I missed the campaign kickoff for Danny Thompson, at-large candidate for Greensboro City Council, but I found Guilford County Republican Party Chairman Bill Wright and some others tailgating in the parking lot outside Thompson's home healthcare office.
Thompson's campaign card lists a concise set of positions.
To wit, the candidate supports:
• Economic incentives for local small businesses;
• Developing all sides of Greensboro responsibly
• Controlling the cost of government through zero-based budgeting;
• Continued funding for the Greensboro Police Department gang unit;
• A buffer zone on the Urban Loop to shield neighborhood residents from highway traffic noise; and
• The sustainable Greensboro Environmental Plan.
He opposes "forced annexation."
The voters have at least one clear choice on one of these issues: Thompson supports continued funding for the gang unit. Fellow at-large candidate Jorge Cornell, who leads the North Carolina unit of the Latin Kings, favors dismantling the gang unit. Doubtlessly, many other at-large candidates agree with Thompson. I'm not aware of any other candidates siding with Cornell on this issue.
8 comments:
1. What the hell does forced annexation mean?
2. I wonder what the candidates would say about the gang squad if you asked them. They should be asked.
3. What does responsible development mean? I know only the candidate can answer that for his definition, but that's not very specific and development can be very problemmatic. How is he going to involve communities that are usually left out of development planning in the process to make it more accountable, and thus, more responsible?
4. I know the elections are non-partisan, but when it really comes down to it, who are the right and left wing choices for at large? This article mentions Thompson on the right and Cornell on the left, but where does everyone else stand? Maybe you could analyze their positions and tell us what you think?
Anonymous:
1, Forced annexation is the law of North Carolina. It means that if municipalities can demonstrate that they're capable of providing adequate services their city councils can vote to annex unincorporated areas without the consent of the residents. In other states, annexation can only be accomplished through a referendum of the affected residents.
Not to get too long-winded about this, but I see it as both a "conservative" property rights issue and a "progressive" sustainability issue. Do we really want to spread our resources to the outskirts of the city instead of concentrating them on the heart of the city? Do we enrich developers at the expense of residents' quality of life by enlarging our geographic footprint.
2. I have no idea what Mr. Thompson means by "responsible development."
3. I like to look at political ideology as a landscape, not a spectrum. A left-to-right analysis misses some of the richness of variation. (See No. 1.)
Jordan,
Thanks for your response. #1 helps explain why the City Council districts map (and thus, the map of Greensboro) looks so ridiculous with little outlying clusters. I think I'd agree with Thompson that I'm definitely against it, but probably for different reasons.
I may agree with you on your last point, but what I'm trying to point out is that most of the at large candidates seem to be pretty right wing (like having Republican Party backers). Are the only more left candidates Shell, Cornell and Hardy?
-Anonymous
Maybe Julie Lapham would make the cut?
Check out Max Benbassat. Here's his website: http://www.maxbenbassat.org/ ... and we'll have a profile in the print issue on Wednesday...
ryan is a repub and Marikay is a dem.
if square one wasn't closed down we wouldn't have to go to benbassat's stupid show place for a good punk show...
First of all, who quotes Hoover? WTF?
Second, what the hell is up with those videos?
Third, City Council doesn't oversee the school system... so why does he just keep talking about working with the schools?
Fourth, what's with the kitchy chicken american flag logo?
Fifth, considering all of the above, is this a joke?
Post a Comment