Pete Kaliner

Pete Kaliner

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Asheville gets a look at disparity study results

The Asheville City Council will receive a report later this month on whether businesses owned by minorities and women are being shut out of city contracts. But the draft findings of the disparity study were presented yesterday to the City Council's Planning and Economic Development Committee.

The consultant studied $118 million worth of City contracts and subcontracts over a five-year period (from July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2017).

They found $12.3 million (or about 10.4%) went to minority- and women-owned businesses. Mostly businesses owned by white women (about 8.8%).

The study looked at four major industries: construction, professional services, goods, and general services. Construction made up most contract dollars, which skews the data towards white male business owners, as well as hispanic male business owners.

Cities are limited by discrimination laws in how they can boost MWB participation. The full Council will look at the draft results on November 27 with public meetings on November 28.

The committee also heard an update on how small infill development regulations are (and aren't) working.

Here's a link to the committee agenda and support materials.

And here is a link to the video of the meeting, although the audio is absolutely terrible:



Pete's Prep Sheet: Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018

  • FOX News is boycotting Twitter, in an apparent protest of the social media platform's impotent response to attacks on host Tucker Carlson. "Twitter apparently refused to delete tweets with Carlson’s address,  according to a Fox News source cited by Tribune Media’s content manager  Scott Gustin."

  • Are Democrats now the "Party of the Rich?" Reason Magazine reports how President Trump's campaign appealing to "the working man" may actually be helping force a realignment of the wealthy. According to the piece, an analysis of wealthy congressional districts indicates rich voters have swung toward the Democrats. "It's not clear whether that will be a long-term realignment."

  • From the Department of Obvious Observations and Predictable Studies, when people don't have to drive their own car, they'll do things in the car that are harder to do while driving. From the NY Post: "People will be more likely to eat, sleep and engage in on-the-road  hanky-panky when robot cars become the new normal, according to research  published in the most recent issue of the journal Annals of Tourism Research."

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