Pop Quiz
Welcome to the YES! Weekly Pop Quiz, where we ask politicians and public servants about their jobs. This week we ask candidates for High Point City Council — sitting members and aspirants alike — some basic questions about the job for which they are applying. The rules are simple: no research, no callbacks.
Q U E S T I O N S
True or false:
1) High Point’s tax rate is significantly
lower than Greensboro’s, that is, exceeding 1
cent in difference.
2) North Carolina’s annexation statute
requires a majority of affected residents to
vote in favor of being annexed into a nearby city.
3) High Point native Fantasia placed second
in the third season of Fox’s “American
Idol.”
Latimer Alexander, at-large candidate (incumbent)
1) Our tax rate is 63.3 cents per hundred
dollars. I have no idea what Greensboro’s
tax rate is. I’m sorry. I do know that ours is lower.
(√-)
2) No, false. (√)
3) No, she won it. (√)
Jim Corey, candidate for Ward 6
1) Yeah. (X)
2) No it isn’t the law. There was somebody
that wanted to annex somebody and they
just went ahead and did it. (√)
3) I think she placed first. (√)
Michael Pugh, candidate for Ward 3 (incumbent, unopposed)
1) It is not significantly lower. (√)
2) The annexation law has been before the
legislature. No, it doesn’t require a majority of the people. A municipality can do a forced
annexation. (√)
3) She won “American Idol.” I don’t
remember what year it was. (√)
Foster Douglas, candidate for Ward 2 (open seat)
1) I need a little more information on that.
I don’t want to guess. (X)
2) That’s another one I need more information
because I’m not aware of what the
statutes are. (X)
3) I thought she won. (√)
John Faircloth, candidate for Ward 6 (currently seated at large)
1) False (√)
2) False (√)
3) Let’s see: I believe Fanstasia won. (√)
A N S W E R S
1) False. The tax rate in High Point is
1.37040, compared to 1.37240 in Greensboro.
2) False. The state’s annexation statute
requires only that a majority of the
municipality’s governing board vote in favor of
annexation.
3) False. Fantasia won.
