City Council candidate Nancy Vaughan: someone to watch

Former two-term Greensboro city councilman Nancy Vaughan is about to make another go at it, this time for an at-large position this fall...and she wants you to know why:

"I'm displeased at the inaction of our Council and the lack of civility."

That should say it all.

In an interview with GSOMetro, Vaughan said for these reasons and more (along with the blessing of her family), she had to begin prepping to get back in. She said the waffling on "protest petitions" were the catalyst of her itching to run again.

Make no mistake, Ms. Vaughan, whose husband is Guilford County state Sen. Don Vaughan, has strong opinions about the direction of Greensboro.

Take for instance:

On the city's economy and jobs:

"Our quality of life is hurting. Quality of life is a motivator. We need to focus on small business retention. This city has a lot going for us that we need to capitalize on."

On public safety:

"We don't live in 'Dodge City' but if there's a problem, we need to fix it," she said. "We need to gain our reputation back. We've gotten used to Greensboro taking a back seat to Charlotte and Raleigh. Greensboro has some good bones and we need to rebuild."

On all-things-Simkins:

"I'll sit down and meet with them, but I won't sell my soul to them."

On privatisation of the Coliseum:

"I don't see why we can't revisit [the idea]. But unless there's an anchor tenant there, then there's no money coming in. Our coliseum does bring in a good deal of business to local restaurants and hotels."

On the racial polarization of the city:

"Our boards and commissions need to take the lead on this. And our elected representatives need to set a better example. We need to face this head on."

And what about those board and commissions:

"There needs to be more equity. Are there professionals on some boards? Yes. Are our boards completely stacked with them? No. I think we need to have boards and commissions that are more professional in nature, with a set of professional standards."

On accountability:

"The city manager is accountable to us as a city council. Thus, the manager should report back to us. In addition, the city attorney needs to report to council on a regular basis. Important information shouldn't be filtered through the city manager."

On the Time-Warner fiasco:

"I was surprised it took Council so long to issue a response. They should have had Time Warner executives summoned almost immediately to explain what it was they were doing. On this, we need to do long term planning for the future."

Vaughan tells GSOMetro her campaign will begin ramping up in the coming weeks, with fundraisers planned soon after. Feeling confident of her chances for victory in a crowded at-large field, Vaughan said she is using this time to begin reaching out to key people and supporters citywide.

E.C. :)