City Council Approves Raise for City Attorney

"GREENSBORO, NC (October 20, 2015) – Greensboro City Council approved a salary increase for City Attorney Tom Carruthers during its meeting Tuesday night. Carruthers received a 3.9 percent merit increase, moving his salary from $152,000 to $158,000 per year.

The raise was based on Carruthers’ annual job evaluation that was conducted by Council during a closed session. Carruthers has served as Greensboro’s attorney since October 2014."

- A Press Release

DGI's Matheny charged with DWI

Downtown Greensboro Inc President Zack Matheny was charged with Driving While impaired by Greensboro Police early Friday morning.

According to Susan C. Danielsen, Public Information Officer with the Greensboro Police Department, the police report had not been finalized but she confirmed that Matheny, 42, was charged with DWI when an officer of the Greensboro Police Department found him passed out with his head on the steering wheel of a black Landrover.

“The officer saw the vehicle parked and running in the parking lot of the Harris Teeter on North Church and East Cone in Greensboro at 3.40am this morning,” said Danielsen. “The officer pulled up and found the only occupant, Mr. Matheny, in the running vehicle. He had his head on the steering wheel and appeared to be sleeping.”

According to Danielsen, the officer knocked on the window to wake him and had him roll down his window and step out of the vehicle. He was given a field sobriety test and failed blowing over the legal limit. Danielsen could not confirm the specific results of the breathalyzer test, only that is was over the legal limit.

Matheny, who resides at 3204 Roundhill Road in Greensboro, became DGI President early this summer after announcing his resignation from Greensboro City Council at their June 16, 2015 City Council Meeting.

“He was very cooperative and complied with all the officers instructions,” said Danielsen, who noted that this was his first such charge in Greensboro.

By Charles Womack

City Council Approves Pay Raise for City Manager Jim Westmoreland

"GREENSBORO, NC (May 19, 2015) – Greensboro City Council approved a salary increase for City Manager Jim Westmoreland during its meeting Tuesday night. Westmoreland received a 2.5 percent merit increase, moving his salary from $179,000 to $183,475.

The raise was based on Westmoreland’s annual job evaluation that was conducted by Council during a closed session. Westmoreland has served as Greensboro’s city manager since February 1, 2014."

- A Press Release

National Folk Festival Makes Two Important Announcements: VF Corporation Will Sponsor a Stage, and First Set of Eight Performers Unveiled

One of seven outdoor performance venues, the Wrangler® Stage will anchor the northern end of the National Folk Festival

Greensboro, N.C., May 20, 2015  — The National Folk Festival announced today that VF Corporation will sponsor the “Wrangler Stage” at the 2015 Festival, which will feature 300 artists on seven stages over three days in downtown Greensboro from September 11 – 13, 2015. The Festival is FREE; no tickets are necessary.

A large “street stage” located in the 400 block of North Elm Street in downtown Greensboro, the Wrangler Stage will anchor the northern end of the Festival. At any time throughout the Festival, as many as 5,000 attendees will be able to enjoy performers on this stage, which will operate day and night. Food and beverage vendors will be located on the Wrangler property adjacent to the stage.

Making the announcement today at the Wrangler facility in Greensboro were Anita Graham, Vice President – VF Global Human Resources; Scott Baxter, Vice President – VF Corporation and Group President – Jeanswear, Imagewear and South America; Florence Gatten, Board Chair – ArtsGreensboro; Tom Philion, President and CEO – ArtsGreensboro; Julia Olin, Executive Director – National Council for the Traditional Arts; and Greensboro City Council Member-At-Large Marikay Abuzuaiter.

“We are thrilled to announce that VF Corporation—with its corporate headquarters right here in Greensboro—is making a major commitment to the 2015 National Folk Festival,” said Philion. “With this investment in the Wrangler Stage, VF is providing an opportunity for tens of thousands of people to enjoy performances by some of our nation’s outstanding traditional artists during the Festival.”

“VF and Wrangler are proud to support the National Folk Festival in Greensboro, the place we call home,” said Scott Baxter, Vice President – VF Corporation and Group President – Jeanswear, Imagewear and South America. “By presenting some of the nation’s best traditional artists on the Wrangler Stage during the National Folk Festival, we have a unique opportunity to celebrate the arts and American heritage, something that is also at the heart of Wrangler.”

Approximately 300 artists—musicians, dancers, puppeteers, storytellers, and craftspeople—will appear during the National Folk Festival, with at least 30 different musical groups performing on the Wrangler Stage and six other outdoor performance venues throughout downtown Greensboro.

Following the announcement of VF’s sponsorship of the Wrangler Stage, Julia Olin, Executive Director – National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), which awarded the National Folk Festival to Greensboro and is co-producing it with ArtsGreensboro, announced the first set of eight artists performing at the Festival. Those artists include:

·      Dale Watson – Honky-Tonk & Country

·      Marquise Knox – Blues

·      Los Tres Reyes – Trío Romántico

·      Mythili Prakash Dance Ensemble – Bharata Natyam

·      The Dardanelles – Traditional Music of Newfoundland

·      Sheila Kay Adams – Appalachian Songs, Stories, and Ballads

·      Babá Ken Okulolo & the West African Highlife Band – Highlife

·      Yuqin Wang & Zhengli Xu – Chinese Rod Puppetry

Over 40 people of different backgrounds—and with a deep knowledge of traditional music and art forms—came together from across North Carolina to serve as the local Festival Programming Advisory Committee. “I was thrilled to work with the local Programming Advisory Committee whose input was so valuable to the Festival programming process,” said Olin. “This first group of performers underscores how diverse and exciting the Festival’s programming will be.”

More performers will be announced over the next two months. Check the newly launched NationalFolkFestival.com website often for updates and information on all the performers.

###

About VFCorporation: VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) is a global leader in the design, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of branded lifestyle apparel, footwear, and accessories. The company's highly diversified portfolio of 30 powerful brands spans numerous geographies, product categories, consumer demographics, and sales channels, giving VF a unique industry position and the ability to create sustainable, long-term growth for our customers and shareholders. The company's largest brands are The North Face^®, Vans^®, Timberland^®, Wrangler^®, Lee^® and Nautica^®. For more information, visit www.vfc.com.

About the 2015 National Folk Festival: Co-produced by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) and ArtsGreensboro, the National Folk Festival is beginning its three-year residency in downtown Greensboro this year, when it will celebrate its 75th anniversary from September 11 – 13, 2015. The FREE, three-day event is America’s longest-running festival of traditional arts; it will highlight both long-standing traditions and the heritage and culture of North Carolina’s newest immigrant groups, and set the stage for a continuing and permanent North Carolina Folk Festival, beginning in 2018, after the “National” moves on.

With downtown Greensboro as the backdrop, audiences will enjoy seven stages featuring continuous musical entertainment—from rockabilly to old-time to mariachi, and from funk to Cajun to jazz. Attendees will also be able to dance non-stop to a variety of musical genres at the dance pavilion; dine on regional and ethnic foods; experience folk art demonstrations and performances by N.C. artists; and share the fun of the Family Activities Area with their children. nationalfolkfestival.com

About the National Folk Festival: Since it was first presented in St. Louis in 1934, the National Folk Festival has celebrated the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. Championed in its early years by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was the first event of national stature to present the arts of many nations, races, and languages on equal footing. It was also the first to present to the public musical forms such as the blues, Cajun music, polka bands, Tex-Mex conjunto, Peking Opera, and many others. An exuberant traveling festival that embraces the diverse cultural expressions of the American people in the 21st century, the National Folk Festival is FREE to the public, and is produced by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) in partnership with communities around the country.

About the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA): The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is one of the nation’s premier non-profit cultural organizations dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk, tribal, and ethnic arts in the United States. Founded in 1933, it is the nation’s oldest producing and presenting organization with such a focus. Its programs celebrate and honor deeply rooted cultural expressions—music, crafts, stories, and dance passed on through time by families and communities as well as by tribal, ethnic, and occupational groups. The NCTA stresses excellence and authenticity in presenting artists to the public in festivals, tours, concerts, media programs, exhibitions, recordings, and other activities, and works in partnership with communities across American to establish new, sustainable traditional arts events that bring lasting social, cultural, and economic benefits. www.ncta-usa.org

About ArtsGreensboro: With an annual budget of over $2.9 million, ArtsGreensboro is a catalyst for innovation to build recognition and support for the arts. Through the 17DAYS Arts & Culture Festival, I HEART ARTS Month, power2give, and other initiatives such as the National Folk Festival, ArtsGreensboro is driving the health and vitality of our community by supporting arts education, celebrating the diversity of Greensboro, and driving economic impact through excellence in arts programming. www.artsgreensboro.org"

- A Press Release

PHOTOS: New Greensboro City Council sworn in

Outgoing mayor Robbie Perkins listing the council's accomplishments since 2011

Council and the audience gave him a standing ovation

Outgoing councilwoman Dianne Bellamy-Small and Perkins hugging

Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson talking with new Councilman Jamal Fox

Left: New Councilman Mike Barber. Background: Fox.

District 2 Councilman Jamal Fox poses for a picture

NC Rep. Marcus Brandon photo-bombs new Councilwoman Sharon Hightower before she is sworn in

Tony Wilkins takes a picture of Nancy Vaughan in the mayor's seat. Marikay Abuzuaiter did next.

Greensboro's new Mayor Nancy Vaughan being sworn in, surrounded by her family
(Read more about her and her family in this week's cover story, SLAP SHOT).

Bellamy-Small asks for recount, releases statement

Long-serving Greensboro Councilwoman Dianne Bellamy-Small is asking for a recount in her District 1 loss to Sharon Hightower at the behest of her constituents, she said in a press release this morning.

Hightower narrowly defeated Bellamy-Small in Tuesday's general election, winning with a mere 15 votes. There were 14 write-in votes in the district and the number did not reflect provisional ballots, but Guilford County Elections Director Charlie Collicutt said at the time that there were too few provisionals to change the  result. A losing candidate can call for a recount if the gap between the turnout numbers is 1 percent or less, Collicutt said. In this year's Greensboro City Council races, that only applies to District 1. 

Here is Bellamy-Small's full press release:

"T. Dianne Bellamy-Small has served District 1 for the past 10 years with dignity, respect, hard work, responsiveness and honor. The body of work that I have been able to accomplish with the professional support of city staff and the community speaks for itself. Being and elected official, who is a change agent and a stoker, has been demanding, challenging and a rewarding experience.

The request for the recount was made at the request of my constituents and I respect them enough to ask for this process. As I have said from the beginning of my service, I serve at the will of the people. I wish the new council well and hope that they will respect all the people they now serve and not themselves. The fact that I attempted to befriend and mentor the new District 1 representative meant that I had the greater capacity to look beyond someone’s faults and see his or her needs. I have encouraged,  mentored and befriended many others successfullly over the years.  District 1 need to have the best leadership possible and I hope that with the new council they will get what they deserve.

The concerns for District 1 and the city are not about whether one likes someone, but about getting out and doing the job for the greater good of our citizens. And finally, I want to thank all of my supporters. They should be proud of what we have accomplished over the last 10 years. Thank you."

If the results stand, Hightower will be one of two new candidates joining the city council. Jamal Fox, 25, upended District 2 Councilman Jim Kee. All other incumbents held their seat except for Mayor Robbie Perkins, who lost to At-large Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan. Former councilman Mike Barber, who last served in 2009, was elected to the at-large seat left vacant by Vaughan.

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.

NC Young Democrats denounce Councilman Jim Kee

BREAKING: The executive board of the Young Democrats of North Carolina issued the following statement in a press release this afternoon.

“We condemn Councilman Jim Kee's tactics in his Greensboro City Council race against Jamal Fox. Attempting to discredit someone based on their age is a tactic we strongly oppose, and Kee's desperate tactics are a disservice to the people of Greensboro. Fox’s students have made it clear Kee's attacks are untrue. 

 No candidate should allow their campaign to become more important than setting an example of integrity in public service. Individual board and executive committee members of the Guilford County Democratic Party have publicly endorsed Fox since Kee’s original allegations were reported because Democrats stand behind the right of all registered voters to exercise their right to vote and stand as candidates for public office if they so choose - regardless of their age.”

Read more about the entire situation in tomorrow's issue of YES! Weekly.

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.

Sal Leone: "I ask for stuff I don't need"

Just in case Greensboro city staffers are already over their case of the Mondays (or are excited about a Tuesday off from city council meetings) here's a gem from Sal Leone that might make their head spin.


This didn't fit into our District 5 city council election article coming out tomorrow for a few reasons (namely because of space), but it still merits publication.

In his candidate interview last week, Leone brought up the issue of public-information requests and said: "I ask for stuff I don't need just to keep them working."

Leone, who will face Tony Wilkins and Alex Seymour in the Oct. 8 primary race, added that he did it to keep people guessing about what he was up to on his campaign.

On Aug. 2, we reported that Leone had 13 open information requests with the city. For example, here's an excerpt from a staff report about open public-information requests:

The list is included in the city's weekly "Items For Your Information" report in part because the city struggles to keep up with the massive amount and size of requests from people (myself included). 

Leone ran at-large for Greensboro City Council in 2011. Read more about Leone's candid candidacy, Seymour and Wilkins in tomorrow's YES! Weekly.

Greensboro hoping third time's the charm with noise ordinance

A flyer by Bennett College this week

Knock knock. It's your old friend, the Greensboro noise ordinance.

When the Greensboro City Council meets on Tuesday, there will be a familiar item on the agenda. Councilwomen Nancy Hoffmann, Marikay Abuzuaiter and Nancy Vaughan are bringing forward two significant revisions to the noise ordinance that are likely to pass, several council members said.

After lowering the nighttime threshold from 75 to 65 decibels and switching from A to C weighting (which is designed to pick up bass frequencies better but essentially drops the reading an additional 10 decibels) in July, the threshold level is back on the agenda for a very good reason: the current level is unenforceable. 

Opponents of the July revisions — the second round of changes since council first tackled the issue in early 2012 — argued that ambient noise would be a problem with C-weighted 65 decibel level, and that's exactly what police and council members found out. Vaughan said that readings taken outside of closed venues were crossing the 65 decibel threshold. (Council initially considered a 60 dB limit in July but Vaughan convinced a majority of members to bump it to 65 dB).

To reach an enforceable level, council will now consider raising the decibel threshold back to 75 but will retain the C-weighting system it put in place in July. But before you rejoice or panic, there's more.

Council will also consider — and likely pass — a ban on outdoor amplified noise after 11 p.m. Greene Street Club and Syn & Sky, two downtown clubs with rooftop venues, are the obvious target of the ban. Greene Street's lawyer Norman Klick and Syn & Sky owner Mike Carter could not immediately be reached for comment.

Reiterating her statements from council's discussion in July, Vaughan said club owners did not protect the initial ordinance changes that turned Greensboro into the loudest city in the state and possibly the Southeast.

"I was pretty frustrated with some of the clubs and the way they were managing noise and it just appears they can’t do it," she said. "It really didn’t seem to matter to them. It’s unfortunate that we have to come back a third time but hopefully the third time’s the charm."

Vaughan and Hoffmann said they were responding to feedback from the Greensboro Police Department about issues with amplified noise, and Mayor Robbie Perkins said this round of changes will make enforcement easier because the 11 p.m. ban will be more clear cut. 

"I think the big thing is, do we want our officers out after noise complaints or do we want them out after more serious crimes?" he said. "I’d have voted for this in the first round, we just didn’t have the majority of the council where we needed to be at that time. We’re at the end of a long road."

Hoffmann said she would be surprised if any revisions were needed after this, but added, "I never say never." 

Hoffmann said that part of the issue was that the C weighting hadn't been adequately tested before council's vote in July, but Vaughan said she and Abuzuaiter went out with police to see the C weighting in action before the last round of revisions. Yet after having the rules on the books for several weeks, Vaughan said it was clear that the ordinance wasn't workable based on more experience with the changes. 

The changes are necessary, Vaughan said, but she's disappointed the noise ordinance needs to be placed on the agenda again. So is Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson.

"I don’t know what I can make of that," Johnson said less than an hour after finding out it would come before council on Tuesday. "I think we ought to do something fair… and we need to stick with it. I just want us to get to a point where it’s a win-win and leave it there. I’m tired of it."

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).

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.

Greensboro temporarily reinstates teen curfew downtown

This morning the Greensboro City Council voted 8-1, with Dianne Bellamy-Small (far left) casting the lone dissenting vote, to reinstate a teen curfew in downtown for the next 60 days, effective immediately.

Council is holding a public meeting with community leaders to discuss the issue at 2 p.m. Read more about what's happening here, and pick up YES! Weekly next week for full coverage of the issue.

Greensboro council to revisit Black Network Television vote

The Greensboro City Council will hold a special meeting next week to revisit its approval of a $300,000 loan to Black Network Television, the city just announced. The meeting will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, July 2.

Council approved the loan in a 7-2 vote on June 18, with Councilwoman Nancy Hoffmann and Councilman Tony Wilkins voting against the item. Councilwoman Dianne Bellamy-Small abstained from voting, saying that she felt uncomfortable about the decision. Her absention counted as an affirmative vote because sh wasn't formally excused. (YES! Weekly mistakenly reported that Councilman Zack Matheny, rather than Hoffmann, voted against the item. We regret the error.)

The city said this afternoon that the council will hold the special meeting "for the purpose of considering and amending" the resolution for the 120-month $300,000 loan to Black Network Television. The company plans to produce a family sitcom in Greensboro.

UPDATE: The city sent out a press release on the afternoon of July 1 saying the meeting tomorrow is canceled. No information about rescheduling the meeting was provided. 

Council wants Renaissance investment up front, curfew talk likely just rumors

There's been a slight twist in Greensboro's decision to give the Renaissance Center Group a $2 million forgivable loan to rebuild the Renaissance Shopping Center on Phillips Avenue: Now council would like to see the developers front their portion of the deal.

Councilman Tony Wilkins, who represents District 5 and voted in favor of the loan, suggested that the group put its $2 million investment into the site at the beginning.

"I don’t think we specified the sequence of events during the meeting," Wilkins said, referring to council's vote to sell the property and give the loan in early June.  "To me it would only make sense financially for the investors to put their $2 million up front so that when we gave them the $2 million loan we had that $2 million collateral in the building. I’m not asking to take a penny away from what was offered."

At-large Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan agreed.

"It would just give the community some more safeguards," she said. "I think the majority of council thinks it a pretty good idea."

Council will vote on the specifics of the contract with the Renaissance Center Group at its mid-July meeting, which Vaughan said will be a long one in part because the post-RUCO committee and the noise ordinance are both on the agenda.

"It looks like we’re going to have to bring our pajamas," she said, adding that the meeting may be split over two consecutive days to keep the meeting from running too late at night, similarly to its June 18 meeting.

Council needs to either hold a public hearing or an upset bid process for the sale and redevelopment of the Renaissance Shopping Center, Vaughan said. She believes there will be a public hearing at council's next meeting.

In other city council news...
A rumor circulated this week that someone on city council is interested in revisiting the teen curfew, but as far as we can tell, it isn't going anywhere quickly.

"I heard it mentioned in passing but I didn’t think it was a serious discussion," Vaughan said, declining to say which council member brought it up and adding it was unlikely that she'd support it.

Wilkins, Mayor Robbie Perkins and Councilwoman Nancy Hoffmann said they hadn't heard anything about revisiting the curfew. Councilman Zack Matheny, who brought up the initial temporary curfew, could not be reached this week. City spokesperson Jake Keyes said the issue is not on council's agenda and that he couldn't find anyone that knows anything about it.

Let's consider the curfew dead for now, and I hope it stays that way.

Tweeting Greensboro City Council meeting live

Duke Energy spokesman Davis Montgomery (left) and Deputy City Manager
Jim Westmoreland at a tree ordinance subcommittee meeting. 

Tonight I'll be tweeting live from the Greensboro City Council meeting. Follow along for short updates at @yesweekly.  At this point, council is already through its consent agenda and is on the first public hearing agenda item.

Council will be voting on the city budget tonight, as well as the tree ordinance aimed at adjusting Duke Energy's tree-trimming practices for power line maintenance in the city.

Just a moment ago, council approved a public hearing to revisit the noise ordinance on July 16, with Councilwoman Marikay Abuzuaiter voting no because many young professionals and students who care about the issue are out of town during the summer.

Full coverage of the tree ordinance decision and the city budget will appear in the June 26 issue of YES! Weekly.

UPDATE: Council didn't finish meeting last night and hasn't addressed the budget yet. It will resume at 2 p.m. today (Wednesday) and yours truly will be there with Twitter updates again.

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.

Photos and caption contest: Today's Greensboro city budget meeting

None of these photos will be showing up in our next issue (which will feature a dirt article about the city's proposed 2013-14 FY budget), but these shots were too good to disappear into the abyss of my iPhoto not to share.

The city held its first of three budget meetings with council and city staff today, and it's a lot of material to go through. Sometimes the meetings are dry, boring or complex (above). Other times, you don't know what to think (below — also notice Chief Miller's expression). 

And there are moments of what could best be described as frustration: 

Did you miss today's meeting? Not going to be at the next two? Feeling left out?  Don't worry, I have an idea: how about a caption contest for these photos (including the one below)? I didn't mean for any of these shots to be entertaining, but too many of them are and I'm curious what our readers can come up with. Council members and city staff are allowed to participate. GO!