Allen Joines glides through the room with an effortlessness that says he knows he’s among friends. Joines, the two-term mayor of Winston-Salem, appears to have very few enemies at this campaign event. Even his detractors are quick to express their admiration for the man who has spent most of his life serving the city.
Joines joined his friends in real estate and construction during a political mixer sponsored by the Winston-Salem Regional Association of Realtors and the Homebuilders Association at Groves Stadium on Aug. 25th. The event gave area realtors and builders an opportunity to share their concerns with city council members and mayors of local municipalities. With the upcoming municipal elections, a good number of challengers for city council seats wisely made appearances.
Paul Mullican, a planning board member, expressed the general sentiment on the lips of everyone milling about in the plush confines of Bridger Field House.
“The mayor has brought more to Winston-Salem as far as togetherness and camaraderie,” Mullican said. “I think he’s brought more to this area than any other mayor has. He’s one of us; you can meet with about any problem you have… Allen Joines is one of the best mayors I’ve ever known.”
It’s not as if Joines hasn’t dealt with controversy during his eight years in office. In fact, public outrage over the downtown ballpark issue reached a crescendo less than three months ago after Billy Prim, owner of the Winston- Salem Dash minor league baseball team, came back to the city asking for an additional $15.7 million to complete construction of the baseball stadium.
The turnout at the public hearings on the issue surpassed expectations. Four overflow rooms at City Hall had to be utilized to accommodate the crowds that gathered to voice either their displeasure with the whole deal or their support of the finishing the half-built baseball stadium that will eventually house the single-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
Joines opened the
public hearing with a statement that appeared designed to soothe some
of the ill will in the council chambers. Joines described the
outpouring of both public opposition and support for the downtown
ballpark as “the best way of local government.”
Then in his
humble, modest manner, Joines stated, “The city of Winston-Salem finds
itself in a difficult situation not of its own making.”
“That’s
not true!” a citizen exclaimed inside one of the overflow rooms. “None
of us like the choices we are facing tonight,” Joines coolly continued.
“But the situation is before us, and the city council is trying to find
a satisfactory solution that protects the city’s investment and one
that does not impact the taxpayers.”
Nathan Tabor spoke in
opposition to the city lending Prim an additional $15.7 million. “This
issue is about personal responsibility,” Tabor, president of the
Forsyth County Republican Party, said. “If this was a private business,
you would be bankrupt and you would’ve cost everyone their jobs.” “What
this comes down to is personal responsibility,” Tabor continued. “It is
unfair to the taxpayers of Winston- Salem.”
Tabor then asked
the city council why Prim was getting special treatment. “Are you
helping small business owners from foreclosure? Are you helping [save]
homeowners from foreclosure?” he asked.
Tabor then asked about
the involvement of the Winston- Salem Alliance and the Millennium Fund.
In uncharacteristic fashion, Joines appeared to momentarily lose his
cool. The mayor interrupted Tabor and forcefully asserted that both the
Alliance and the Millennium Fund are nonprofits and had no fiduciary
interest in the ballpark.
What Joines didn’t say was that
while acting in his capacity as president of the Winston-Salem Alliance
and the Millennium Fund, he personally signed an agreement with Prim to
assign Prim’s real estate development company, Brookstown Development
Partners LLC, options to purchase 38 properties in the immediate
vicinity of the downtown ballpark site. The mayor signed the agreement
on Dec. 15, 2006 — nearly a year before the city council approved a
resolution to invest $12 million in Phase I of the project.
Shortly
after the June public hearings, Joines returned $2,000 in campaign
contributions from Prim. Despite the revelations about Joines’
involvement in the behind-thescenes land deals that helped pave the
road for Prim and his partners, the Forsyth Republican Party could not
find anyone willing to run against the popular Democratic mayor in the
2009 municipal elections.
“We can go out and recruit but we
can’t force someone to run,” Tabor said. Two Republican candidates were
seriously considering a run for mayor but an ad in a local daily
newspaper dissuaded them, said Tabor. The advertisement ran the day
candidate filing opened — July 6th — and listed Joines’ supporters.
Tabor said half of the names on the list were “big-name Republicans.”
“The
reason no Republican ran against Joines was because there are so many
Republicans who support Joines,” said Tabor. Despite Tabor’s position
and vocal opposition to the downtown ballpark, he admits he likes Mayor
Joines.
“I’m friends with the mayor,” Tabor said. “When I say
that, a lot of people are shocked. He’s one of the nicest, most cordial
individuals you would meet on a personal basis — that’s always a good
trait in an elected official. He makes you feel like you’ve known him
your whole life.” For the second straight election, Joines is running
unopposed.
Still, the mayor has managed to raise nearly $80,000 for his re-election campaign.
Broad-based support
Joines’
semi-annual campaign finance report reads like a Who’s Who in
Winston-Salem society. Victor Flow, Bowman Gray IV, Borden Hanes, Don
Flow, Ben Sutton Jr. and Erna Womble are among the contributors to
Joines’ 2009 mayoral campaign. Sutton and Don Flow both spoke in favor
of completing construction of the ballpark during the June public
hearings. The Winston-Salem Alliance’s 2007 tax return reveals that Don
Flow is the CEO of the nonprofit and Joines is the only paid employee,
earning $160,600 annually.
It was recently revealed that
Sutton, the CEO of ISP Sports, is one of the private investors in the
downtown ballpark. As a result of this revelation, Dan Barrett, senior
vice president of ISP Sports and one of the members of the Citizens
Baseball Stadium Review Committee, had to resign his position on the
citizen committee. Joines confirmed that Gary Strickland, a former
committee member, also had to resign due to a conflict of interest.
Joines said Strickland, a local contractor, resigned when he realized
he would have access to proprietary documents from Samet Construction,
the ballpark contractor. Those documents purportedly contain “trade
secrets” that could benefit a competitor.
During the
committee’s Aug. 20 meeting, committee member Howard Hudson requested a
list of private investors in the ballpark before signing the city’s
confidentiality and ethics agreements. Committee members are required
to sign the agreements as a condition of their service, City Attorney
Angela Carmon said. Carmon informed members of the citizen group —
which was formed last month to oversee the completion of the ballpark —
that the project’s investors had requested anonymity. Hudson pointed
out the obvious: How can committee members know if a conflict of
interest exists without having knowledge of the investors? Carmon
replied that to the extent that committee members are not aware of any
conflict of interest, the city’s ethics policy covers the members
against any potential civil litigation.
Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines responds to 50 e-mails, phone calls and letters per day. When the controversy over the downtown baseball stadium erupted in June, Joines said that number doubled to 100 e-mails, phone calls and letters per day. (photo by Keith T. Barber)
Committee
chair Eric Prior asked Denise Bell, the city’s chief financial officer,
pointed questions about the city’s potential exposure should Prim
default on the $12.7 million loan approved by city council in June.
Bell clearly stated that the city holds the second lien position on the
ballpark behind Bank of America, which has invested $15 million in the
project. If Prim defaults, Bank of America would take ownership of the
ballpark even though the city would still retain title to the stadium.
The bank would have to continue to make lease payments to the city but
at a nominal rate, and could extend the loan from 25 years to 99 years,
Bell said. She would not say whether or not Bank of America’s nominal
payments would cover the city’s debt service on the $12.7 million loan
from First Tennessee Bank. City Manager Lee Garrity stated that Bank of
America would not allow Prim to make a personal guarantee that he would
pay back the city’s loan. “Any business owner going to any lending
institution in Winston- Salem has to sign a personal guarantee,” Tabor
said. “They’re allowing these investors to keep their names private and
put up nothing as collateral. Talk about mismanaging and helping your
friends.
How many of these private investors pay the mayor’s
salary at the Winston-Salem Alliance? Are the mayor and the city
council members holding themselves to the same conflict of interest
standards as the committee members?” The Winston-Salem Alliance’s 2007
tax return reveals the nonprofit raised more than $300,000 that year,
but does not list individual donors to the organization.
Teflon mayor? Joines
can’t recall ever feeling torn between his duties and responsibilities
as president of both the Winston-Salem Alliance and the Millennium Fund
and his role as mayor. He pointed out that both organizations
are nonprofit entities whose mission is to spur economic development in
the city. “There’s never been a conflict of interest,” he said. Joines
acknowledged that the Alliance and the Millennium Fund went out and
secured options for the ballpark, but there was “full disclosure” to
the city council. Council member Molly Leight praised Joines for
keeping the council informed of all the behindthe-scenes activity
leading up to the passage of the first resolution for the city to
invest $12 million in the ballpark, but conceded that her constituents
were not happy when Prim came back to the city asking for more money.
“People
got upset that they weren’t hearing about this, but for a year or so,
we were having meetings after council meetings to get updates on where
we stood,” Leight said. “We couldn’t say anything about negations
between Billy [Prim] and his partner [Andrew “Flip” Filipowski].”
Leight
said the city council couldn’t reveal the content of the negotiations
as Prim attempted to buy out Filipowski, and at times it seemed
“hopeless.” But ultimately, the city’s restructuring of the original deal allowed
the project to go forward, Leight said. Public outcry over the lack of
transparency led to the formation of the citizen committee.
“I
think I would’ve suggested the oversight committee earlier on when we
invested the original $12 million,” he said. “If they had been involved
and seen almost the perfect storm of financial issues that hit, they
could’ve helped us explain to the community the series of circumstances
that all hit at the same time that triggered this.” In hindsight,
Joines said he would have also ensured the city take ownership of the
stadium right away rather than waiting until the end of the 25-year
lease agreement.
“Citizens have said they felt so much better
since that change was made,” Joines said. What has not been highly
publicized is that of the original $12 million the city invested in
Phase I of the project, $5.5 million came from the sale of Ernie Shore
Field to Wake Forest University. That money was a donation from the
city, and will not be paid back, said Cynthia Bell. Joines received
harsh criticism in the form of letters, emails and phone calls from
citizens. One of the requirements of serving as mayor is having a thick
skin, and letting things roll of your back, but that doesn’t mean it
doesn’t hurt, said Joines.
“I’ll be honest with you: It does
sting, particularly when it creeps around the edges of integrity,”
Joines said. “That’s what hurts the most at least for me because I hold
myself up extremely high in terms of that sort of thing — ethical
behavior. “ Despite Prim’s highly leveraged position, Joines said he’s
confident the city’s investment will be protected.
“We feel
very confident the revenue projections are conservative,” Joines said.
“We have to do about 70 percent of what [the] Greensboro [Grasshoppers
are] doing to break even. I feel like our community can easily do
that.” Kevin Terry, president of the Winston-Salem Dash, said the team
has already sold more than 4,100 season-ticket packages thus far. Terry
also said the team has sold 90 percent of the ballpark suites and 90
percent of its sponsorships.
In addition, Terry said the team
has a verbal agreement from a local business regarding a naming rights
agreement for the stadium, but the deal hasn’t been finalized.
“We
couldn’t be more pleased with the response from the community
considering the economy,” said Terry. Terry said opening date is slated
for April 2010, but he expects project construction to be completed as
early as January. Terry said Joines’ support of the project has served
as a driving force in the community.
“I truly believe, first
of all, [Joines] is a class act from head to toe,” Terry said. “When he
makes a decision, he does what he believes is best for all the citizens
of Winston-Salem. There’s a lot that’s been said about him being
involved in the ballpark, but if he didn’t think this wasn’t going to
be good for the city and the citizens, he wouldn’t support it.” Seeing
large projects come to fruition is what motivates Joines.
“I’m
a results-oriented person and to get results you have to come to the
middle of the road to get something accomplished,” he said. “You may
not get all you want from an initiative, but it’s my desire to get
things done that drives that compromise. It’s knowing that in order for
the city to move forward, you can’t get hung up on a philosophical
debate.”
In his dual role as Mayor of Winston-Salem and president of the Winston- Salem Alliance, Allen Joines has been the driving force behind the development of the downtown ballpark.
“Ill be honest with you -- [criticism] does sting particularly when it creeps around the edges of integrity. Thats what hurts the most at least for me because I hold myself up extremely high in terms of that sort of thing - ethical behavior. “ -- Allen Joines
In 2008, Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines made more than 1,300 public appearances, including a visit to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. (photo courtesy of City of Winston- Salem)
Governing philosophy
The art
of compromise is simply the art of collaboration in the view of Allen
Joines. “As a mayor, you have very little formal power so in order to
get things down you have to build consensus and collaboration,” Joines
said. Joines said his approach with any issue is to get the various
interests to come to the table and find some common ground.
He
cited the city’s passage of the tree ordinance this summer as a good
example of how to govern from the middle. The city’s new tree
ordinance, which requires all new development to preserve 10 percent or
12 percent of its total area for green space, passed the city council
due in large part to the efforts of council member Dan Besse, Joines
said. “That could have been very controversial,” he said. “You had
environmentalists on one side and developers and homebuilders on the
other. But the council stepped back and gave Dan Besse an opportunity
to make that happen.”
When critics say the city council always
seems to agree on every issue, Joines says there’s a very good reason
for that. “ A conciliatory philosophy allows us to work toward
solutions rather than put [issues] up for a vote right away,” he said.
There has been much speculation about Joines’ political aspirations. He
confirmed Gov. Beverly Perdue offered him the position of Secretary of
Commerce, but he declined for personal reasons.
“But when the
governor came back and asked me to chair the North Carolina Economic
Development Board, I agreed,” Joines said. “I felt like I couldn’t turn
down the governor twice.”
Joines first joined the city of
Winston-Salem in 1971 and served in a variety of roles, including
deputy city manager. He said a technical knowledge of the inner
workings of municipal government represents one of four prerequisites
for any mayor. The other three traits every mayor should have include
the ability to create collaborations and build consensus; a passion for
public service and good communication skills.
Despite the fact he’s running unopposed for his third term as mayor, Joines still has a detailed campaign platform.
One
of the major planks of his platform could include a big announcement
later this month. All Joines could say is the announcement is tied to
his vision of what Winston-Salem should aspire to be in the future.
“I
see our city as being a very strong, economically viable community
based on biotech, medicine, financial services, design and travel and
tourism,” Joines said. “What I think we’ll be recognized for nationally
is being one of the top biotech centers in the country. There’s a
specific piece of that we will be [recognized for] and I’m not going to
say right now, but it’s part of this [economic development] strategy.”
Despite
the sizable time commitment his position demands, Joines doesn’t appear
the least bit tired. However, he acknowledged that last year he made
more than 1,300 personal appearances, and over the years, it’s taken a
toll on his wife, Peggy, and his children, Jeff and Michelle.
“You
have to expect your family to suffer,” he said. “To do the job right,
you’ve got to be out four nights a week and on Saturdays and Sundays.”
Joines
said he would advise any young person aspiring to be mayor of
Winston-Salem that it will be a tough job, but the most rewarding job
they’ll ever find. “I would say, ‘Go for it. If you have a desire to do
something and you want to see your community better, that’s the most
fulfilling thing you can do,’” Joines said. “I think local government
offers the best opportunity to have direct impact to see the results of
your work.” Looking back on his four decades with the city, Joines said
it’s very easy to see why he’s dedicated his life to making
Winston-Salem a better place to work and live. “I think Winston-Salem
has a soul about it that’s really comforting,” he said. “It’s got a
tremendous quality of life. We’ve got all the amenities of a larger
city without the hassles of a larger city. The people have a great work
ethic and we have a very progressive city government that I’ve had the
good fortune to be a part of for many years.”
