Asheville Faces Lawsuit Over Promotion Practices
The federal filing challenges the city's internal hiring processes for finance and fire department management positions.
Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Human Resources
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City employee Alisha Mazza filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 28, 2026, alleging racial discrimination and retaliation by the city of Asheville. The complaint challenges internal promotion processes for finance and fire department roles.
Why it matters
The suit highlights ongoing operational tensions regarding internal promotion equity, as the city faces scrutiny over historical hiring data and the implementation of its Equity Action Plan.
The lawsuit cites data showing that 94.2% of temporary higher-grade assignments were granted to white employees, compared to 5.8% for Black employees. Additionally, the filing notes 17 Black female employees have reported denials for internal promotions.
The players
Alisha Mazza
An employee of the city of Asheville who filed the discrimination lawsuit.
Asheville Fire Department
A municipal emergency services agency that manages its own administrative and financial hiring.
Rebecca Ogles
A city employee named as a defendant in the federal lawsuit.
Christopher Budzinski
A Deputy Fire Chief at the Asheville Fire Department named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Carter Development Group
A consulting firm that conducted the 2024 city audit titled Cease the Harm.
The details
The lawsuit claims the city systematically bypassed more qualified internal candidates in favor of white applicants. Operational hiring panels and promotion processes are at the center of the dispute, following an audit by Carter Development Group titled Cease the Harm. The city’s workforce composition and history of assigning high-level roles remain key focal points for legal review.
Timeline
June 19, 2018: City Council adopted an Equity Action Plan.
May 2025: Mazza applied for a storm recovery position.
September 2025: Mazza applied for a fire department position.
October 9, 2025: Jessica Hughes was selected for the fire position.
October 28, 2026: Mazza filed the federal lawsuit.
Market Landscape
This litigation follows the 2024 Cease the Harm audit, which evaluated the city’s adherence to its 2018 Equity Action Plan. The case reflects broader concerns regarding how municipal hiring panels execute internal promotion policies against stated equity targets.
Operators in the public sector should review their own internal promotion documentation and hiring panel metrics to ensure parity. Documenting the specific qualifications and rationales used in promotion decisions remains critical for compliance and risk management.
The takeaway
This case highlights the importance of maintaining transparent, evidence-based criteria for every internal promotion to mitigate discrimination claims. Management should track the demographic breakdown of temporary assignments and promotion outcomes to ensure operational policies align with company-wide equity commitments.
Further reading
For context on how municipalities manage internal hiring policy, review our latest Human Resources analysis.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Asheville Citizen Times.
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