Districts 1 and 3 have no primary. District 1 candidates Dianne Bellamy-Small (i) and Donnell “DJ” Hardy, District 3 candidates Zack Matheny (i) and Jay Ovittore, and District 5 candidates Trudy Wade (i) and Jorge Cornell will appear on the general election ballot in November.
Note: i = incumbent
BILL KNIGHT (I)
Age: 73
Profession: Retired accountant
Electoral experience: Mayor, 2009-present
Website: knightformayor. com
Civic involvement: Board of trustees, Greensboro Opera; parks and recreation commission (past); president (past), Hamilton Lakes Lions Club
Key positions: • Favors reopening the White Street Landfill • Supports funding to train new police officers • Opposes tax and water rate increases
Quote: “The city enjoys a pretty good financial position, or financial condition. While we hear about a lot of cities and counties, and certainly the national government, that are either just bankrupt or in red ink or in dire straits — and while we are in maybe an enviable position, we need to take every possible precaution to protect and hedge against that proverbial rainy day.” (candidate forum)
BRADFORD CONE
Age: 31
Profession: Paramedic
Electoral experience: None
Website: None
Civic involvement: Vice president of operations, Worlds Apart One Heart; volunteer, Anizade, HealthServe and Habitat for Humanity
Key positions: • Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill • Investigate allegations of corruption in GPD • Enhance investment in city’s greenway network
Quote: “What we need to do is make sure the police understand the implications of the actions they take. We also need to make sure they communicate with the communities so that we can alleviate the problem or the perception of a problem. And we also need to investigate if there is racial discrimination because we can’t allow that in the police department or anywhere in the city.” (candidate forum)
ROBBIE PERKINS
Age: 55
Profession: Commercial real estate broker
Electoral experience: Greensboro City Council, 1993-2005, 2007-present
Website: robbieperkins.com
Civic involvement: Board of directors, One Step Further; board of trustees, Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation; member, Heart of the Triad Steering Committee
Key positions: • Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill • Favors regional solid waste solution with Greensboro as anchor tenant of Randolph County landfill • Supports investment in water and sewer infrastructure
Quote: “We want to try to create the kind of jobs that are going to be a living wage for people because it’s awfully hard to live off of minimum wage. You can’t work enough hours in the day to do that. So we’ve got to create the kind of jobs that are going to pay reasonable money so that you can support your families and keep a little bit for retirement.” (campaign speech)
CHRIS PHILLIPS
Age: 45
Profession: Sales
Electoral experience: None
Website: chrisphillips.us
Civic involvement: Presenter, People First Spending Reform Summit; author, Take Over Liberalism in America
Key positions: •
Favors reopening White Street Landfill on condition that city
establishes there are no adverse impacts on residents • Greensboro needs
more jobs • Eliminate wasteful government spending
Quote: “I’m not a politician. I’m a real, working person. Having been through some struggles in life, I want to be a voice for people who have been through the same things. I’ve been homeless. I’ve been unemployed. If Greensboro stays the way it is, what kind of jobs are we going to have? When college students graduate, where are they going to work?”
TOM PHILLIPS
Age: 65
Profession: Financial advisor
Electoral experience: Greensboro City Council, 1989-1993, 1999-2007
Website: tomphillipsformayor.com
Civic involvement: Director,
Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority; board member and cofounder,
Guilford Battleground Company; zoning commission (past)
Key positions: •
Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill • Restore civility and
transparency on city council • Supports investment in water and sewer
infrastructure
Quote: “Regionalism is not easy. It takes a lot of work. And one of the things that you really have to do is respect the politics of your neighbors.”
NANCY VAUGHAN (I)
Age: 50
Profession: Community volunteer
Electoral experience: Greensboro City Council, 1997-2001, 2009-present Website: electnan- cyvaughan.com
Civic involvement: Board of directors, Reading Connections; board of trustees, Greensboro Day School; Greensboro Beautiful
Key positions: • Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill • Highlight Greensboro’s
cultural assets and quality of life • Supports funding for economic
development, public safety
Quote: “We are really at a crossroads right now as a city. We can dig
our heels in and we can keep our extreme left and our extreme right. You
know, if we want to be successful we have to come together and we have
to be willing to make broad steps. And sometimes broad steps cost money.
But you know, we have to consider everything because if we keep just
doing business as usual we are going to stagnate.” (candidate forum)
DANNY THOMPSON (I)
Age: 49
Profession: Home care business owner
Electoral experience: Greensboro City Council, 2009-present
Website: vote4danny.com
Civic involvement: Board, Summit Rotary Club; city council liaison to
Greensboro Sports Commission; city council liaison to chamber of
commerce board of directors
Key positions: • Supports reopening White Street Landfill on limited
basis • Supports regional solid waste solution in long term with
Greensboro as equity partner • Keep taxes and water rates low
Quote: “I believe [the White Street Landfill] should have been used for
household waste. Of course, I also believe that if were going to not use
that landfill, then we need an equity position in a regional solution.”
(candidate forum)
WAYNE ABRAHAM
Age: 52
Profession: Home care executive director
Electoral experience: None
Website: voteabraham.com
Civic involvement: Chair,
Greensboro Human Relations Commission (past); cofound- er, Triad Health
Project; Racial Justice and Reconciliation Committee of the Episcopal
Diocese of North Carolina (past)
Key positions: • Opposes
reopening of White Street Landfill • Supports investments in roads,
sidewalks, parks and transit • Implement the Sustainability Action Plan
and use public land for community gardens
Quote: “I would respect the citizens who serve on the vari- ous commissions and boards that city council appoints people to. Those people volunteer a great deal of their time, and they give of themselves, and they care deeply about our city. And when they come to the city council to make a report, it should be listened to and respected.” (candidate forum)
MARIKAY ABUZUAITER
Age: 57
Profession: Restaurant owner
Electoral experience: None
Website: Facebook
Civic involvement: Greensboro Human Relations Commission; active in grassroots effort to keep White Street Landfill closed
Key position: • Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill
Quote: “[In] 2009, Danny Thompson went to east Greensboro and told 5-, 6-, 700 people that he would never vote to open the landfill. Well, what happened when he got on council? He was the main one wanting to get the landfill open. So I am calling him out. Because if he had not been at east Greensboro and made that promise, I would have been on your city council and we would have never gotten the votes that they wanted to open the landfill.” (campaign speech)
DEBORAH FAE BROGDEN
Age: 52
Profession: Artist/writer/ entrepreneur
Electoral experience: None
Website: None
Civic involvement: None
Key position: • Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill
Quote: “I did not know there were racial tensions, unprofessionalism, etc. with the GPD." (questionnaire response)
JEAN AUSTIN BROWN
Age: 71
Profession: Retired travel agent
Electoral experience: None
Website: None
Civic involvement: Pianist and Sunday school teacher, Rehobeth Baptist Church
Key position: • Opposes increases to tax and water rates
Quote: “Nobody has the answer to the landfill. I don’t think so. I’ve listened to everything. I’ve read everything I can about the landfill. I don’t think anybody has the answer yet. But I’m open to suggestions. Even when I’m on city council I would not be against town-hall meetings if all possible participants were there to voice their concerns, whether it’s yes or no. But I’m not for listening to just a bunch of folks who are angry and who are not willing to listen and to try to do something about this.” (candidate forum)
CLARENCE EASTER
Age: 37
Profession: Teacher assistant
Electoral experience: None
Website: Facebook
Civic involvement: Volunteered
for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns in
2008, and for various local Democratic candidates’ campaigns
Key positions: • Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill • Supports strong-manager form of government
Quote: “One of
the biggest things I believe in is collaboration. I believe in
collaboration not just with city council members; also with everybody,
starting with our citizens, our employees. Don’t stop with us as far as
trying to bring change. I believe also in collaborating with our county
commissioners, our state officials — sorry, our federal officials,
because there’s a lot of ideas out there, and we also need to educate
our citizens on how to ask questions.” (candidate forum)
CYNDY HAYWORTH
Age: 61
Profession: Nonprofit president
Electoral experience: None
Website: cyndyhayworth. com
Civic involvement: Chair,
Greensboro Zoning Commission, sat on citizens review committee with
input on selection of police Chief Ken Miller in 2010; advisory board,
Fun Fourth Festival, 2010
Key positions: • Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill • Support for neighborhood stability • Professional conduct by city council
Quote: “My solution to the solid waste problem is to renegotiate the contract…. They’ve already said they can do what they’re doing for less money, therefore saving the taxpayers money. Get to the table and start building the relationships with Randolph and Rockingham counties. Stay on top of the technology bubble.... My answer would be in no manner open up the White Street Landfill.” (candidate forum)
HAYDEN J. JESSERER
Age: 25
Profession: Pharmaceutical sales
Electoral experience: None
Website: None
Civic involvement: Volunteer for Obama campaign, 2008; Little League coach with Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department (past)
YVONNE JOHNSON
Age: 68
Profession: Nonprofit executive director
Electoral experience: Greensboro City Council, 1993-2009 (mayor, 2007- 2009)
Website: yvonnejohnson4citycouncil.com
Civic involvement: Board
of directors, Golden Leaf Foundation; board member, Greensboro
Convention and Visitors Bureau; board member, Malachi House
Key positions: • Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill • Promotes diversity and inclusion • Enhance recreational activities and promote Greensboro as “Tournament Town”
Quote: “I grew
up in a time when Greensboro was very divided, and fought very hard to
squash that division. And I don’t ever want to see that happen in
Greensboro again.” (candidate forum)
CHRIS LAWYER
Age: 33
Profession: Physician assistant
Electoral experience: None
Website: lawyerforcouncil. com
Civic involvement: George Allen and Jon Hardister campaign volunteer, has supported ALS and muscular dystrophy causes
Key positions: •
Favors reopening White Street Landfill on temporary basis • Promote
fiscal restraint • Improve dialogue and respect on council
Quote: “If
you take the issue and present your case for why you’re for it or
against it and you allow comment — everybody, constituents and elected
officials — it has to be respectful. People may not like the verdict,
but if you listen to the concerns and you’ve talked about them in a
respectful dialogue, that’s where you’ll have the greatest benefit.” (interview)
SAL LEONE
Age: 40
Profession: Police officer
Electoral experience: None
Website: leoneforcouncil. com
Civic involvement: Volunteer, NC Zoo; Presidential Service Award, 2006; city of Thomasville Employee of the Year, 2005
Key positions: •
Opposes reopening White Street Landfill • City manager must be
accountable to council • Council must have trustworthy, honest
leadership
Quote: “If we can develop the east, our economic boom will be unlimited. I think that’s why I’m so against the landfill. Nobody’s going to bring big business if you have a dump there. That’s just common sense. The only company that can survive there is probably Terminix.” (candidate forum)
CHRISTOPHER N. MCLAUGHLIN
Age: 51
Profession: Nonprofit executive director
Electoral experience: None
Website: None
Civic involvement: Volunteering experience in food program, transitional housing and landlord-tenant mediation
Key positions: • Appears to take a dim view of reopening White Street Landfill •Bring unity to city council
Quote: “All
police personnel should be required to go through a sensitivity course.
Our city has such a large mix of races, ethnicities and religions. The
Greensboro Police Department has the unenviable job of trying to
maintain law, peace and order in an atmosphere where there will always
be racial tension. Professionalism, integrity and fairness should be
prerequisites before hiring.” (questionnaire response)
MARLANDO DEMONTE PRIDGEN
Age: 28
Profession: Nonprofit executive director
Electoral experience: None
Website: None
Civic involvement: Greensboro Landmark Project, lobbying to keep student tuition down, public transit advocate
Key positions: • Council should be proactive in seeking citizen input
Quote: “I
think when you vote, one of the things you have to look at with this
past council is you’re voting on a mentality of government. There’s a
mentality on council that they don’t believe the citizens’ input is
worthy [of being involved in] government. So as a result, when they come
to council meetings, their judgment and their decisions has over and
over voted to not listen to the people. I suggest that you have to have
it. So practically, how do we do this? You have to have town-hall
meetings on more issues.” (candidate forum)
JIM KEE (I)
Age: 53
Profession: Real estate developer
Electoral experience: Greensboro City Council, 2009-present
Website: None
Civic involvement: Concerned
Citizens of Northeast Greensboro; council liaison to human relations
commission, Heart of the Triad and Housing Development Partnership
Key positions: • Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill • Emphasis on economic development and transportation • Support for city manager and police chief’s handling of challenges in GPD
Quote: “There are those — candidates that are running against me — that do not support the police department. I fully support the police department. They’ve asked me to dismantle the gang unit. Now, I personally think that we should have a gang unit. You know, they’re saying the gang unit is harassing gangs. I call it ‘monitoring.’” (campaign speech)
DAN FISCHER
Age: 49
Profession: Real estate investor
Electoral experience: None
Website: None
Civic involvement: Chapel Ridge homeowners association and neighborhood watch, transformational workshops, helping refugees
Key positions: • Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill • Work with banks to abate foreclosure crisis • Install sidewalks in underserved areas of city
Quote: “Even though I want a win-win situation, if I have to, I will get down and dirty. I will put my foot down. I will work with anybody to get the answers I want. Working with the Marines, I found ways to go through them, over, under, around, and to blast a hole in it. I am willing to do most anything to see what is right for a community, happen.” (candidate forum)
CLARENCE BRADLEY HUNT II
Age: 24
Profession: College student
Electoral experience: None
Website: None
Civic involvement: Political affairs chair, Greensboro NAACP; Guilford County Community PAC, mentor, New Light At-Risk Intergenerational Outreach Program
Key positions: •
Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill • Establish citizens review
board with subpoena power to improve police accountability • Adopt a
progressive city tax rate
Quote: “I
believe that the Greensboro Police Department cannot continue to
investigate itself. We need a citizens review board with subpoena power.
We have to get citizens involved in the Greensboro Police Department or
we will still see corruption; we will still see mistreatment,
harassment and discrimination.” (candidate forum)
MARY RAKESTRAW (I)
Age: 63
Profession: Retired real estate agent/broker
Electoral experience: Greensboro City Council, 2007-present; Guilford County Commission, 1996- 2004
Website: maryrakestraw.com
Civic involvement: City council liaison to Piedmont Triad Council of Governments; Kiwanis Club of Greensboro; Guilford County Agricultural Advisory Board
Key positions: • Favors reopening the White Street Landfill • Opposes tax and water rate increases
Quote: “We
have to be careful with our money. We have to balance our budget. We
have to save for a rainy day. But we cannot continue to tax people, and
in the four years that I have been on the city council we have not had a
tax increase. And that’s important because we can’t keep going to the
well. Because y’all can’t keep going to the well.” (candidate forum)
TONY COLLINS
Age: 53
Profession: General contractor
Electoral experience: None
Website: electtonycollins. com
Civic involvement: Chair, Greensboro Zoning Commission (past); Market Advisory Board, RBC Bank; member, Greensboro Regional Realtor Association
Key positions: •
Focus on job creation, put aside divisive issues that are distracting •
Accessible and forthright leadership • Balance development with respect
for neighborhoods
Quote: “I think some on the council have kind of lost their way. I think everybody starts with the best intentions. We’ve gotten into some of the nit-picky, petty type things that can go on…. The council cannot affect a lot of jobs, but we can certainly lay some great groundwork, and lay the circumstances to build a better economy and bring some jobs.” (campaign speech)
NANCY HOFFMANN
Age: 69
Profession: National execu- tive recruiting executive
Electoral experience: None
Website: votehoffmann.com
Civic involvement: Chair, Greensboro Human Relations Commission; board member, Music for a Great Space; for- mer board president, Reading Connections
Key positions: • Opposes reopening of White Street Landfill • Keep options open with regard to tax rate • Support for downtown vitality and culture
Quote: “City council must work to protect your great est investment: your home. That means protecting your home’s value with safe, stable, welcoming neighborhoods. Greensboro is a city of neighborhoods. We don’t want to lose that with the incursion of unwanted rezonings into resi- dential neighborhoods.” (candidate forum)
YES! Endorsements
MAYOR— Robbie Perkins
The mayor of Greensboro gets one vote that counts no more or less than any other council member. The role is supervisory — the mayor sets the agenda and runs the council meetings. He’s a quarterback. A leader. And though he gets just a single vote, he is expected to guide the council through the most pressing issues the city faces.
We quickly narrowed our list down to sitting at-large Councilman Robbie Perkins and former at-large Councilman Tom Phillips. Challengers Chris Phillips, who was formerly homeless, and Bradford Cone, who is the only registered Democrat in the race, have good ideas but are still unformed as political leaders. And current Mayor Bill Knight has basically been incommunicado with our paper since he took office two years ago; he ditched our candidate interview request as well as the News & Record’s news and editorial board interview invitations, and has been conspicuously absent thus far in forums and debates. Let’s be real: There is no way this guy would get our endorsement on pure principle, regardless of his votes and views, many of which we also disagree with. We could do a lot worse than elect Tom Phillips as mayor. He understands the issues and the mechanisms of municipal government. He is on the right side of the landfill debate, and seems to make sound decisions, albeit with a decidedly fiscally conservative bent. He’s not conservative enough for many GOP voters this time around — not a big concern to us but it will cost him a few votes that will likely go into Knight’s column.
A bigger problem for him is his competitor, Robbie Perkins.
Perkins has been in the game a long time, and he is easily the best politician of anyone running this year. He has con- nections in state and federal government as well as county and city associations that reach into every neighborhood and demographic. Some deride Perkins’ deal-making prowess by saying that his fingers are constantly chapped from trying to see which way the wind is blowing, but we don’t see politi- cal awareness, necessarily, as a negative.
Fact is, Perkins understands Greensboro like few other citizens — where it’s come from, where it’s headed, its geography and economic currents, its role in the state’s evo- lution. He’s got his hands in land use, transportation, educa- tion, regionalism, urban planning… plus he placed third
overall in this year’s Run for the Greenway. And Perkins has vision. He spoke to us about economic growth in the east after the urban loop comes in, sensible and long-term water and sewer developments, the signifi- cance of the Piedmont Triad Regional Airport and the High Point Road corridor.
“In 50 years,” he said to us, “I want those guys to look back [on what we put in p[lace] and say, ‘Man, those guys were smart.’” For these reasons and more, Robbie Perkins gets the nod.
AT LARGE — Wayne Abraham, Cyndy Hayworth, Nancy Vaughan
The current leadership of the council, which has undertaken an ill-conceived effort to reopen the White Street Landfill based on faulty and suspect motives and turned a deaf ear to the concerns of citizens, deserves to be repudiated at the polls. Greensboro needs practical, forward-thinking leadership, and council members who will engage in an open, deliberative process to make the best decisions for all constituencies across the city. That means listening, diligent research, mutual respect and a generous spirit of give and take.
To be clear, the city council needs a dramatic course correction. There are five candidates with strong qualifications, demonstrated commitment and solid track records of service to the community. If there were five at-large seats available, we would probably include Yvonne Johnson and Marikay Abuzuaiter in our endorsement slate. But with Nancy Vaughan, Cyndy Hayworth and Wayne Abraham, voters have an opportunity to move past some of the petty rivalries and old patterns that have frustrated progress in our city.
Nancy Vaughan has displayed admirable moxie in fighting to keep the landfill closed. She hasn’t always made the right decisions, but she’s humble enough to own up to mistakes and make amends. Such was the case when she voted in favor of a blatantly gerrymandered redistricting plan without adequate public review. In response to a public outcry, Vaughan announced two days later that she would make a motion to reconsider. In our business we deal with elected officials who dodge uncomfortable questions and sometimes fail to return phone calls. Not only does Vaughan return calls, she often calls us first.
She’s a political moderate who is interested in making government more efficient. She has also forged a strong relationship with the Interactive Resource Center, and has come to embrace the value proposition of helping homeless people get back on their feet and become productive members of society again.
In short, Vaughan is a thoughtful policymaker who demonstrates openness and honesty in her communications, and actively forges relationships with a wide array of constituencies. You can ask for no more in an at-large representative.
Wayne Abraham holds a long track record of service to the community. He’s smart and thoughtful. He’s a successful business owner and one who displays compassion for the least of these. He knows how to work with people to get things done. Abraham may not be a household name in Greensboro politics like Yvonne Johnson, but no less than former mayors Keith Holliday and Carolyn Allen have recognized his strengths.
Abraham co-founded Triad Health Project in the mid-1980s. He worked for years behind the scenes to prod the city manager’s office to implement domestic partnership benefits for city employees. He chaired the citizens review board, part of his responsibilities as chair of the human relations commission.
Finally, Abraham is a visionary — a quality in short supply on council in recent years — with innovative ideas for making Greensboro a better city. He’s one of the few candidates talking about enhancing public transportation, adopting the Sustainability Action Plan and putting cityowned land to use as community gardens to meet local food needs.
Cyndy Hayworth came relatively late to her position of opposing the reopening of the White Street Landfill, but she arrived at the right position and she persuasively articulates why the landfill is bad for Greensboro. Some might read in her initial neutrality a lack of conviction, but it actually reflects a quality that recommends her for leadership.
Hayworth comes across as open-minded, as someone who takes the time to research decisions and as someone who talks to a wide range of people to gauged the broad implications of her actions. That’s a positive: If you have too many people on council with hardened positions, you end up with scorched-earth outcomes that are lose-lose propositions for everyone. And her diligence has been demonstrated as a member of the zoning commission — she’s now the chair — where she tells voters she has visited every subject property to get a sense of how redevelopment will affect the surrounding neighborhood. It follows that such sensitivity to residents’ qualityof-life concerns would lead the candidate to oppose the reopening of the landfill.
Hayworth has taken strong stands for preserving the integrity of established neighborhoods and for making sure Greensboro has an ample reserve fund for infrastructure investment so the city can compete effectively for jobs.
We also look to her for transactional leadership: She might be the kind of person who would see the value of a community garden program, but would ask the tough questions about cost to taxpayers and accountability, so that the ultimate outcome is even better than before. We also may not agree with her on every position — her opposition to council’s 2009 expression of regret for the Klan-Nazi killings is a case in point — but that’s okay. As long as leaders demonstrate thoughtfulness in their deliberations and explain their decisions, that meets our requirements.
DISTRICT 2 — Jim Kee
The District 2 campaign has been perhaps the most lively of the contested district races. Challengers C. Bradley Hunt II and Dan Fischer are to be commended for enriching the race. Hunt is an impressive, young man with strong potential who has proven his ability to defend bold and well-researched positions. He offers an appealing alternative to voters, particularly on issues of police accountability. Fischer is a thoughtful and committed community member who has some interesting ideas.
Ultimately, we have to endorse the incumbent, Jim Kee. First, a caveat: Kee has acknowledged that he made a tactical misstep in efforts to block the reopening of the White Street Landfill, which is located in District 2. Community activists rather than their elected representative provided the decisive leadership in this fight.
Now, on to the good stuff: Kee understands roadway connectivity, economic development and how the two are related to the landfill. He holds a long track record of service to the community, not incidentally, including leadership to close the landfill 10 years ago. He handles himself with finesse and a common touch. The council needs more like him:
elected representatives who are principled, but work to find common ground to advance common goals for the city.
DISTRICT 4 — Nancy Hoffmann
When we say we are looking for change on council, one of the places we’re targeting is District 4, where for the last two years Mary Rakestraw has been operating in lockstep with her faction without regard for her constituents nor, in our opinion, the greater good of the city. We barely agree with Rakestraw on anything, though we do commend her for coming into the YES! Weekly offices, essentially hostile political territory, to make her case in her endorsement interview.
Which leaves us with Tony Collins and Nancy Hoffmann.
Collins is a solid candidate: a contractor with some big projects under his belt who understands business and real estate without seeming to be beholden to industry. Plus he’s sharp and affable, and says he’s willing to listen to all viewpoints before casting votes.
Collins’ biggest problem is that he’s running against Nancy Hoffmann, who comes with genuine public-service bona fides as chair of the human relations commission with some time on the complaint review committee. Plus she is an urbane, intellectual, business-savvy humanitarian who brings a wealth of realworld experience to council.
Hoffmann holds solid positions on the issues in an election season where some of the candidates don’t even know what the issues are: land use, sustainability, public safety and civility on council chief among them.
Not only do we endorse Nancy Hoffmann for District 4, we would endorse her for just about anything.
david crawford
