Esther Manheimer

Esther Manheimer
Manheimer aboard Marine One in 2024
Mayor of Asheville, North Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office December 10, 2013
Vice Mayor	Sheneika Smith
Preceded by	Terry Bellamy
Personal details
Born	Esther Elizabeth Manheimer (1971-07-24) July 24, 1971 Skyum Bjerge, Thy, Jutland, Denmark
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mark David Harris
Children	3
Education	University of Colorado Boulder (BA) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (JD, MPA)

Esther Elizabeth Manheimer (born July 24, 1971) is an American politician and attorney. She has served as the mayor of Asheville, North Carolina, since 2013.

Early life and education

Manheimer was born on July 24, 1971, in the hamlet of Skyum Bjerge in Thy, Denmark, to American expat parents. She has two siblings. Her family returned to the United States when she was three, and she lived in San Diego, Olympia and Spokane, Washington, and Bethesda, Maryland before moving to Asheville when she was 17.

Manheimer graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, and she served as campus director of the American Movement for Israel and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning degrees in law and a Master of Public Administration.

Career

After graduating from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Manheimer returned to Asheville, North Carolina in 2002. She was elected to the Asheville City Council in 2009 and served until 2013. She was elected mayor of Asheville in 2013.

In March 2016, Manheimer spoke out against the controversial Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, state legislation that eliminated anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community.

In June 2021, Manheimer was one of 11 U.S. mayors to form Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), a coalition of municipal leaders dedicated to starting pilot reparations programs in their cities. Earlier, in July 2020, the Asheville City Council had "voted to approve reparations in the form of investments in areas of disparity for Black residents."

Personal life

Manheimer is married to Mark Harris, long-time educator and Hall of Fame wrestling coach at Enka High School. They have three sons. She is the third Jewish mayor of Asheville, after Ken Michalove in 1989 and Leni Sitnik in 1997.

Electoral history

Asheville City Council Election, 2009

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Esther Manheimer	6,586	19.2
	Nonpartisan	Gordon Smith	6,318	18.5
	Nonpartisan	Cecil Bothwell	5,919	17.3
	Nonpartisan	Carl Mumpower	4,754	13.9
	Nonpartisan	J. Neal Jackson	3,487	10.2
	Nonpartisan	Ryan Croft	2,530	7.4
	Write-in		4,627	13.5
Total votes			34,221	100.0

Asheville Mayoral Election, 2013

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Esther Manheimer	8,375	68.3
	Nonpartisan	John Miall	3,810	31.1
	Write-in		71	0.6
Total votes			12,256	100.0

Asheville Mayoral Election, 2017

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Esther Manheimer (incumbent)	13,051	80.7
	Nonpartisan	Martin Ramsey	3,009	18.6
	Write-in		106	0.7
Total votes			16,116	100.0

Asheville Mayoral Election, 2022

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Esther Manheimer (incumbent)	20,790	54.05
	Nonpartisan	Kim Roney	17,677	45.95
	Write-in
Total votes				100.0