The Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara announced Nov. 12 that she will run for a District 1 seat on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.

Other candidates who have declared an intent to stand for election for District 1 include Asheville City Councilmen Cecil Bothwell and Gordon Smith and civil rights activist Isaac Coleman.

From Beach-Ferrara’s press release:

Jasmine Beach-Ferrara Launches Run for Buncombe County Commission

Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara announced today that she is running for a seat on the Buncombe County Commission. She is seeking the District 1 seat being vacated by Holly Jones, who is running for Lt. Governor of North Carolina. Beach-Ferrara is a Democrat and has served as Executive Director of the Campaign for Southern Equality since 2011. The primary election for this seat will take place on March 15, 2016.

Jasmine grew up in Chapel Hill, NC, raised by her mom, a public health nurse. Today, she and her wife, Meghann Burke, live in the East End neighborhood of Asheville with their one-year-old son. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Beach-Ferrara is the founding Executive Director of the Campaign for Southern Equality, an Asheville-based non-profit that promotes LGBT equality across the South. and led efforts to bring marriage equality to North Carolina and Mississippi.

“As a working mom and a minister, I know firsthand what’s at stake for Buncombe County families right now. But we do not have to accept childhood poverty, struggling schools, and soaring housing costs as unalterable conditions in our community. It won’t be easy to solve these local problems. But we can, we must, and I want to help. We need new voices in our political process, a commitment to finding common ground, and a County Commission that reflects our community.”

Beach-Ferrara has not previously sought elected office.