David Gantt
Chairman
Buncombe County Board of Commissioners

Education
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.A. in Economics, 1978) Campbell University Law School (J.D. 1981)

Bars and Courts
Admitted to bar, 1981, North Carolina and U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina; 1984, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, and U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina; 1985, U.S. Supreme Court.

Affiliations
28th Judicial District, North Carolina and American Bar Associations; President’s Club- North Carolina Advocates for Justice; Sustaining Patron- Advocates for Justice; National Association of Social Security Disability Claimant’s Representatives

Political
Elected to Buncombe County Commission 1996 to 2008
Elected to Chair of the Buncombe County Commission 2008- present
Elected as Chair of Land of Sky Regional Council 2001 to 2004

Current Community Board memberships
Asheville Airport Authority
Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee
Life Member NAACP
Chair- Disability Advocate Section of NC Advocates for Justice 2008
Member- NC Advocates for Justice Board of Governors 2008
NC Employment Security Commission 2008- Governor Easley appointment
Mountain Resources Commission 2010- Governor Perdue appointment

Past Community Board memberships
United Way
Eblen Charities Foundation
Metropolitan Sewerage District Board
Asheville Buncombe Community Relations Council
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Parents Council
Pack Square Conservancy Board
President, Glen Arden PTA
Dean, People’s Law School

Publications, Honors, and Awards
Board Certified in Worker’ Compensation Law by Board of Legal Specialization
“Woodson Workers’ Compensation Case,” North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers Magazine, January, 1996.
Editor of Buncombe County Lawyer Newsletter 1993- 1998
Charles Campbell Regional Leadership Award 2004
Circle of Excellence Award for Community Leadership 2005
NC State Bar Association Centennial Award for Community Service 2005
RiverWise Award for French Broad River preservation 2006
NC State Bar Association Citizen Lawyer Award 2007
Friends of the River Award 2007
Super Lawyer 2009
Top 100 Lawyers in NC- American Trial Lawyers Association 2009

Environmental
Initiated conservation easement program that has preserved over 3,000 acres of farmland and open spaces in Buncombe County
Initiated local law to protect steep slopes and ridge tops in County
Supported 1st countywide zoning plan to protect mountains and communities
Supported storm water ordinance that reduces flooding and landslide potential
Supported creation and funding of 30 acre urban park in downtown Asheville
Supported measures to limit condominiums on ridge tops and steep slopes
Supported County law limiting new cell tower construction on mountain tops
Supported measure to protect 80 acres of land adjoining the Blue Ridge Parkway
Support recycling center for compost, construction waste
Support one of best land fill programs in North America
Support measures to clean up junk yards, junk cars in Buncombe County
Support measures to clean up trash and garbage in Buncombe County
Support steep slope law to protect mountain slopes from over development
Initiated ordinance to ban new billboards in Buncombe County
Prepared documents that help stop destruction of StandHill Mt. local

Family
Married 30 years to Charise Gantt, pharmacist at Buncombe County Health Center. 2 children- Brett Gantt- Married, UNC graduate, NCSU graduate school working on PhD in atmospheric environmental studies and Carrie Gantt- George Washington University law student- 1st year

Presentation

How Spending on the Blue Ridge Parkway Impacts Local Communities

The Parkway presents us with immeasurable beauty, aesthetic qualities, and a national treasure. Today, the Blue Ridge Parkway welcomes 17 million people annually – more than any unit of the National Park Service – and has an economic impact of nearly $2.3 billion in the gateway communities along its corridor. This presentation will focus on how Parkway spending impacts the economies of the neighboring communities.