After a competitive nationwide search, Mayor Esther Manheimer and City Council are pleased to announce that they have named Brad R. Branham as Asheville’s next City Attorney.
City Council voted unanimously to name Branham to the position during a special called meeting prior to Council’s regular meeting March 12. He will begin in his new role on April 8.
“The City Council enthusiastically appoints Brad Branham as Asheville’s City Attorney,” said Mayor Manheimer. “Brad brings a depth of knowledge on topics such as transit, affordable housing, complex redevelopment of City-owned land, and other legal challenges that must be tackled to continue to deliver a better quality of life for all of Asheville’s residents.”
While Branham comes to the City of Asheville following his most recent job as Senior Assistant City Attorney for the City of Charlotte, he’s no newcomer to our city. He’s a UNC Asheville grad who earned double undergraduate degrees — a bachelor of arts in economics and a bachelor of science in management — prior to earning his juris doctorate from the Wake Forest University School of Law.
“The City of Asheville has long held a special place in my heart,” Branham said. “I first arrived in the city as an 18-year-old college freshman, and Asheville quickly become my home. Although life has taken me away from it, my desire to return has endured.”
“I am immensely honored and humbled by my selection to be the next City Attorney,” Branham added, “and I am committed to fulfilling the expectations of the City Council, which entrusted me with this task.”
As City Attorney, Branham will advise Council and management in matters of municipal law. He will serve as lead litigation counsel and oversee the City’s Legal Department.
Branham’s tenure in Charlotte began in 2012. He served as legal counsel for the Real Estate Division as well as the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS). In that role, he provided legal support to facilitate the launch of Charlotte’s light rail extension project. Now he will bring his expertise to the City of Asheville
“The City of Asheville has a stellar reputation as a destination of choice, and it will be a privilege to once again call it home,” Branham said. “I am excited to build upon the successes of the past, and continue to work to provide the city with the level of exceptional and ethical legal service that a place of this caliber deserves.”
Please join us in welcoming Brad R. Branham to the City of Asheville!