scuttlebutt
Items from across the Triad and Beyond, compiled by Jordan Green
Landau and Rakestraw meet Joel Landau, a candidate for Greensboro City Council in District 4, went on the offensive against opponent Mary Rakestraw during a candidate forum sponsored by the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress on Monday. “Personally, I’m tired of the discord and negativity that we’ve been seeing on council,” Landau said. “I’m a voice for civility. I’ve been in the cooperative movement for decades where we seriously take how popel work together, and listen to one another. And it doesn’t mean we have to agree; it just means we listen to one another and try to come up with something that works for the common good.” Rakestraw defended her performance in her first term, in which she has called into question practices in the police department as an at-large member of the council. “”I ask questions for everybody,” she said. “I ask questions that may not be popular. I may ask the questions that you might not like but you ultimately want to hear the answers to.” Rakestraw concluded, “Do we have a problem in our police department? Yes, we have some problems in our police department.” The congress will host a candidate forum for at-large candidates for Greensboro City Council at the downtown public library at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 19. — JG
Mayoral candidates contrast in style
The two candidates for mayor of Greensboro, incumbent Yvonne Johnson and challenger Bill Knight, addressed voters during a candidate forum hosted by the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress at the downtown public library on Oct. 8. The candidates presented widely differing personal styles and preoccupations in response to a question about their campaign slogans, Johnson with “positive leadership” and Knight with “Go forward, Greensboro.” “When I talk about positive leadership, I talk about vision, I talk about commitment, I talk about believing that one ought to do their homework, that when one says they’re going to serve the people, that’s what they do,” Johnson said. “And they do it… and they do it with civility, even when you disagree. Even when you’re at odds, you can respect a person’s human dignity.” Knight said that he has closely followed the Greensboro Police Department through a friend who was in line to become chief in 1998, and concluded through research at the library that former Chief David Wray “had a rather exemplary record of accomplishment.” Knight repeated a call for the city to reimburse Wray and several associates for their legal costs and to offer an apology to them. “I think if we could do that,” Knight said, “we could really begin to move forward.” — JG
Candidates and real estate professionals flock to TREBIC event
About 300 people attended the Triad Real Estate & Building Industries Coalition, or TREBIC’s “Pigs, Poultry & Politics” reception at Castle McCullough in Jamestown on Oct. 8. About 60 of them were candidates and elected officials, with the balance being members of the various industries under TREBIC’s umbrella. Emcee Tom Terrell, a real estate lawyer, described TREBIC as “the go-to-real estate organizatioin in the Triad,” and lauded NC Sen.
Don Vaughan, husband of Greensboro City Council at-large candidate Nancy Vaughan, as “a true champion on the Jordan Lake Rules.” Developers who routinely write large checks to candidates who attended the reception this year included Roy Carroll and Dwight Stone. The event allows candidates to shake hands, mingle and chat with would-be donors in the real-estate, building and development industries. In addition to the annual reception, TREBIC also submits a questionnaire to candidates, including questions such as, “Do you think sprawl is a problem in Greensboro?” “TREBIC doesn’t make any recommendations for who to support,” President Marlene Sanford said. “There are several organizations with PACs that write checks. It’s easier for everybody to have one survey. We end up being the organizational clearinghouse for that activity.” — JG
