Announcement from Vijay Kapoor:

My dad traveled a lot for work when my brother and I were growing up. We were a handful for my mom as she helped us with everything from homework to tying neckties. My parents made it work, but it wasn’t easy on either of them and they probably would have done it differently if they could have.

I’m at the age now that my dad was when, as a kid, I really began noticing the strain that his work trips were putting on our family. I’ve started to see similarities to the increasingly frequent travel that I’ve recently had to and will continue to have to make for my own company. My six-year old son has been asking me with that tone in his voice why I needed to go to Philadelphia again.

We had thought that as our children got older the travel would get easier, but the reality has been the opposite. That’s why Anne and I have decided to move our family back to the Philadelphia area this summer. This has not been an easy decision for us. We will always cherish our time here in Asheville and the friendships we have formed throughout this city.

This family decision requires that I resign from City Council but I will not do so until we move, which will be after the budget process in the summer.

Under the City Charter, it will be up to the remaining Council members to fill my vacancy when I resign. Though it will not be my decision, I would hope very much to be replaced by someone from South Asheville. I remain convinced that every part of the City should be represented by a Council member.

I want to sincerely thank those of you who voted for me and supported me as a candidate and as a Council member. I realize that you may be disappointed and I’m sorry that I will be leaving before my full term is up in 2022. I also want to thank those of you who weren’t fans of mine for providing me with differing opinions on issues. You may not believe it, but I listened to what you had to say even if I ultimately voted the other way. To City staff, you should know that I’ve worked with many local governments across the country and I want Asheville residents to know how fortunate they are to have this level of talent in a city this size.

I’m proud of the contributions that I have helped to make on Council including advocating for long-term financial planning as part of our budget process and pushing for a focus on our neighborhoods, core city services and appropriate pay for our employees. And, before I go, I’m looking forward to finalizing the 2020-2021 City budget which I hope will include a capital bond program and improvements to employee compensation, a tree ordinance, a noise ordinance, urban center zoning to address development, and better ethics rules.

Over the next few months, I will also do everything I can to support our response to COVID-19’s impact on our community. I ran to ensure that all residents could go to sleep feeling safe, fed, healthy and valued and I will work until my last day on Council to try to make that happen.

With gratitude,

Vijay