The following is a transcript of Greensboro City Council District 5 candidate Art Boyett’s answers at a Guilford County Unity Effort forum on Sept. 22:
Introductory statement
My name is Art Boyett. I live in District 5, so I’m running in that district. I felt like when I was thinking about running for city council, especially since I’m unknown in the area, that it would be easier to concentrate on a district rather than thinking about running for an at-large position. My background is that I’m a retired college professor and retired CPA, so I’ve had experience both in the real world, if you will, doing audits for corporations and also city and county governments. I’ve also taught for about 30 years: auditing and governmental accounting. I have a strong background and knowledge of government and have been involved and interested in government, but didn’t feel like I had the time to run for office until now.
Do you believe city tax money should be used to promote private development?
Well, economic development must be promoted by the city. To give money specifically for private development, if it’s seed money that’s going to come back to the city, I think that’s appropriate. But to just provide money straight for economic development, I disagree.
Do you favor expansion of mass transportation in the city, and if so how would you help implement it?
I think we need to look at mass transportation for the city. Certainly I think we can expand the bus routes we already have. Some people have talked about the possibility of some kind of rapid rail or something of that sort. I don’t think we’re there yet. We may be in the studying phase of looking at that, but certainly I think that we should expand the bus routes that we have operating and try to encourage more people to take advantage of those. We should look at cooperation between the various bus companies in this area. I understand that it’s a problem sometimes for people that live in one area, say High Point, and to try to get over to the east side of Greensboro and trying to connect with all the bus companies. So I think we should cooperate and see if we can work out an arrangement so that it’s more seamless movement that way.
What is one thing you have done in the last year to make Greensboro a better place?
Well, I taught a number of students to become accountants at Guilford College, where I was teaching the last three years. I was teaching a number of students who were changing careers. And so I was teaching in the evening, and most of the students who were in that program were people who were already working but were looking for an opportunity to change careers or to advance in their current career, so I think that’s something that I’ve been helpful with. Another thing that I’ve worked a lot with is community theater. I’ve been involved in several plays. I’m involved in the arts, and I think the arts in the community are an important aspect of our city. I’m currently working in the community theater’s “Seniors Reaching Out” program. We go to the various adult centers in the town and offer entertainment for the people who are there. And they seem to enjoy it quite a bit. And I know we do.
What do you understand about the racial disparities in regard to the city of Greensboro’s policymaking in the areas of investment and development, landfills and toxic exposure, healthcare and disproportionate minority contact? What skills do you possess to address these issues?
I’m not sure I know all of the things that exist in that area. I’m not sure that anybody does. The way I would approach that — I understand that there is a good bit of intercultural difference going on in the city right now, and I abhor that. I want to be a representative of all of the people of the city. I want to work with everybody in the city to try to develop a civil discourse between everybody. Treat everyone with respect. Get the opinions of everybody — all groups. Make sure that we have input from everybody on all of the major issues. And make sure that their voice is heard. I want to be a voice of the people.
Given the controversies plaguing our police department, what is your position regarding a police review board?
We have a new city manager. I want to work with the city manager to come up with appropriate policies for the police department. I think that that would involve having a board of supervisors or a board of experts to look at the operation of the police department and make recommendations on what changes should be made, and have those changes implemented by the city manager and the city council. One thing that I think would go a long way to improving the situation in the police department is openness. Get all of the information that has come out, all of the investigations that have taken place over the last four or five or six years — get that information out so that people know what’s going on. One of the biggest problems, I think, with the public’s understanding and lack of confidence in the police department at this time is that they feel like there’s some things that have been hidden from them and so if we get that information out I think that will go a long way toward solving that problem. And then have a group determine what needs to be changed in terms of procedures for the police department.
Follow-up: Do you have a position on the complaint review process?
I don’t have a position specifically on the complaint review process. I was at a city council meeting I believe recently where the complaint review process was discussed. I think it is important that citizens are involved in the complaint review process of the city of the police department. Does that better answer the question?
Additional follow-up: Citizens are already involved. Do you support subpoena power?
I’m not sure that I know exactly all that’s involved in subpoena power. I certainly think that the citizen review board should have the ability to get all the information they need to make decisions and recommendations. Whether that’s technically subpoena power, I don’t know.
A proposed expansion of use of the White Street Landfill has been a topic of discussion at city council meetings this year. Most residents who live within a 10-20-mile radius of the facility have opposed expanding the use of it. Would you favor a proposed expansion of the use of the White Street Landfill, and how do you measure that against human life?
Handling solid waste and sewage is a major activity of any city. There has been a good bit of technical improvement in what can be done with waste over the last few years. I think we need to look at how we handle both solid waste and sewage, and bring in people from the engineering department at A&T or North Carolina State, and let them help us find solutions to this. I’m not suggesting that we totally say White Street should not be used, but I think we should look at it and any other solutions that are possible towards our solid waste situation. But not just look at the dollar cost, also look at the human cost and the environmental cost that are involved.
Over the last several decades, commercial and residential development has caused the city of Greensboro to expand in the northwest, while residents of east Greensboro have pleaded, often to no avail, for such things as grocery stores and additional retail amenities. What, if any, role do you see the council playing in balancing this situation?
I think the council should look at and make recommendations, and also get grant money — whatever’s available from the federal government, any foundations or agencies — to help make the planning that’s necessary to make sure that these areas grow. Also we should provide any infrastructure for any growth in that area, just like we would for any other area. Economic development in any area of the city is important. One thing that I would like to add to that, not just for east Greensboro but for the whole city of Greensboro, one of the things that I think we need to do — several people mentioned that we need to keep the fine young minds that we are training, here in Greensboro. I think we need to work with the colleges, especially the business schools and the engineering schools here to expand an incubator program for people to start small businesses, and then develop those small businesses and grow them. Incubator programs have been very successful. And if you get somebody started here as a small business and let it grow, that’s the best way to develop new jobs.
Much of the turmoil in city government has centered on the firing of City Manager Mitchell Johnson. How do you think you would have handled that matter?
I don’t know all of the information that went into the hiring — into the firing of Mr. Johnson. So I can’t tell exactly how I would have handled that situation. But the city manager is hired and operates, to some degree, at the pleasure of the city council. So if it is the perception of the city council that the city manager is not doing what they think he or she should be doing, then I would think that it should first be done that they talk to that city manager and talk about what things could be done. But still, if there is a big disagreement, then the city council has the right and obligation to fire the city manager if they do not think that he or she is doing the job that should be done.
Closing statement
I believe that the city of Greensboro can be a shining light for this region, this state, the whole nation. We have tremendous resources here. We have tremendous people here. We have tremendous educational facilities. We have wonderful cultural programs. We have a beautiful area. All it takes is for the citizens and their government to take hold of what we have and produce a wonderful city. That’s not to say we’re not a good city as it is, but I think we can be a shining light for everybody in this area and I’d like to be part of doing that as a member of the city council.
Triad Elections ’09
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