Terry Bellamy, the first African American and second woman to serve as mayor of Asheville, North Carolina, was born Terry Michelle Whitmire on July 9, 1972, to Floyd Smith, a factory worker, and Luella Whitmire, an administrative assistant.
Whitmire has three siblings. She graduated from Asheville High School in 1990. Afterward, she enrolled at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte and received a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1994. Throughout her university years she worked part-time at a local drive-in restaurant and was active as a cheerleader, debate team member, and Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). She was also initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. while at UNC Charlotte.
After graduation, from 1995 to 1997, Whitmire served as an office assistant and assistant director for the Hillcrest Enrichment Program.ย In 1999 at the age of 27, she was elected to the Asheville City Council. The following year, 2000, Whitmire married Lamont Bellamy of Jersey City, New Jersey. The couple have two children, Seth and Imani.
Bellamy began serving as vice mayor in 2001, and four years later, in 2005, at 33, ran for the mayorโs post, receiving 10,534 votes (56.8%) to opponent Joe Dunn’s 8,004 votes (43.2%). With that victory she became the youngest mayor in the cityโs history and the first African American mayor of Asheville.
In 2010, Bellamy, who describes herself as a conservative Democrat, voted against providing same-sex partner benefits to city employees. She actively supported Ashville receiving the United States Department of Justiceโs Weed and Seed site designation for the West Riverside Neighborhood. In addition, Bellamy was active in the planning process of the City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy.
In 2012 Bellamy ran for Congress, campaigning for the 10th District seat held by Republican Patrick T. McHenry but she was defeated by Patricia Keever in the Democratic primary on May 8, 2012.ย Bellamyโs last year as Mayor of Ashville was 2014.
In 2019, former Mayor Bellamy served as the Director of Community and Economic Development for Madison County.ย She later served as Director of Communication for the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville and the following year (2020) she received a Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership at Western Carolina University in Asheville, North Carolina.
