Fox holds press conference, Kee contradicts himself

 

District 2 city council candidate Jamal Fox held a press conference yesterday to rally his supporters and emphasize that he will push forward despite recent developments related to his campaign.

NC A&T University suspended Fox, a political science professor, with pay on Tuesday for violating the UNC system's political activity policy. Fox opened the press conference by saying that his lawyer would need to answer any questions regarding his relationship with A&T.

Greensboro City Councilman Jim Kee — Fox's opponent — said multiple sources told him that one of Fox's students made a comment on Oct. 18 about receiving an "A" for voting. Kee reported what he heard to the board of elections, later raising the concern with university officials after hearing from someone that a similar comment was made to Fox by a student on Oct. 21. In the meeting, Kee said administrators told him Fox's candidacy itself presented a conflict with A&T's rules.

Read more about what happened and the context in our full article here.

Fox said at the press conference that he would not let recent events derail his campaign or the political aspirations of his community. He made a vague reference to the fact that he has made mistakes like everyone has, but focused on the message that he is standing up for what he believes in.

"I refuse to be bullied or silenced for doing what is best for our community," he said. Though he avoided mentioning his opponent, who Fox previously blamed for recent events, he responded to press questions about Kee.

"I blame my opponent for running a smear campaign," Fox said, adding that he was "disappointed" by Kee's tactics and "surprised" by his suspension from A&T.

Lewis Beveridge, a community activist who acted as a press liaison during the meeting, said the legal process will sort out Fox's employment and that he is confident Fox upheld the spirit and the letter of the law.

Fox stood in front of supporters, including former District 2 Councilwoman Goldie Wells, Renaissance Community Cooperative President Leo Steward and other community activists.

Councilman Kee released a statement later that evening reiterating that he "never accused anyone of committing any crime" and that he learned that Fox broke A&T's political activity policy when he met with university administrators.

Yet Kee's press release contradicted statements he made in an interview with YES! Weekly on Monday. Kee said in the interview that he didn't contact A&T until Oct. 21 after hearing that students made comments to Fox about grades-for-voting on Oct. 18 and again on the 21. Kee said he didn't contact university officials until after the second incident.

In his press release, Kee only makes reference to one incident and states that he contacted A&T on Oct. 18. The release says Kee met with university officials on the morning of Oct. 21.

Fox initially announced that his press conference would be held at the Renaissance Shopping Center but moved to a nearby church parking lot when the city informed him the shopping center is city property and not a space for a public forum. Fox's campaign said in an e-mail that Kee complained to the city, but later sent out a correction that it was due to an unnamed council member.

City Attorney Mujeeb Shah-Khan declined to comment if a council member contacted his office, only saying that a citizen of Greensboro reached out with concerns. Shah-Khan emphasized that he was already aware of the planned press conference and that it potentially conflicted with city rules, including one that requires a permit for public addresses on city property or the street. Kee couldn't immediately be reached for comment about whether he played a role in the situation.

PHOTOS: Tonight's Greensboro mayoral candidate forum

Here are four outtakes from tonight's forum with Greensboro's two mayoral candidates, incumbent Robbie Perkins and at-large Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan. We wrote about the race (when challenger George Hartzman was in it) and will have a second article on the match up in next week's paper, including coverage of the forum and a second hour-long sit down interview with each candidate. 

Next week's issue will also include our endorsements in all of the Greensboro City Council races (including this one). 

Photos by Quentin Richardson and Eric Ginsburg.

PHOTOS: Mayor Perkins' pre-election party

Mayor Robbie Perkins held a pre-election party on Monday night at Tavo in downtown Greensboro. Perkins said the event wouldn't help his campaign if it was held on election night after people already voted, and said that it would help encourage turn out and support for the campaign.

Perkins faces Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan and challenger George Hartzman in Tuesday's primary. Perkins and Vaughan are widely expected to knock of Hartzman in the primary and proceed to duke it out in the general election.

Left, an ice sculpture for the campaign seen from behind with a band performing in the background. Below, Perkins talking to Theresa Yon, a former Republican NC House candidate who wanted the city to pass a stricter noise ordinance. Perkins, who used to live in Center Pointe like Yon, initially pushed for a tighter ordinance at the beginning of 2012 at Center Pointe developer Roy Carroll's request.

Halfway through the event, about 30 people were in
 attendance, but campaign staff said "well over 100" people attended in total last night. Tayna Wiley, his campaign manager, said that he will be watching the election results from his State Street office on Tuesday evening.

Challenger Nancy Vaughan (who, of course, was not at the event) said that she will initially watch the results come in at home with her family before heading down to the Guilford County Courthouse where candidates traditionally watch the results trickle in.

Below, Perkins greeting former Guilford County Commissioner Skip Alston, who was tied up in two major items that came before city council recently (the Bessemer Shopping Center and a loan for the International Civil Rights Center & Museum). Alston spoke with Perkins briefly at the door, stopping to pin on a Perkins campaign button before trying a shrimp cocktail and mingling like the mayor.

(Not everyone in attendance was a highly-visible power broker in the city —though developer and DGI Chair Dawn Chaney came, too — but the room was dimly lit and numerous other photographs did not come out well).

Read about the three mayoral candidates here, and make sure to vote in today's election if you haven't already cast your ballot during early voting!

Home made signs criticize Abuzuaiter, Holder takes credit

Two home made signs appeared outside the old Guilford County Courthouse — Greensboro's early voting site — this morning with messages criticizing at-large incumbent Councilwoman Marikay Abuzuaiter. Not only are the signs legal, but her opponent Ben Holder is taking credit. 

"Yeah that’s me," he said in a phone interview. "I just made another one — Marikay Obfuscaiter. Get it?"

Holder, one of nine candidates (including Abuzuaiter) running at large, has criticized Abuzuaiter at several council meetings about her transparency about whether she secretly provided information about activists to Greensboro police officers. (Read YES! Weekly's recent editorial on the issue here. Her handling of the issue kept Y!W from endorsing her in the primary).  

Guilford County Elections Director Charlie Collicutt said the signs are legal and don't need to have a disclosure legend saying who paid for it. Collicutt spoke with the state board's general counsel, who said the language is "generally within the realm of acceptable political discourse." Collicutt said Abuzuaiter put her sign right next to it (pictured below) and Holder said that his signs were moved back and hers were placed in front, causing him to make the new sign. 

"I just have a really big problem with someone who refuses to be clear on a story as big as that," Holder said explaining why he did it, adding that it wasn't about her communication with police but that she is lying about her actions. "You never see a homemade sign or people being creative [with signs]. It's easy, it's fun and it may take off."

Greensboro mayoral candidates meet at League of Women Voters forum

The three Greensboro mayoral candidates squared off in front of a packed house at a discussion hosted by the League of Women Voters today. Mayor Robbie Perkins (at left, standing), Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan and challenger George Hartzman spoke on a wide array of issues, including several outside of council's purview.

Three of the questions for the moderated panel focused on immigration reform, an issue of concern for the League of Women Voters that Greensboro City Council doesn't actually have any direct role in creating. The questions hit on Secure Communities, comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship and in-state tuition for undocumented youth, and the candidates appeared unprepared and puzzled for the line of questioning. No questions directly addressed several of the key issues council has dealt with in the last two years since Perkins was elected mayor — the curfew, performing arts center, noise ordinance, tree ordinance, incentives, etc. — but candidates worked the issues into their responses.

Candidates were also asked about public education and healthcare — two other issues that would be better suited for the Guilford County Commissioners given council's lack of governance on the topics, but the three candidates attempted to answer them anyway, often suggesting more partnership or communication between government bodies. Hartzman went a step further, suggesting the creation of a charter school in east Greensboro specifically for children of single-parent homes.

The candidates responses were in line with their previous positions at city council meetings — Perkins and Vaughan speaking from their council seats and Hartzman as a frequent public speaker at the podium. When asked why residents should vote for them, Hartzman's answer was simple: Standing up, he said, "I'll tell the truth," and sat down. Several of his other comments, as usual, focused on the need for transparency and what he said is a corrupt local government lacking transparency.

Hartzman pacing (barefoot) in front of the panel.

Perkins repeated the same question at the beginning and end of the forum, asking attendees if the city is better off than it was two years ago and stressing the strides the city has made under his big-picture leadership. Vaughan said she had more than just a vision for the city, but a record that showed that she is great at following through on issues and tackling them in detail to make informed decisions.

YES! Weekly will have complete coverage of the forum and the three mayoral candidates in next week's Sept. 25 issue after sitting down with each of the candidates to discuss their platforms and why they're running in greater detail.

Can't wait a week? Read our basic candidate profile information on the trio, or tune in to tonight's city council meeting starting at 5:30 p.m., where it's fair to guess that they may butt heads over the curfew, the performing arts center, the High Point Road Streetscape Project and the noise ordinance.

The three contenders will go head-to-head in the Oct. 8 city council primary election. The candidate who receives the lowest number of votes will be eliminated, and the other two will move on to the general election.

Candidate Sharon Hightower: Adopt one of my kittens!

When I walked into Sharon Hightower's home near Lee Street in East Greensboro, I didn't expect to be ambushed by a pile of adorable kittens. Hightower, who is running for Greensboro City Council's District 1 seat (against incumbent Dianne Bellamy-Small and challenger Tigress McDaniel), has five kittens that need good homes. Three of them are white while two (in the picture below) are grey and white. They're about five weeks old and watching them play together was almost too much for me to handle. 

We spent the first several minutes or so talking about the kittens, while Hightower looked for the fifth one that didn't appear until later after presumably taking a nap. 

Call Sharon Hightower at 336-508-5246 if you're interested in (and capable of) adopting one or some of these fur balls. Coincidentally on my way to our office immediately after, I saw a sign that the Guilford County Animal Shelter urgently needs foster families for some of the animals there, and when I called to ask they said it's mostly kittens. Call them at 336-297-5020.

Speaking of kittens, our annual pets issue is out today! Pick up a copy or read it online at www.yesweekly.com!

Greensboro council to discuss electronic financial campaign reports

At least one item on the Greensboro City Council's agenda for next week is simpler than it sounds: A resolution brought forward by District 4 Councilwoman Nancy Hoffmann on a "transparency and timeliness in reporting" campaign finances is designed to encourage candidates to file mandatory financial reports electronically.

Hoffmann said the League of Women Voters brought the issue to her, which was timely because she was already planning to use the software to report electronically.

"We live in the 21st century, right?" Hoffmann said, adding that it would be easier to read than scratched handwriting on some reports, easier to transmit and save time at the elections office.

The resolution won't compel city council candidates to file electronically, it would just encourage them to do so.

Speaking of Greensboro City Council, a $1.5 million funding request from the International Civil Rights Center & Museum has been postponed from the council's agenda again to allow museum staff to provide more financial information. The item is now on council's Aug. 20 agenda, and the money would be paid over three years.

The meeting, which is normally held on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, was moved to Monday at 4 p.m. due to National Night Out on Tuesday.

As an aside: Having read through tons of campaign reports, the prospect of not dealing with illegible handwriting is definitely alluring. Numbers and names are frequently difficult to decipher, causing confusion. It may also be easier to search for specific donors or expenditures with a typed, electronic file, increasing transparency and making our watchdog role easier. 

On the other hand, Jordan Green has experienced software glitches with electronically filed reports that provided inaccurate information, which is also a real concern. Either way, candidates can expect to be hearing from us to verify names and amounts when reports are available. I also wonder how some candidates — like Jean Brown who said she doesn't have a computer — will react if it's passed.

UPDATE: Several candidates filed a "certificate of threshold" which means they won't have to provide as strict finance reporting because they expect to spend less than $1,000. Mayoral candidate George Hartzman, at-large contenders Joseph Landis and Marlando Pridgen, District 3 candidate Corey Pysher and Sal Leone and Alex Seymour in District 5 all filled out a threshold certificate. If any of them ends up crossing the $1,000 mark — as Councilman Danny Thompson questionably did in 2011 — they are required to notify the elections board and follow normal filing procedures.

Breakdown: How new NC voting laws will affect you

The North Carlina General Assembly has passed so much legislation recently that many of our heads are still spinning. Voter ID is among the most publicized changes to state law, but do you have any clue how it will affect you or what the changes actually are?

Here's a quick overview of what the state legislature passed and when those changes will be implemented. Below, we've included a document that runs through the new requirements in more detail. The short story: You probably won't be impacted by new voting laws for the Greensboro or Winston-Salem city council elections this fall.

The only change that begins in 2013, according to Guilford County Elections Board Director Charlie Collicutt, is  pre-registration for people who are 16+. The previous law allowed people who were 16 or 17 to register to vote beforehand and the elections board would hold their registration until they were legally allowed to vote. Pre-registration will end on Sept. 1, though anyone who is signed up before that date will remain in the queue.

The changes will be implemented more fully at the beginning of 2014, including the elimination of same-day registration. Collicutt said 6,000 people in Guilford County used same-day registration in 2012 (which is more than some other elections because there was a presidential race). The 17-day early voting period will be reduced to 10 days, but a late amendment to the bill requires election boards to be open for the same number of early voting hours. Collicutt said the hours requirement wouldn't be difficult to meet, forcing them to either add sites and/or hours to the site over the 10 days. In 2012, 160,000 people voted early in Guilford County, about twice as many as Election Day, Collicutt said.

There's been some confusion about whether the NC General Assembly eliminated Sunday voting, which opponents said would disproportionately disenfranchise black voters. Collicutt said the early voting restrictions don't limit specific days but reduce the overall number of days, as far as he knows.

Voter ID will take full effect in 2016, but in 2014 election boards will ask voters who don't volunteer specific identification to produce one. If a voter doesn't have one, the new law requires board employees to provide them information on what ID will be required in 2014 and have them sign an affidavit that they received the information, Collicutt. To be clear, you will still be able to vote without an ID in 2014, but the board will provide voters without one information on how to obtain proper ID for 2016.

The state legislature also mandated that elections boards use voting machines that produce paper ballots in 2018. Guilford County uses electronic machines, but Collicutt said the board would probably be buying new machines around that time anyway.

"If I had to replace it right now it'd be about $2.5 million up front, plus the recurring cost of paper," Collicutt said, adding that he can't predict the cost of new equipment in 2018.

Read more about North Carolina's new voting laws here:

A guide to NC's new voting laws by YESWeekly

Which Greensboro council candidates voted in 2011?

There are a handful of new Greensboro City Council candidates who didn't vote in the council primary two years ago, but only one newcomer didn't vote in the last council election at all.

John Alexander Underwood, who is running against incumbent Nancy Hoffmann and former mayor Bill Knight for the District 4 seat, votes regularly but completely missed the 2011 city council election (He did vote in the primary and general elections for the 2009 council races).

Tigress McDaniel in District 1, Corey Pysher in District 3 and Alex Seymour in District 5 didn't vote in the 2011 council primary (but showed up for the general election). To be fair, there was no primary in these three districts, but the candidates could have voted in the mayoral and at-large primaries. Speaking of at large, candidates Joseph Landis and Katei Cranford, two of the nine at-large candidates, didn't vote in the 2011 primary either.

Wanna know more? You can look up the full voting history of the candidates, yourself or anyone else on the state board of elections' website (when they voted but not who they voted for, obviously). Here's the link. Some aren't registered under the same name that will appear on the ballot, like Kathryn Cranford and Scott Seymour.

We'll be uploading basic candidate profiles for all of the Greensboro City Council candidates soon at www.triadpolitics.info. Some of the Winston-Salem council candidates are already up, but we're still waiting to hear back from most of the candidates in Greensboro. Stay posted!

More candidates join Greensboro City Council races

Several candidates filed to run for Greensboro City Council today, and some of them are names you're apt to recognize.

Mayor Robbie Perkins and at-large Councilwoman Marikay Abuzuaiter both filed to run for the same offices again today. Joseph Landis, a newcomer to Greensboro politics, also put his name in for the at-large race today. There are currently seven candidates signed up to run at large.

For now, Tony Wilkins is the only person running for District 5 and Tigress McDaniel is the sole candidate running for District 1. Districts 2, 3 and 4 each have two candidates, though past years the fields have been more crowded. Perkins and challenger George Hartzman are the only people who already filed to run for mayor, though at-large Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan said she will run and stickers and magnets for her mayoral bid have already appeared in a few scattered places across town.

Filing ends this Friday, July 19.

UPDATE July 17 (1:45 p.m.): At-large Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan has filed to run for mayor today. Corey Pysher is running in District 3, along with Councilman Zack Matheny and Wendell Roth.

Yesterday, John Alexander Underwood filed in District 4 (joining former Mayor Bill Knight and Councilwoman Nancy Hoffmann).

Tatum's entry in Southeast Ward race sets up Democratic primary

Bill Tatum

James Taylor Jr., who is completing his first term on Winston-Salem City Council as representative of the Southeast Ward, with have a contested primary on Sept. 10 with the entry of fellow Democrat Bill Tatum in the race today.

A retired city code enforcement inspector and former president of the Winston-Salem Branch NAACP, Tatum said he decided to file because he wants to get back into politics. He said he doesn't want to take anything away from Taylor, but he has some ideas about policy initiatives to help the Southeast Ward.

In a brief phone interview, the candidate presented a rounded platform that addresses city employment practices, taxes, incentives, economic development and public safety.

He wants to revisit city employment policies so that workers in all departments receive the same salary enhancements as police and firefighters when they further their education.

And considering the property tax revaluation, Tatum said he opposes increasing the tax rate. (Whether or not the city council raised taxes in the recent budget is a matter of honest debate: Because the revaluation affected every property differently, some property owners will pay more taxes and some will pay less, but the majority will see their bills reduced.)

"Also, I would look at the incentives that we have for corporations such as Caterpillar and Herbalife to make sure that if the incentives are there that people in the Southeast Ward as well as the city get a fair shot at the jobs instead of the corporations bringing in their own people," Tatum said.

The candidate said he wants to ensure that the city supports businesses in the Southeast Ward, along with major corporations that draw employees from a regional base.

"We don't have as many eating establishments that would employ people as we should," Tatum said. "We need to support their growth and not kill the businesses that are here. I want to try to talk to those companies about how we can develop their opportunity in the Southeast Ward."

As it relates to public safety, Tatum said he wants to work with police Chief Barry Rountree to develop "a better strategy to monitor this community in the Southeast Ward" and "continue to reduce house break-ins."

Finally, Tatum endorsed an idea already implemented by Taylor: Holding frequent community meetings.

"We need to communicate effectively with the citizens in the Southeast Ward to have meetings and have a dialogue in that process," he said.

Filing for Greensboro City Council election begins

Filing began today at noon for the upcoming Greensboro City Council election, and already several candidates have filed to run.

Sal Leone, a perennial candidate in past elections who has alternated his party affiliation, and former councilman Mike Barber filed to run at large (meaning citywide, for those of you who don't follow local politics).

District 3 Councilman Zack Matheny filed to run for reelection, the first sitting council member to file this time around. Matheny represents part of downtown and northern Greensboro and is a strong proponent of the teen curfew.

District 2 challenger Jamal Fox and mayoral candidate George Hartzman filed today as well. Both attended the council's emergency meeting about the teen curfew on Wednesday morning and have been at numerous other council meetings, particularly Hartzman who has become a well-known and regular critic of council's decisions and what he says is a lack of transparency.

Other candidates, like Tony Wilkins who was appointed to serve as Trudy Wade's fill in for District 5, have announced their intention to run, but this is the complete list of those who have filed (as of 5 p.m. on Friday). We'll have in depth coverage of the election races coming soon. Until then, you can read more about Mike Barber here and Sal Leone here.

UPDATE (July 9, 5 p.m.): Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson, Chris Lawyer and Jean Brown also filed to run at large. Tigress McDaniel filed in District 1 and Wendell Roth is challenging Matheny in District 3. Nancy Hoffmann, incumbent, and former Mayor Bill Knight are both running for District 4. Nobody has signed up for District 5 yet.

Montgomery launches re-election campaign for East Ward

Derwin Montgomery

Winston-Salem City Councilman Derwin Montgomery opened his remarks with a recitation of his favorite poem, “It Couldn’t Be Done” by Edgar Guest, during a gathering on Monday evening at the Winston Mutual Building to kick off his re-election campaign in the East Ward.

“He started to sing as he tackled the thing/ That couldn’t be done, and he did it!” Montgomery recited, before recalling that he ran for city council four years ago as a 20-year-old Winston-Salem State University student.

Montgomery unseated incumbent Joycelyn Johnson in the Democratic primary four years ago by harnessing Winston-Salem State University student votes in a low-turnout contest. Johnson has announced plans to challenge Montgomery this year, setting up a rematch.

Mayor Allen Joines, East Winston community leader Marva Reid and businessman Algenon Cash were among those who appeared at the event to support Montgomery’s candidacy.

“He’s an energetic, bright young man that has brought a lot of talent to our council,” Joines said. “We’ve struggled in the vineyards, as you say, on some tough, thorny issues there, and it’s always been my pleasure to work with him. He’s been a big supporter of economic development to try to move this city forward.”

Reid, president of the East-Northeast Winston Neighborhood Association, said, “The East Ward needs a person that see their leadership as doing the people’s business. In the past, East Winston leaders were considered the swing voters or going along with the majority. But Councilman Derwin Montgomery has exemplified that he will stand up [against] injustices for us and for all people.”

Cash, a Republican, acknowledged that Montgomery “and I don’t share the same politics,” but said, “I stand here tonight in full support of this young man and his vision.”

Montgomery said it was no coincidence that he chose to launch his campaign at the Winston Mutual Building, a four-story landmark in the East Winston landscape that has sat vacant in recent years. Fifth Street Investments, a company registered by local developer Hank Perkins, bought the property last September.

“Six months [into my term] that’s when they made everybody move out,” Montgomery recalled. “The company went into receivership. Everybody was afraid that it was going to be demolished. It was important to preserve the building because it had so much symbolism in representing African-American entrepreneurship.”

Montgomery said the 2013-2014 annual budget recently approved by city council includes a provision to move the Winston-Salem Police Department’s crime-prevention unit into the second floor of the Winston Mutual building.

“It’s going to say to the entire community that this building is back in use, and we’re going to put tenants in it,” the councilman said.

The candidate built on the theme of his surprise win four years ago.

“We showed this community that things can be done that we think cannot happen," he said. "We continue to look at all the obstacles that we face in this community. We have done great work over the past four years. We have worked with the mayor and the rest of the council to try to bring more jobs to bring more jobs to Winston-Salem and to create an environment that is open to businesses to grow and develop. We try to nurture that same environment when it comes to small business and small-business development."

Montgomery said one of his priorities is matching people who are looking for work in the East Ward with employers who are trying to fill job positions.

“As a council member it’s not written in my job description that that’s something that I’m supposed to do," he said. "But the community needs individuals that will do that type of work. We need individuals to continue to move forward to connect the dots for neighborhoods that have felt separated from what is happening in downtown Winston-Salem and across the entire city."

Mike Barber to run for Greensboro council at large

A younger Barber (courtesy photo)

Former Greensboro City Councilman Mike Barber announced today that he will run for council at large in the election this fall. Barber, a Democrat, served as the District 4 councilman and decided not to seek re-election in 2009.

"Taking some time away has given me a fresh perspective and some new ideas," said Barber, whose family took a sabbatical in Spain after his tenure on council. "I care a lot about Greensboro and I feel like I have something to contribute. Looking forward, we need to renew our focus on branding and marketing the city of Greensboro."

He added that it will be important for the city to take "a holistic approach to the development" in the future. Barber, who also served as a Guilford County Commissioner, is the CEO of The First Tee of the Triad, a non-profit that teaches kids life skills through golf. He has been with the non-profit for almost two years and still practices law. 

During his tenure, Barber introduced the Greensboro Aquatic Center, he said. He also helped balance the city's budget by reducing the number of city employees through attrition and consolidation, which allowed the city to increase employee compensation as well, he said.   

Barber is partially known for bringing up the option of reopening the White Street landfill, which he said was a bargaining chip in the city's waste management contracting negotiations. Barber said he underestimated the sensitivity of the issue at the time and pointed out that he was not on council during the divisive debates on the landfill. He said it is a non-issue now that he does not plan to revisit.

Filing for the city council election race won't start until next month, but check back for more candidacy announcements and detailed election coverage.

BREAKING: Nancy Hoffmann seeks D4 re-election

Courtesy photo

District 4 Greensboro City Councilwoman Nancy Hoffmann announced in a press release this morning that she will seek re-election. Hoffmann's involvement in citywide and downtown issues during her first term led some to believe (myself included) that she may run for council at-large.

The press release emphasizes her engagement with young professionals ("they are our future"), her work as chair of a council subcommittee addressing a post-RUCO ordinance to deal with safe rental housing and her accessibility to constituents.

Hoffmann also served on the council subcommittee designing a new tree ordinance (which is still in the works) and briefly brought up the noise ordinance again earlier this year. Hoffmann defeated incumbent Mary Rakestraw in the 2011 election. We will have much more detailed coverage of the city council campaigns once filing begins this summer.

District 4 covers the central western and northwestern parts of Greensboro including the Guilford College area and stretching as far north as Battleground Avenue. The district reaches parts of High Point Road and I-40 to the south but does not extend eastward enough to encompass downtown or surrounding neighborhoods.

Not sure what district you live in? Here's a map.

UPDATE: Hoffmann will be challenged by Bill Knight, who served one term as mayor as a political newcomer before being ousted by Robbie Perkins in 2011.