Joseph Rahenkamp transcript

The following is a transcript of District 4 candidate Joseph Rahenkamp’s answers at a Guilford County Unity Effort forum on Sept. 8:

Introductory statement
I was a firefighter for the city of Greensboro 41 years. Number one, I’m for keeping stuff flat. What do I mean by that? Taxes. Also your city services, flat. I’m for incentives for everyone. Let me say one thing so someone does not misinterpret it. Anybody, were it individuals or business, that wants to build a new building or improve it... any improvements they make, do not charge them for three years on the next improvements. Just for example, you’ve got companies coming in here, they’re going to provide 50 jobs, even if you gave ’em tax free, look how much it would be. I’m for the city going forward. I am for taking this landfill. There’s bound to be a way we could use it, and fix it so you’ve got your stations where you’re sorting this stuff. You take your garbage where it’s odor, neutralize it, take it out there and make it into a compost, and make it work, and look how many jobs we can make... $9 million a year that were spending we could make a whole lot of jobs. And Greensboro is hurting for jobs. And people are hurting here. And I don’t want to see people lose their homes.

Would you ever support a tax increase in order to provide improved public services?
I just said it in my opening statement. I’m not raising property taxes, period, or no services tax. I want to encourage people to be able to make it. If anything you want to reduce taxes; you don’t want to raise ’em. That’s what stomps business or stomps anything else into the ground. First thing we know, we’re gonna be like California. If I’m elected, I don’t want to see any employee of the city of Greensboro laid off. I don’t want to see ’em furloughed by one day a week. I want to try to keep things going. You know the old saying is, you kill the chicken that lays the golden eggs, there is no more golden eggs. And people are stretched to the limit. Okay, well... raise their taxes 1 percent. We don’t need it. We need to hold the line, if anything reduce it.

How would you be accountable to constituents?
Well, they’ve got my phone number. I’ll answer any questions. I’ll be glad to talk to you. You may not want to hear what I’ve got to say. I won’t blow smoke at you. I’ll be just as honest as I know to be. If I’m elected, I’ll do my best to do you a good job.

What would you do to help bring more jobs to the area, as well as promote the growth of small businesses? And how would you help the MWBEs, the minority- and women-owned business enterprises?
How many jobs, for $9 million, could you create? That’s something to think about. This is not the first time I’ve run for public office. I was a lone runner on the new, not the existing one, but a new FedEx. I said, “Yeah, I want FedEx in here.” I said, “I’d to have a thousand like that.” You can have a beautiful city, but if people do not have jobs where they can live and where they can pay their taxes, you cannot do it. You can’t have everything. I am for bringing jobs in here, and if these companies come in here, do not make it hard on ’em. Sure, you may have some inconvenience. You may have some sounds. Ones of you got your opinions about these roads, that’s your business. You’ve got some people, if they had their way, 29 would never have been built. Wendover’d never been built. Forty would never been built. It would be nothing but a little pig patch in Greensboro. Y’all want to hang me, that’s fine. And I’m going to tell you something else before I get hung for it. I’m for a lottery. I don’t mean just turn around there and keep it. Raleigh, of the state of North Carolina would be better off to keep 10 percent, and give away 90. And make sure it’s run straight. Let people win, and you’re going to be surprised. I like to be like, I believe I’m correct, believe it’s Tennessee? Florida? Texas? They have no state tax. People are going to gamble no matter what you call it. Life’s a gamble. You start to drink this water; you don’t know what’s in it. Let’s face it, we can’t have our pie and eat it too. If you want jobs here or you want to put such a strain on businesses that they will not come into Greensboro. I believe, if I’m right, I read in the paper, isn’t Mack coming here? They’re here. See what I mean?

How do you measure the savings versus human life and the environment in the area of the White Street Landfill?
A human life, there’s no price on it. The thing of it is, when we get back to the same thing, sure there’s a lot of stuff around. But that landfill should be able to be run. Now, you got your stations where they store stuff, right Mayor? Okay, you’re sub-stations where they sort…? Just want to make sure I’m right. I think it should be able to be run where you can neutralize it and mark it. With $9 million you can do a lot, make a lot of jobs, and I think it could be run where it’s no health hazard.

What are your big plans for Greensboro?
Back to the same thing: If we don’t get good jobs in here, there is no plan for Greensboro. Gonna end up just like California. You’ll have to decide what you want. Want things to go forward? I’m for Greensboro going forward. I’m not for putting something on council, saying this is a set pattern. What’s in here today might be an entirely different thing to look at six months from now or 30 days. That’s what I’m for. Gonna have to work around to where don’t make it so ya don’t have so much restrictions on it.

What can we do to make our city a safer place — to reduce crime, drug addiction, vacant housing, homelessness and panhandling?
I might be homeless someday. I hope not. I hope none of you all ever are. I understand Atlanta, Georgia, they’ve got a camp. You don’t stand on the street there. You’re on the street, you either go on or they put you in that camp for two weeks. They give you a uniform, they feed you, provide for your medical attention and take care of you, work you. When two weeks is up if you’ve got a job or want to go on, well, good. The old saying is that the idle mind is the devil’s workshop…. I know it’s a big problem. It’s a big problem everywhere. California has laid off 2,000 school teachers. I think Detroit was 1,700. And it’s going to get worse. We’ve got to bring jobs some way, but we need to stop it. One way we need to stop that $9 million we’re shipping the trash out, take care of our own. I forget where it was. One city they can take that landfill, they can make it pay off. They make money with it. Instead of costing taxpayers, they make it pay off. Like this gentleman here was talking about: There’s a lot of stuff out there we can use. Instead of burying it, use it. Make it pay off.

Closing statement
One thing I didn’t say is I am for a police commissioner and a fire commissioner. You got to run for it, every two years, every four years. And you don’t like what’s going on, you can change the guard. I don’t care how good your fire department is, your police department or anything. You can always make improvements. I can give you a whole lot. I worked for the fire department for 41 years. And there’s some things that’s not right. It’s not right all the way through the city, and I disagree with it. And if I ever get elected, I’m gonna try to change some of it. But if I get elected, I don’t have but one vote. So you want to be careful. Whoever you want in there you need to vote. You got to look at the council. Council can’t do but so much…. If you take a contribution from someone you’re obligated to them. It should not be anything at all where your hands are not tied.