Residential address: 201 N. Elm St., 27401 (map)
Incumbent or challenger? Challenger
Age: 56
Campaign website or blog: robbieperkins.com (link)
Endorsements: Dorothy Brown, Carolina Peacemaker, Greensboro Police Officers Association, Guilford County Community PAC, News & Record, Occupy Greensboro Media Group, Professional Fire Fighters of Greensboro, Replacements Limited PAC, Simkins PAC and YES! Weekly
Occupation and employer: President, NAI Piedmont Triad
Previous elective
experience (including election campaigns): Served on city council 1993-2005, 2007-present
Civic and volunteer
experience (including service on city commissions and boards): President of the board of directors for One Step
Further; board of trustees, Bennett College; board of trustees, Piedmont
Authority for Regional Transportation; member, Greensboro Urban Area
Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Advisory Committee; member,
Heart of the Triad Steering Committee
Education (highest degree
attained and name of institution): Master
of business administration, Duke University
Party registration: Republican (nonpartisan contest)
What is the city and state
of your birth? Richmond, Va.
What year did you move
here? 1979
Paid consultants working
on your campaign: Ross Harris
Campaign manager: Ross Harris
Treasurer: Self
Do you favor or oppose
reopening the White Street Landfill for household waste, beyond the small
amount of sewer sludge currently accepted? Briefly explain your position.
I do not favor re-opening
the White Street Landfill to municipal solid waste. We need a long-term
solution for solid waste in Greensboro and in the Piedmont Triad region. White
Street is a temporary situation at best, which causes tremendous division in
our community.
Where do you stand on the
“strong manager” form of city government and why?
I am a strong proponent of
the “council manager-strong manager” form of government. It allows the council
to set policies that would be implemented by a professional staff. The strong
manager form is much more efficient than a city council that micro-manages
without being trained in what they are attempting to manage.
Should the city of
Greensboro place more or less emphasis on maintaining a healthy water and sewer
fund to plan for future growth? Why or why not?
The city’s water and sewer
fund is the most powerful economic development tool that the city has at its
disposal. The utility is worth over a billion dollars, and maintains a AAA
credit rating. Maintenance is a large part of the utility’s budget, and
sometimes repairs cost millions of dollars. Recent examples are the Latham Park
sewer repair ($50 million) and the Lake Townsend Dam ($40 million). These projects
were funded by bond debt that is dependent from the cash flow from the utility.
All of the public utilities in North Carolina except Greensboro raised water
rates this year to pay for increased federal regulation and maintenance issues.
Greensboro City Council reduced water rates by 6 percent against the advice of
its professional staff. This is a strategic error that could cost our utility
its AAA bond rating and result in dramatically increased water rates in the
future.
The city’s tax base has
remained flat for the past two years in a row, and the foreclosure crisis
continues unabated. As a member of city council, how would you balance the need
to fund services such as police patrol, fire protection and park maintenance
that citizens care about with the reality that the revenue picture remains
bleak?
We have successfully
balanced the budget over the last three years with flat revenues not only from
property taxes but also from reduced sales taxes and fees. The manager’s MAP
program evaluates and prioritizes each program that the city funds to make sure
each dollar is spent wisely. Council has made it clear that the tax rate will
not increase, and that we will maintain the level of our overall budget. We
must continue to find ways to do more with less revenue, and increase
efficiency within the organization. Public safety is always a priority, and
activities that result in jobs will also receive funding.
Do you believe that city
staff deserves council support to implement a program to spend federal grant
money to improve the energy efficiency of residences and businesses, or does
this program warrant additional oversight from council? Briefly explain your
position.
City staff can manage this
program without council getting involved with the implementation of the grant.
I believe sustainability is a priority goal in Greensboro and this energy grant
program is part of achieving a more sustainable community.
How would you assess the
value and effectiveness of Greensboro’s Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy
program, which is now prohibited by state law?
RUCO was a great success in
Greensboro. I believe the legislature made a mistake in taking away local
control from cities on this important program.
How should the impasse over
management and operation of the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market be
resolved?
Implement the plan proposed
by Greensboro Farmer’s Market Inc.
What, if anything, should be
done to resolve racial tensions, and to enhance professionalism, integrity and
fairness within the Greensboro Police Department?
Council needs to let the
Police Department do their job. Council needs to properly fund the Department
and provide strategic direction.
What would you change about
Greensboro’s land use patterns if the decision were yours to make? Please
answer the question in terms of places people live, work and shop, in terms of
the modes of transportation people use to get from point to point and the
vitality of neighborhoods and commercial corridors?
I would encourage more
residential development in the downtown core. I would also look at more infill
projects to take advantage of existing infrastructure. Some of our major
streets have properties that will not be repaired and are waiting for creative
reuse or change in use.
What is Greensboro’s
greatest asset? What is Greensboro’s most pressing problem?
Greensboro’s greatest assets are the energy, creativity and volunteer spirit of its citizens. By working together to build a shared vision, Greensboro can do anything it wants. The greatest threat to Greensboro (and its most pressing problem) is leadership that continues to divide our community.
Articles about this candidate:
Taxes and spending: Where Greensboro City Council candidates stand (link)
Gut punches at the Greensboro Partnership (link)
Knight and Perkins' mayoral debate: style and content (link)
Greensboro primary: Mayoral returns analysis (link)
Mayoral challenger Perkins swamps incumbent Knight (link)
2011 primary election endorsement & voter guide (link)
Candidate profile: Robbie Perkins (link)
10 BEST mayoral forum moments (link)
Discussions about regional solid waste option begin (links)
Greensboro mayoral race expands (link)
Mayoral politics crop up during District 1 budget meeting (link)
Crawford is distributing 50 free computers to the kids
