Greensboro Primary '07: Trudy Wade

The following is City Council District 5 candidate Trudy Wade's complete response to our survey. Click here for the list of questions.

Trudy Wade
• Date of birth: July 18, 1951
• Profession: Veterinarian
• Place of employment: Jamestown Veterinary Hospital (owner)
• Political experience: Guilford County Board of Commissioners, 2000-2005 at-large
• Education: DVM-Tuskegee Institute, BS Greensboro College
• Website: trudywade.com

1. There are always ways to improve as new technology becomes available. The initiative of the “Cool Cities” agreement adopted as a guideline by the city council is an example of other programs that we could pursue to improve air quality. (40)
2. My number one priority would be much-needed maintenance to the current infrastructure. There is not a designated maintenance fund set aside by the city council. Before we invest in new projects, we need to maintain what we have. (38)
3. One strategy would be to encourage a business model such as the “Research Triangle” in Raleigh. Perhaps if we proceed with “Heart of the Triad” we could encourage environmentally friendly businesses to relocate here. We could encourage all things “green” to Greensboro. (42)
4. Economic incentives are necessary to compete with other municipalities throughout the United States. The city council should consider each case on its own merit. Factors that should be considered are: environmentally friendly business, create jobs with salaries and benefits higher than the current city average, provide employment opportunities for city residents, good corporate citizen, complement existing industries, and assist in the growth and diversity of the city base. (68)
5. The city can best support local businesses by controlling increases in taxes and user fees, making the board of adjustment and other boards more business friendly, removing outdated ordinances which hinder the expansion of existing businesses and eliminating or reducing bureaucracy. (41)
6. Increasing citywide minimum wage would put Greensboro businesses at a disadvantage. Costs would go up for small businesses, forcing them to increase their prices. Residents would go outside the city limits to purchase the same goods and services from other businesses for less. We would be putting Greensboro businesses at a competitive disadvantage. Also, many businesses would relocate to surrounding areas to decrease overhead costs, thereby minimizing the tax base. (70)
7. We need to assess the increased costs of the expansion on the infrastructure of the city, i.e. police protection, fire, et al. versus the benefits of increased tax base. (29)
8. As I mentioned before, we may need to consider placing environmental friendly businesses in this area, but I believe that the citizens have been left out of this process. While considering the “Heart of the Triad” we should not neglect the “Soul of the Triad,” its citizens. (47)
9. This is a legal issue and better served by being resolved in the court system. (15)
10. Philosophically I support the concept as long as special interests do not dominate the process. If it were possible to set up a completely independent board, I’d be more positively inclined to endorse such a review board. (37)