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

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

, 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 San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, Olympia and

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

, and

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

before moving to Asheville when she was 17.Forbes, David (January 21, 2015).
An interview with Mayor Esther Manheimer
. ''The Asheville Blade''. Manheimer graduated from the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University o ...

, 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 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

, earning degrees in law and a

Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...

Career

Manheimer-Biden-Oval-Office-Helene-Relief-Talks-HQ

After graduating from

, 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 The Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, commonly known as House Bill 2, Bathroom Bill, or HB2, was a North Carolina statute passed in March 2016 and signed into law by Governor of North Carolina, Governor Pat McCrory. The bill amended st ...

, state legislation that eliminated anti-discrimination protections for the

LGBTQ community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individu ...

. In June 2021, Manheimer was one of 11 U.S. mayors to form

Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE) is a coalition of U.S. mayors committed to paying reparations to African American citizens of their cities. The association was announced on June 18, 2021, in commemoration of the first federally r ...

(MORE), a coalition of municipal leaders dedicated to starting pilot

reparations Reparation(s) may refer to: Christianity * Reparation (theology), the theological concept of corrective response to God and the associated prayers for repairing the damages of sin * Restitution (theology), the Christian doctrine calling for re ...

programs in their cities."11 U.S. Mayors Commit To Developing Pilot Projects For Reparations,"
''Associated Press'' (June 18, 2021) 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." Manheimer-Speaker-Mike-Johnson

In September 2024, Manheimer met with then President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

aboard Marine One alongside North Carolina Gov.

Roy Cooper Roy Asberry Cooper III ( ; born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 75th List of governors of North Carolina, governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), De ...

and

FEMA The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

Administrator

Deanne Criswell Deanne Bennett Criswell is an American emergency management officer who served as the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency from 2021 to 2025. Criswell is the first woman to lead FEMA. She was previously the commissioner of th ...

to survey damages and discuss disaster relief efforts related to

Hurricane Helene Hurricane Helene ( ) was a deadly and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. It was the strongest hurricane on record to ...

Personal life

Manheimer is married to Mark Harris, long-time educator and Hall of Fame

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manheimer, Esther 1971 births Living people 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century mayors of places in North Carolina American lawyers Asheville, North Carolina City Council members Mayors of Asheville, North Carolina North Carolina Democrats Women city councillors in North Carolina Women mayors of places in North Carolina University of Colorado Boulder alumni University of North Carolina School of Law alumni UNC School of Government alumni People from Thisted Municipality Jewish American mayors Jewish American women in politics Jewish American people in North Carolina politics Danish emigrants to the United States 21st-century American Jews