Shell may prove formidable for D-2

After a brief hiatus, it's good to be back...


...And right on time...for I just woke up this morning to the news that my friend Ryan Shell has publicly announced his long-rumored intentions to run for City Council for the city of Greensboro. .

But for which region? Shell apparently will make that decision shortly, either for an at-large spot or on District-2.

From his new campaign website, VoteShell.com:

“I have a ton of passion around helping District 2 because it’s where I live, and after doing work in the community I know it has opportunity for improvement,” said Shell. “On the other hand, as an At-Large representative I would be able to help unite the city - and do my part in bettering the lives of all our residents, something that I have a huge aspiration to do. At the end of the day I’ll run for the position that allows me to best serve Greensboro.”

Personally, I think he should run in D-2, and if Deena Hayes decides to run in D-2, this could very-well be a marquis match-up. In confirming recent rumors about her political future, Hayes recently told the News & Record that she likely would not run for City Council, but her "no" did not appear to be a hard "no" to me.

N&R:

Hayes said she’s been approached by “people in the community” to run for city council but said she is happy where she is. She added, however, that community urging got her to run for school board.

GSOMetro will be watchin' this one.

GM will also be watchin' the formidable D-4 race as Teresa Jobe begins ramping up her campaign. With Councilman Mary Rakestraw bowing out of the at-large field to run for the district, it could be an interesting one. Joel Landau is putting together a strategy as well.

And did I read this right...David Crawford is going to run again?

And I must admit I was a little saddened to hear Cyndy Hayworth will not be challenging Zack Matheny in D-3. Matheny in recent days has become more of a listener, a crucial trait to being a public official in this county. Time will tell if this will be a benefit to Matheny this fall.

But no matter who decides to run, they will need to hit the ground running, and attack our economy, our lack of jobs, our lack of relevance, and attack our public safety problem. GPD have had to deal with lots and lots of stick-ups, push-in robberies, and shootings over the past couple of days. They will also need to deal with an image problem, as evidenced in the recent survey giving City Council "low marks."

Talk is cheap, actions speak louder than words.

E.C. :)

Lack of a "Creative Class" in GSO???

If this recent Time Warner saga has proven anything, it shows that Greensboro lacks a creative class.

And the "real" mayor of Greensboro, my friend (and real former mayoral candidate) Billy Jones says this about our lack of a creative class:

While Greensboro’s "city leaders" continue to see development and new construction as the only way to build a world class city, more grown up cities like San Diego, California are showing the way by providing residents with the ways and means to convert to alternative energy thereby reducing San Diego’s dependence of imported sources of energy and propelling California’s economy over that of North Carolina and the rest of the nation.

As Roch Smith says today, new construction and development don't build world class cities.

And Guilford County Commissioner Paul Gibson's comment to the News & Record (in remarks regarding new Guilford County manager Brenda Jones Fox seals the deal:

"We aren't going to attract the best and brightest," Gibson said. "People are staying away from Guilford County. We're not going to be able to attract top talent."

Bam.

City Hall, are you listening?

E.C. :)

Political briefs for 4-16-09

1. Mike Chats with Ryan...City Councilman Mike Barber chatted online recently with Greensboro Politics' Ryan Shell. In this exchange, he's sounding more and more like a mayoral candidate instead of an outgoing city councilman.

An excerpt:

We must get out of anything that the private sector can do. It will happen over the next 10 years out of necessity; we will be ahead of the curve if we are visionary and proactive.

We should not build or buy another gov’t building that does not generate economic impact or fill a quality of life void.

We should get out of the amateur sports business and let communities and Y’s run our kids leagues.

We should reopen the landfill and plan for a future privatization of trash collection and other services. Staff will mention this tomorrow at our meeting.

We must differentiate all fees and pricing to benefit city taxpayers and charge a greater amount to those that use our services, e.g. coliseum parking, sports leagues (until eliminated), etc.

We must eliminate any program that makes decisions based on gender or skin tone, e.g. MBWE, some of the human relations dept functions etc.

He could very well be a force to be reckoned with. He bears watching.

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2. Nancy seeks old digs...Former City Councilman Nancy Vaughan tells the News & Record she will form a committee to run for Greensboro City Council once again, this time on the at-large ticket. She will join a crowded field.

Her intentions seem to be simple...and attractive:

"I've been displeased with the direction of the city," she said Tuesday. "We've lost our edge. That is very concerning to me."

Vaughan, who is married to North Carolina Sen. Don Vaughan, called for greater transparency and accountability in city government.

She too bears watching...

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3. From disappointing, to bad...to worse...speaking of Ryan Shell at Greensboro Politics, he is also reporting this morning that the District 2 seat being vacated (thankfully) by Goldie (not-so-golden) Wells will NOT be sought by Ray Trapp. Trapp, of the Triad Apartment Association, TREBIC and the city's Planning/Zoning Commission is rumored to pass on the chance to run.

But guess which name is now surfacing...school board loudmouth Deena Hayes. See my sister blog, Guilford School Watch, where Hayes has been covered extensively.

To think she will bring that firebrand-style politicking over to the City Council is frightening, but I did say a while back on GSW that her activism on the school board, along with her County Board-style side-show antics would be more well-suited on City Council. Sadly, it appears this may be the case.

Shudder the thought...can District 2 get some decent representation, puhleeezze?

E.C. :)

Mixed successes and failures

Greensboro inked a success by landing the upcoming Skating Championships, announced recently. But the city missed an opportunity by not landing the Bicycling Hall of Fame, which decided to go west to Davis, Calif. Coverage from the N&R.

Is Greensboro ready for "prime time?" It manages to do a good job with the NCAA and ACC tournaments annually, despite the constant issues surrounding the Coliseum. But Hall of Fames and museums are high profile, notwithstanding the Civil Rights Museum on S. Elm. I contend we need to focus on our economy and clean our "house" up a little before we do any promoting. With Skip and Johnson and Bellamy-Small and Wells running the show locally, we don't exactly have the best ambassadors for Guilford County right now. And that's not a good thing with our area suffering with double-digit unemployment.

Just a thought...

E.C. :)

The "whites" are coming...oh my god

(via YES! Weekly)

How can the following LTTE in today's N&R even justify a response?

Yet, I felt the need to show you the mentality of some in our fair city. But we wonder why we have double-digit unemployment...why companies won't even look at this town...why we continuously have a brain-drain? Letters like this do our city a disservice. When we continuously look at color through a prism, we do our own citizens an injustice:

GC athletics disrupts neighborhood

The following is a Counterpoint.

By Margaret Pinnix

I read the Counterpoint written by Otis Hairston on March 18 in the News & Record. Kimmerly Milner, a Greensboro College alumna (March 28), misrepresented the facts in her rebuttal by stating that Hairston accused President Craven Williams and Greensboro College of racism. He made absolutely no mention of racism.

But since you want to inject racism into the conversation, Ms. Milner, I will say you are absolutely right. We are seeing in our community environmental racism.

The predominantly white Greensboro College has come into my community and destroyed the peaceful environment I have grown accustomed to over the past 40 years.

I listen to the yelling by Greensboro College athletes and whistle- and horn-blowing by the coaches, a majority of whom are white.

There is illegal parking on our streets by white students. There is yelling in our community by the Greensboro recreation department’s soccer program, which is predominantly white.
There are bright lights shining in my windows at night by this predominantly white college. White athletes are coming into our private yards to retrieve balls.

All of the above has destroyed the peaceful environment of our community by a private white, predominantly United Methodist college. This is called environmental racism. Every United Methodist should be ashamed of their support of Williams and Greensboro College in their attempt to destroy our community.

Not only does Otis Hairston oppose the project by Greensboro College, but more than 90 percent of this community also opposes this intrusive sports park.

Ms. Milner, look at the plans of your alma mater and ask if you would want this in your front or back yard.

If your answer is yes, please speak to Williams and invite him to begin planning his sports park for your community. Then, this issue will be resolved.

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Again, this shouldn't even justify a response.

E.C. :)

LTTE promotes "Green Jobs"

A letter-writer in today's N&R promotes green jobs AND gets it write about our local leadership:

The “Triad’s silver linings” of new jobs the editors tout (editorial, April 3) are tinged with tarnish.
While it is true that practically any job is a good job in a deep recession, a disconcerting lack of forward-thinking local leadership is reflected in the fact that none of the industries mentioned as bringing employment to the Triad are in the fields that will drive the reshaping of our economy for the 21st century.

Having a green economy is only part of the discussion. The next part is actually initiating the discussion in the first place. Maybe when our unemployment rate reaches 15%?

E.C. :)

Ryan catches Robbie sleeping on the job

Good catch, Ryan.

E.C. :)

Consumer Tips to fight Time-Warner's Predatory Pricing Scheme

Cross-posted with Triad Media Watch...

The case with Time-Warner's new predatory pricing scheme with its Road Runner internet service has two issues...one, complaining to the proper individuals themselves...and two, the tepid response by those supposed to represent us.

First, the response, and Roch Smith has been all over this, doing a heck of a job with his citizen journalism. See his two-action plan here and here.

Second, the delayed and albeit-terrible reply by Greensboro City Council. N&R story today explains some of their responses, but it was Smith that broke the story that the city no longer has a franchise control over Time Warner.

It puts Greensboro (and the larger metro area) at a terrible disadvantage economically.

Sue Polinsky had a good point recently...she worked so hard to bring ConvergeSouth to Greensboro all those times, and yet it seems as though only one Greensboro City Council member embraced it.

Sad. The lack of progressiveness of this area is really disheartening.

E.C. :)

It's not just about cable

The ongoing saga of Time Warner Cable instituting a metering pricing scheme for its residential Road Runner internet service prompts an even bigger discussion. And one Roch Smith already initiated over on his site...will someone downtown at City Hall please wake up? Quickly?

Because it seems as though some who are politically connected in Austin, Texas (where a similar scheme is going into effect) are thinking of the larger picture, suggesting this move will hurt businesses and industry.

Austin City Council member and mayoral hopeful Lee Leffingwell tells the Austin Business Journal:

“This approach, and Time Warner’s specific plan, should be of grave concern to Austin,” Leffingwell said in his statement. “Right now we need to be encouraging, rather than stifling, economic recovery and growth in Austin. This plan moves us in the wrong direction.”

“Introducing an economic disincentive for Austin businesses to use the Internet to communicate, collaborate, innovate, and deliver services is very worrisome at best, and catastrophic at worst,” Leffingwell said. “It potentially puts Austin at a disadvantage as we compete against other communities to attract, retain, and grow prosperous businesses.”

This is the kind of brethren we need on our council. I have yet to hear the kind of tough talk we need to hear about our city's economy, and for them to be so silent on this back-door consumption tax is beyond me.

I'm demanding that our city councilors hold hearings on this issue. They need to summon Time-Warner executives and call them on the carpet, relative to the city's franchise agreement.

11.5% unemployment in Greensboro. I still have YET to hear any city councilmen comment on this also. I mean, look again at what Leffingwell says:

“It potentially puts Austin at a disadvantage as we compete against other communities to attract, retain, and grow prosperous businesses.”

What is Greensboro doing to attract, retain and grow prosperous businesses?

Oh, that's right...we're building a greeneway.

E.C. :)

Ignorance is bliss

Mega-kudos to my friend Keith Brown over at TriadWatch for uncovering and exposing a $5,000 illegal donation to the George C. Simkins Jr. Memorial Political Action Committee by in-Action Greensboro last fall to help the non-profit's get out the vote effort for citywide bond referendums.

Adam Ragan a state campaign official tells the News & Record:

Action Greensboro is prohibited from donating to North Carolina political committees or candidates...
...The PAC has turned the money over to the N.C. Civil Penalty and Forfeiture Fund.

But wait, this gets better:

“We weren’t trying to hide anything. Somebody complained, so we just did what was right,” said Steve Bowden, co-chairman of the PAC.

...Bowden said the money was used to help support the bonds. He said the PAC did not know the nonprofit was prohibited from donating.

Wow...isn't ignorance bliss, counselor? You're a lawyer, you're the co-chair of this PAC, and you don't know the law of operating your own PAC?

Astounding.

More Coverage:
Joe Guarino
FEC
Spag Report
Yes! Weekly

E.C. :)

What do the unemployed do during the day? (musical interlude)

...they blog, the job-hunt, they engage in domestic affairs (dishes, laundry, errands, etc.)...

An AP story describes how one laid-off communications executive copes:

A few days after she was laid off last month, Dina Schipper's husband asked if she could make sure the dry cleaners came to pick up his shirts.

It was a perfectly routine domestic request, something she'd have done without thinking twice while she was working. But now it sent Schipper, who'd been media relations director at a New Jersey science museum for a decade, into a tailspin of self-doubt. "I was thinking, 'Oh no, is this what I have become?'" she says.

The recession claimed more than 650,000 jobs for a record third straight month in February, and similar painful losses are expected when the government releases March figures on Friday. Unemployment, already at a 25-year peak at 8.1 percent, is expected to rise to 8.5 percent. More than 4 million have lost jobs during the downturn.

For all but the very luckiest ones, the overriding question is, "How will I support myself and my family?" But along with that comes another immediate question, more mundane but vexing nonetheless: "How do I spend my time?"

Very typical of what's going on around town...again, in the face of 11.5% unemployment. Isn't it interesting how we have not heard from any of our city leaders on these damning numbers? Related to this, look at what UNCG Professor and local economist Keith Debbage says:

Debbage said local governments in Forsyth and Guilford, where about 44,000 unemployed workers live, won’t be much help as the recession squeezes their budgets.

“You’ve got this collision of forces ... when you’ve got a great need for local services,” he said.

Beyond that, Guilford County and Greensboro have political and staff turmoil at the worst possible time, he said.

“For our community, it doesn’t help that we don’t have a permanent county or city manager in place at this very, very crucial time,” Debbage said. “That exacerbates the problem. It’s the worst possible time to have instability in our local government leadership.”

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There must be better days ahead. Better days, sing the Goo Goo Dolls:



E.C. :)

Pave-it Perkins Gets Paved

My friend Keith Brown has a good analysis of this week's bombshell YES! Weekly article explaining the lawsuit filed by a former partner of Greensboro City Councilman Robbie "Pave-it" Perkins.

YES! Weekly reports local real estate mogul Richard Maxwell is suing Perkins for "breach of contract and unfair trade practices. The lawsuit contends that the former partners are embroiled in a “controversy” over a 2005 land deal in Davidson County to build a shopping center that remains saddled with more than a dozen vacant storefronts."

Not exactly what Davidson County needs with its record unemployment rate.

Neither litigant is speaking nor commenting on the record, no surprise. But it is another shining example of the secrecy among our local electorate that really must stop.

And to think Bellamy-Small doesn't want ethics?

These blogs write themselves, folks.

E.C. :)

More development in the face of 11.5% unemployment

All the development downtown does no good in the face of 11.5% unemployment.

You can put 20 buildings downtown, but if there are no companies going into those buildings, what good does it do? Nonetheless, the local development crowd and city planners want you to join them for a workshop on the future look of downtown Greensboro coming up on Tuesday, April 28, 6-8pm at the Downtown Depot.

As stated in Greensboro’s adopted comprehensive plan, Connections 2025 (to which, as a newly-installed member of the Greensboro Planning Board, I'm excited to be a part of), the draft Downtown Greensboro Design and Compatibility Manual aims to encourage high quality design and infill development.

But the build-it-and-they-will-come-attitude in this town must cease. Trader Joe's will not come to town if our citizens can't find jobs and have no income to support a Trader Joe's. We must balance physical development with effective economic development. We're still a long way from that.

(More from Ryan Shell, N&R)

E.C. :)