From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE , N.C.  — Asheville Vice Mayor Antanette Mosley is under investigation by the North Carolina State Board of Elections regarding her residency and voting eligibility by claiming two primary residences at the same time.

“The allegations over Mosley allegedly claiming two primary residences are leading to questions about her integrity and, possibly, her ability to hold onto her job,” Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on Dec. 12.

Meanwhile, Gene Ellison, Mosley’s attorney, told News 13, “It’s all about the destruction of individuals, rather than the quality of the person that’s serving.” 

News 13 added, “This alleged violation is raising concerns over whether Mosley knowingly claimed two primary residences to run for office while also claiming tax benefits in Georgia.”

Ellison also told the TV station, “If she’s made a mistake, an oversight on some exemptions for moving to Asheville and moving from Georgia, she will accept the responsibility and pay the tax owed on that.”

From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Asheville Vice Mayor Antanette Mosley has officially filed for re-election to Asheville City Council despite questions that arose the previous week about her primary residence,which triggered an ongoing investigation by the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

Mosley filed her candidacy on Dec. 15, joining 19 other candidates who have filed to run for three open council seats, according to a candidate filings’ list compiled  by the Buncombe County Board of Elections.

Mosley was appointed to Asheville City Council in 2020, elected in 2022 and re-elected in 2024. 

In past elections, her voter registration showed her primary address as 3 Devonshire Place in Asheville. The same location was listed as Mosley’s address on her Dec. 15 filing.

Questions arose in mid-December about Mosley’s residency after records from Atlanta’s Fulton County Tax Assessor showed that Asheville’s vice mayor claimed a homestead exemption on a property in Northwest Atlanta, which, according to the tax assessor, can be done only if the home is the filer’s primary residence.

As for consequences that Mosley might face, AI Overview noted on Dec. 22 that “in North Carolina, an elected official found to have violated residency laws faces several severe legal and administrative consequences, ranging from immediate removal from office to criminal felony charges.”

From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The Dec. 5 appointment of Dakisha “DK” Wesley as Asheville’s new city manager — starting Jan. 12 — “has drawn public attention because her husband, Ardemis Wesley Jr., recently pleaded guilty to illegal gambling activities,” according to AI Overview.

In July 2025, he reached a plea deal that resulted in the dismissal of “multiple charges related to operating an illegal gambling house. He pleaded guilty to a single count of misdemeanor gambling,” AI Overview noted on Dec. 20.. 

Ardemis Wesley Jr. “was initially cited in April 2024 for operating an illegal gambling house at 1145 Tunnel Road in East Asheville, where high-stakes poker games were hosted.

While originally accused of operating an illegal gambling house (including running poker games and providing alcohol) for more than two years, his four citations for operation were dismissed/forgiven, and he was granted a “prayer for judgment” for a single gambling count in a plea bargain.

From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. —  Members of Asheville City Council met with Costco’s team during the second week of December to discuss the potential opening of a store in the Asheville area.

A zoning vote for the project is set for 2026.

“The discussions focused on jobs, traffic, wages and community impact. Costco representatives shared that they typically hire around 300 employees,” Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) noted on Dec. 12.

Councilwoman Kim Roney “provided an update on the discussions via a Facebook post, emphasizing the importance of affordability, sustainability and safe transportation infrastructure,” News 13 stated.

“Roney highlighted the potential for hundreds of new jobs and the goal of keeping grocery and gas costs down.

“The councilwoman also said there are 19,000 Costco members in the region who drive to the closest location in South Carolina and spend $20 million, meaning ‘Asheville will gain millions in sales tax revenue’ with the addition of a Costco in the city.”

Roney’s post added, “For a healthy economy and food system, we really need to be supporting local and small businesses, cooperatives and farms. Ultimately, this decision is about what our community needs on this industrial-zoned land.”

From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Citing wage concerns, diminished property taxes and the potential loss of the city’s last remaining industrial development site to retail, the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County recently voted to oppose the locating of a proposed Costco in the Enka Commerce Park, the website AVL Watchdog reported on Dec. 10.

.“By every measure — wages, tax base, and land use — the rezoning of Enka Commerce Park for Costco is simply not in Asheville’s best long-term interest,” Clark Duncan, the EDC’s executive director, wrote in an email to all seven Asheville City Council members in late October.

Costco has been searching for a Buncombe location for decades, and locals often drive to Spartanburg or Greenville, South Carolina, to shop at the retailer’s nearest store. 

Earlier this year, the company submitted an application to the city for a store with 839 parking spaces on 25 acres within Enka Commerce Park, a request that will require the city to approve a conditional zoning amendment..

“While we all enjoy the convenience and appeal of a nationally respected retailer like Costco, it will not grow local wages, accelerate recovery, or strengthen our fiscal foundation at this specific location,” Duncan wrote, referring to recovery from Tropical Storm Helene.

Duncan noted that several long-range plans for Asheville, including “Living Asheville,” “Buncombe 2025” and the “Asheville 5×5 Strategic Plan” all recommend “aligning workforce, infrastructure, and land use investments to grow household wages and strengthen the tax base needed to sustain essential public services.”