady growth, increased climate resilience, and well-paying jobs. Our goals for housing, education, transportation, and infrastructure will all benefit from planning with a sustainability lens.

Nina is founder and director of SUSTAINAVL, a NC non-profit whose mission is to promote diversification of our region’s economy toward the sustainability sector. She has served as precinct chair [Shiloh 8.3], canvassed, poll-greeted, phone-banked, and been a poll-worker. She is a member of the Realignment Working Group, which will (after two years of inquiry and analysis) soon issue its report recommending best practices for Asheville’s Boards & Commissions.

Nina also makes art, writes poetry, and knits when no one’s looking. She is a graduate of Yale, and holds an MFA from SUNY.