Greensboro City Council District 4 candidate Joel Landau is retracting a statement he made previously stating that former Ku Klux Klan exalted cyclops EH Hennis is a supporter of his opponent, Mary Rakestraw.
Landau wrote in an e-mail this morning: "Regarding our earlier conversation about Rakestraw and Hennis, I'd like to retract my comments. I don't think it adds to the quality of the discussion. My comments were made in response to some things making the rounds, but on reflection it's not something I feel is worth bringing up."
Showing posts with label Joel Landau. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joel Landau. Show all posts
Joel Landau and the ghosts of '79
Mary Rakestraw and her supporters would like to make Signe Waller Foxworth a political liability for Joel Landau in the District 4 race for Greensboro City Council. Landau is taking some heat for first listing Waller Foxworth on his campaign website as a supporter and then removing her name, giving the impression that he is embarrassed by the association.
The issue has resonated with the conservative types who would be expected to take issue with such an association: Guilford County Republican Party Executive Director Tony Wilkins, blogger Joseph Guarino and The Rhinoceros Times.
The matter was first broached by Rakestraw in a candidate questionnaire submitted to the News & Record. The newspaper asked candidates to pose a question to their opponents. Rakestraw’s question for Landau was, “Your website has listed at least one controversial political activist supporter (e.g. a Communist Workers Party organizer) but has now removed that one. Why are you removing names, and have you received any financial contributions from them?”
Landau told me in a phone conversation today that he considers the premise of the question to be misleading. Signe Waller was a member of the Workers Viewpoint Organization at the time of the fatal confrontation with the Klan and Nazis in Morningside Homes in 1979, when her husband, Dr. James Waller, was killed. The Workers Viewpoint Organization had planned to rename itself the Communist Workers Party at a conference held later that day, but the deadly confrontation at the mustering point of the march caused the organization to disintegrate.
In Landau’s words, Rakestraw “made reference in the N&R questionnaire to an organization that hasn’t been in existence for 20 years. That’s like referring to Ronald Reagan in 1983 as a ‘liberal Democrat.’”
Wilkins stepped up the pressure on Landau to address the question in blog post on Tuesday, entitled, “Joel Landau, Where Is Signe Waller?”
Guarino picked up the thread hours later on his own blog.
“Waller, of course, was one of the primary players in the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation process,” Guarino noted. “If Waller is supporting Landau, it might speak volumes about his political stance.”
Landau’s position on the truth process is actually a matter of record.
YES! Weekly asked candidates for city council in 2005 how they felt about the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its examination of the circumstances surrounding the 1979 confrontation, and whether they thought the city council should take a more active role in the truth process.
Landau, then a candidate in the at-large race, answered, “Something is amiss when people are murdered on city streets in broad daylight and the known killers are set free. This is currently a divisive issue, but I think it’s important for the future unity and reconciliation of the city that we learn the truth about how that came about. I believe city council should endorse the work of the commission and encourage any city official with relevant information to come forward with that information.”
Landau told me today that he hasn’t changed his position on the truth process, but doesn’t see it as an important issue in this campaign.
“I felt that it would be beneficial for some people that needed resolution to hear information and get information out there,” he said. “I believe in dialogue and people listening to each other.”
I pushed him a bit, noting that the 30th anniversary of the shootings is coming up — right on Election Day, as it turns out — and that another important anniversary, the 50th anniversary of the Woolworth sit-ins, is also imminently on the horizon.
Landau responded: “I think they’re important to acknowledge and recognize, but they’re not on the agenda right now for the right reasons. They’re being brought up as part of a smear campaign.”
The day after Wilkins and Guarino posted their commentary on the scrubbing of Waller Foxworth’s name from Landau’s website, Rhinoceros Times Editor John Hammer interviewed the candidate. Landau’s comments were published in the conservative newspaper today, essentially mainstreaming the controversy to the Greensboro electorate.
Landau told me essentially the same thing he told Hammer about his decision to remove Waller Foxworth’s name.
“Back in June and July, we were putting down names of people who publicly support me: Democrats, Republicans — we didn’t look at anyone’s affiliation,” he said. “One of my other supporters approached me, and raised that that could become a distracting issue because some people consider her to be a controversial figure. I talked to Nick, my campaign manager, about it. We agreed that it would be a distracting issue. She’s not the one running for office. That’s not a pressing issue that the city is dealing with right now. I called Signe and told her about my decision.”
Landau said he thinks it’s a sign of the Rakestraw campaign’s “desperation that they can’t find anything else to talk about. They’re afraid she’s going to lose the election.” He characterized his association with Waller Foxworth as “a non-issue.”
“It’s one of the silly things the rightwing does,” Landau said. “I could just as easily bring up EH Hennis, who went before the county commission and denounced them, and then went before the city council and called them ‘a pack of liars and whores.’ He’s a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. He didn’t have anything good to say about any of the other city council members, but he said, ‘Mary Rakestraw, that’s the one person on city council that I can get behind.’ What is it about her that gains the approval of this avowed racist? To me, both questions are irrelevant.”
I asked Landau for the date of the city council meeting in which Hennis expressed approval of Rakestraw. He told me he thought it took place in the late spring.
Hennis addressed the city council on April 21, 2009; April 1, 2008; and Feb. 21, 2008. After reviewing videos on the city’s website, I could find no record of Hennis calling the council “a pack of liars and whores” or saying, “Mary Rakestraw, that’s the one person on city council that I can get behind.” In fact, in the February 2008 remarks, which I transcribed at the time, he called Rakestraw “Motor Mouth,” accused her and fellow Guilford County commissioner, Phyllis Gibbs of lying to a magistrate and grand jury about him and marching through the courtroom like a couple hussies acting like lesbians, and then threatened to hang her in effigy at his house on Groometown Road.
Hennis did open his April 2009 remarks by saying, “I was so happy to hear that Mary Rakestraw wants to continue offering her services to you city folk, and I’m sure it makes you happy.”
Hennis possesses a sense of humor that is richly laced with sarcasm. His later comments make it clear that he is no fan of Rakestraw: “They ganged up on me, mayor, because I filed for county commission…. She would not come out and look at almost $4,000 worth of hate crimes perpetrated against me by the county officials destroying my real estate and personal property…. Mary and the others lied to the magistrate that I was extremely dangerous and had explosives on my property…. Their lies cost me over 10,000 dollars.”
One comment by Hennis during that sequence could be construed as support and, to be honest, I’m not sure what to make of it: “I tried to spend as much time with Mary Rakestraw as possible campaigning and introducing her to her constituents, so you can buy one and get one free.”
Landau said he thinks that a “much more pertinent issue” is why Rakestraw made a statement during a city council meeting in August that council members were unaware that staff was undertaking a rewrite of the Land Development Ordinance that reclassifies zoning districts.
“That got people agitated,” he said. “It made political hay, and it was false. The council had received a report on it from [Planning] Director [Dick] Hails. That’s a current-time issue. I trust that the majority of citizens are more concerned with real issues right now than what someone who’s not a candidate did 30 years ago.”
Rakestraw did not respond to a request for comment.
The issue has resonated with the conservative types who would be expected to take issue with such an association: Guilford County Republican Party Executive Director Tony Wilkins, blogger Joseph Guarino and The Rhinoceros Times.
The matter was first broached by Rakestraw in a candidate questionnaire submitted to the News & Record. The newspaper asked candidates to pose a question to their opponents. Rakestraw’s question for Landau was, “Your website has listed at least one controversial political activist supporter (e.g. a Communist Workers Party organizer) but has now removed that one. Why are you removing names, and have you received any financial contributions from them?”
Landau told me in a phone conversation today that he considers the premise of the question to be misleading. Signe Waller was a member of the Workers Viewpoint Organization at the time of the fatal confrontation with the Klan and Nazis in Morningside Homes in 1979, when her husband, Dr. James Waller, was killed. The Workers Viewpoint Organization had planned to rename itself the Communist Workers Party at a conference held later that day, but the deadly confrontation at the mustering point of the march caused the organization to disintegrate.
In Landau’s words, Rakestraw “made reference in the N&R questionnaire to an organization that hasn’t been in existence for 20 years. That’s like referring to Ronald Reagan in 1983 as a ‘liberal Democrat.’”
Wilkins stepped up the pressure on Landau to address the question in blog post on Tuesday, entitled, “Joel Landau, Where Is Signe Waller?”
Guarino picked up the thread hours later on his own blog.
“Waller, of course, was one of the primary players in the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation process,” Guarino noted. “If Waller is supporting Landau, it might speak volumes about his political stance.”
Landau’s position on the truth process is actually a matter of record.
YES! Weekly asked candidates for city council in 2005 how they felt about the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its examination of the circumstances surrounding the 1979 confrontation, and whether they thought the city council should take a more active role in the truth process.
Landau, then a candidate in the at-large race, answered, “Something is amiss when people are murdered on city streets in broad daylight and the known killers are set free. This is currently a divisive issue, but I think it’s important for the future unity and reconciliation of the city that we learn the truth about how that came about. I believe city council should endorse the work of the commission and encourage any city official with relevant information to come forward with that information.”
Landau told me today that he hasn’t changed his position on the truth process, but doesn’t see it as an important issue in this campaign.
“I felt that it would be beneficial for some people that needed resolution to hear information and get information out there,” he said. “I believe in dialogue and people listening to each other.”
I pushed him a bit, noting that the 30th anniversary of the shootings is coming up — right on Election Day, as it turns out — and that another important anniversary, the 50th anniversary of the Woolworth sit-ins, is also imminently on the horizon.
Landau responded: “I think they’re important to acknowledge and recognize, but they’re not on the agenda right now for the right reasons. They’re being brought up as part of a smear campaign.”
The day after Wilkins and Guarino posted their commentary on the scrubbing of Waller Foxworth’s name from Landau’s website, Rhinoceros Times Editor John Hammer interviewed the candidate. Landau’s comments were published in the conservative newspaper today, essentially mainstreaming the controversy to the Greensboro electorate.
Landau told me essentially the same thing he told Hammer about his decision to remove Waller Foxworth’s name.
“Back in June and July, we were putting down names of people who publicly support me: Democrats, Republicans — we didn’t look at anyone’s affiliation,” he said. “One of my other supporters approached me, and raised that that could become a distracting issue because some people consider her to be a controversial figure. I talked to Nick, my campaign manager, about it. We agreed that it would be a distracting issue. She’s not the one running for office. That’s not a pressing issue that the city is dealing with right now. I called Signe and told her about my decision.”
Landau said he thinks it’s a sign of the Rakestraw campaign’s “desperation that they can’t find anything else to talk about. They’re afraid she’s going to lose the election.” He characterized his association with Waller Foxworth as “a non-issue.”
“It’s one of the silly things the rightwing does,” Landau said. “I could just as easily bring up EH Hennis, who went before the county commission and denounced them, and then went before the city council and called them ‘a pack of liars and whores.’ He’s a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. He didn’t have anything good to say about any of the other city council members, but he said, ‘Mary Rakestraw, that’s the one person on city council that I can get behind.’ What is it about her that gains the approval of this avowed racist? To me, both questions are irrelevant.”
I asked Landau for the date of the city council meeting in which Hennis expressed approval of Rakestraw. He told me he thought it took place in the late spring.
Hennis addressed the city council on April 21, 2009; April 1, 2008; and Feb. 21, 2008. After reviewing videos on the city’s website, I could find no record of Hennis calling the council “a pack of liars and whores” or saying, “Mary Rakestraw, that’s the one person on city council that I can get behind.” In fact, in the February 2008 remarks, which I transcribed at the time, he called Rakestraw “Motor Mouth,” accused her and fellow Guilford County commissioner, Phyllis Gibbs of lying to a magistrate and grand jury about him and marching through the courtroom like a couple hussies acting like lesbians, and then threatened to hang her in effigy at his house on Groometown Road.
Hennis did open his April 2009 remarks by saying, “I was so happy to hear that Mary Rakestraw wants to continue offering her services to you city folk, and I’m sure it makes you happy.”
Hennis possesses a sense of humor that is richly laced with sarcasm. His later comments make it clear that he is no fan of Rakestraw: “They ganged up on me, mayor, because I filed for county commission…. She would not come out and look at almost $4,000 worth of hate crimes perpetrated against me by the county officials destroying my real estate and personal property…. Mary and the others lied to the magistrate that I was extremely dangerous and had explosives on my property…. Their lies cost me over 10,000 dollars.”
One comment by Hennis during that sequence could be construed as support and, to be honest, I’m not sure what to make of it: “I tried to spend as much time with Mary Rakestraw as possible campaigning and introducing her to her constituents, so you can buy one and get one free.”
Landau said he thinks that a “much more pertinent issue” is why Rakestraw made a statement during a city council meeting in August that council members were unaware that staff was undertaking a rewrite of the Land Development Ordinance that reclassifies zoning districts.
“That got people agitated,” he said. “It made political hay, and it was false. The council had received a report on it from [Planning] Director [Dick] Hails. That’s a current-time issue. I trust that the majority of citizens are more concerned with real issues right now than what someone who’s not a candidate did 30 years ago.”
Rakestraw did not respond to a request for comment.
Landau goes on the offensive
District candidates for Greensboro City Council appeared together for a forum hosted by the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress earlier this evening at the downtown public library. The event was notable for being the first time District 4 candidates Joel Landau and Mary Rakestraw have given voters a chance to hear from them at the same time.
Befitting an underdog with ground to make up, Landau made two sorties against Rakestraw in his opening statement.
“I have no ties to private interests," Landau said. "That’s a place where I’m different from Ms. Rakestraw. If you look at her 2007 campaign finance report for her campaign, you’ll see it full of donations from builder groups and from builders and from attorneys who frequently come before city council, and I think that’s a conflict of interest that should be avoided – financing a campaign on contributions from people that you know will be coming before you with financial interests at stake.”
That statement echoed a charge leveled by District 3 challenger George Hartzman against incumbent Zack Matheny, both of whom attended the forum. Landau continued with a thrust that seemed designed to exploit Rakestraw's polarizing effect on the electorate. Voters seem to either love or hate her.
“Personally, I’m tired of the discord and negativity that we’ve been seeing on council," Landau said. "I’m a voice for civility. I’ve been in the cooperative movement for decades where we seriously take how people work together, and listen to one another. And it doesn’t mean we have to agree; it just means we listen to one another and try to come to something that works for the common good. I have a history of working with others to get things done and to move Greensboro forward. And if you’re ready for a positive change, please support me in District 4.”
Later, in response to a question about the quality of city communication, Landau suggested his opponent is uninformed.
“One time that the city didn’t do such a good job is with the recent complaints about the rewrite of the LDO, the land development ordinance, to change the names of all the zoning districts," he said. "Council was briefed a year ago actually, in August – Aug. 4, 2008 – even though Ms. Rakestraw claimed at a meeting this summer that they didn’t know about it.”
Rakestraw explained her position on a variety of issues but largely refrained from acknowledging Landau's attacks. She used her past experience working for the Guilford County Board of Elections to set up an explanation for her role on council regarding the ongoing police controversy.
“Some of our senior citizens didn’t know how to ask the right questions," Rakestraw said. "So that’s what I do on city council: I ask questions for everybody. I ask questions that may not be popular. I may ask the questions that you might not like but you ultimately want to hear the answer to.”
The candidate, who currently serves at large, presented the softer side of her public service, describing volunteer work with the American Red Cross receiving Hurricane Katrina evacuees in 2005.
“Everything that I have done from the Red Cross, from the Department of Social Services, from Court Watch to also Summit House," Rakestraw said, "has been involved with people who have had a hard time getting a fair shake in life, or just didn’t make the right decision.”
Then she briefly returned to the issue of the police department.
“Do we have a problem in our police department?" she asked. "Yes, we have some problems in our police department.”
Landau treaded carefully around a question about interim City Manager Bob Morgan’s decision to reinstate police Officer AJ Blake, who was acquitted by a jury of assaulting two women at a drunken police party, and who has said the gang enforcement unit abused its authority in its treatment of members of the Latin Kings.
“I think it’s very odd to have the city manager overturn the police chief," Landau said. "I think within the department there needs to have clarification of what is expected behavior and what’s not. And the chief may have to make some examples of people who don’t perform those behaviors and increase the internal affairs staffing.”
Rakestraw seemed comfortable describing her role in the controversy.
“When this decision was made by our interim city manager I did ask for a meeting of our city council with our mayor, my colleagues, the city attorney and the interim city manager," she said. "The police department has standards in place. They know what’s expected of them, but for some reason – and I cannot tell you this – they’re not being enforced. And these are the kind of things we need enforced. Because we want it across the board. We don’t want special rules and regulations for different people. Everything should be across the board in the police department. We did have our meeting. We went into closed session. I can tell you that I still feel somewhat concerned with this because I feel that Chief [Tim] Bellamy has been under fire, and a review board made this decision for the termination of Officer Blake. And then it went to Chief Bellamy who also upheld that recommendation…. When his decision was overruled it concerns me because he looked like, Well, who’s running the police department? And it looked like his credibility was compromised as well as his decision-making ability.”
District 1 incumbent Dianne Bellamy-Small, whose opponent Luther T. Falls Jr. left early in the program, seemed to be running against Rakestraw also.
“We have a process," she said, giving her take on Blake's reinstatement. "There is a legal process that is mandated by the state of North Carolina personnel act. Each one of us here has made a mistake. And we would want the right to appeal. The way the process works is the way it worked. He was put on suspension. He went to trial for what he was accused of. He was acquitted. He was recommended for termination. He had the right to appeal. City council does not have the right to be involved in any personnel matter except for one person that we hire and fire, which is the city manager. Now, we cannot make special rules because perhaps we do not like the fact that this time the rules didn’t favor who you wanted it to favor. We’re getting into some dangerous territory here.”
In her opening statement, Bellamy-Small described what she considers one of the significant achievements of her current term.
“I also feel that I’m a voice for those who sometimes don’t have a voice, like our homeless population," she said. "And I’ve been working very hard and closely with other organizations to try to bring about a day center. And though you may have seen in the newspaper recently that they don’t have enough money, they will get the money because I believe Greensboro has the will to finally do something to help folk who are standing out in the cold and in the rain once they get out of the shelters at night. They’ve got to have a place to go where they can become whole individuals again if they choose to.”
Bellamy-Small expressed confidence in the police department, striking a contrasting note to Rakestraw's statement.
“As far as the police department’s concerned I believe we have one of the best police departments in the nation," she said. "I think that you have to look under all the rhetoric, and look at what Chief Bellamy inherited as far as what he’s been dealing with, with the police department. And I think the Buracker Report that we funded, which was a quarter of a million dollars, did say that he was one of the best chiefs that they’d seen in our department, though had some issues, but for the most part was a very well run police department, and it received the highest national accreditation that a police department can get.”
Bellamy-Small also spoke about the removal of a set of public-art benches in the Warnersville neighborhood, which was a cause championed by one of her primary-election opponents, Ben Holder.
“It’s interesting how certain people come out of the woodwork whenever it’s election time. And then they decide – what I call bully politics," she said. "I’ve been involved with the Warnersville community as it relates to the greenway and the benches for two years. We had numerous meetings. Over a hundred people gave their input. The benches were designed by what the people said. The benches represented the fact that Warnersville is the oldest black neighborhood in Greensboro. Those words “hope,” “triumph,” “endurance,” “faith” were put there as a symbol. The reason that they wanted benches was because most of the people who were involved in the sit-in movement came from Warnersville. So they wanted a recognition of the fact that they were involved in that."
"I went and sat on the benches, and I had the police called on me because they were looking for a prostitute," Bellamy-Small continued, provoking laughter. “I sat on those benches on four different occasions, four different times, including 11:30 at night. The benches were not at fault. What you saw there was a person given an opportunity to be able to have her 15 minutes of fame, with some people pushing her that have not been in that community. I’m very disturbed about it; I’m upset about it. I went out to the benches last Tuesday and took a picture. Let me tell you what I saw: On the side where she lives there are trees. There were two brothas sitting up under a tree, and they were smoking a cigarette, and it was not a Newport. So now we’re gonna root up the trees? Come on, we gotta do some common-sense kind of things, and stop being the victims of bully politics.”
Triad Elections '09
D4 and D3 campaign finance update
Joel Landau, a candidate for Greensboro City Council in District 4, has raised $3,055 since Jan. 1, and holds $3,487 in cash on hand, according to a campaign finance report filed on Sept. 10. Mary Rakestraw, who currently holds an at-large seat and his Landau's most formidable opponent, reports raising $1,665 and has $2,996 in cash on hand for roughly the same period. Mike Martin and Joseph Rahenkamp, who are also candidates in the District 4 race, have filed no campaign finance reports.
District 3 candidate Jay Ovittore reports having raised $1,075, with $824 in cash on hand as of Aug. 24. Ovittore is receiving support from people active across the state in the Democratic Party, including former US Senate candidate Jim Neal and NC Rep. Grier Martin. Ovittore remains significantly behind the other two District 3 candidates, Zack Matheny and George Hartzman, who have respectively raised $7,900 and $2,850.
District 3 candidate Jay Ovittore reports having raised $1,075, with $824 in cash on hand as of Aug. 24. Ovittore is receiving support from people active across the state in the Democratic Party, including former US Senate candidate Jim Neal and NC Rep. Grier Martin. Ovittore remains significantly behind the other two District 3 candidates, Zack Matheny and George Hartzman, who have respectively raised $7,900 and $2,850.
Gay rights PAC makes endorsements for Greensboro council
The Replacements Limited PAC, whose purpose is described as "to influence the election of local, state and national candidates who will best support and promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens," has made its endorsements for the Greensboro municipal election.
The Replacements Limited PAC endorses Yvonne Johnson for mayor.
The rest of the PAC's endorsements for Greensboro City Council follow:
At-large (three seats to fill): Marikay Abuzuaiter, Sandra Anderson Groat, Robbie Perkins and Nancy Vaughan
District 1: Dianne Bellamy-Small
District 2: Jim Kee
District 3: Zack Matheny
District 4: Joel Landau
District 5: Art Boyett
The Replacements Limited PAC endorses Yvonne Johnson for mayor.
The rest of the PAC's endorsements for Greensboro City Council follow:
At-large (three seats to fill): Marikay Abuzuaiter, Sandra Anderson Groat, Robbie Perkins and Nancy Vaughan
District 1: Dianne Bellamy-Small
District 2: Jim Kee
District 3: Zack Matheny
District 4: Joel Landau
District 5: Art Boyett
Joel Landau transcript
The following is a transcript of District 4 candidate Joel Landau’s answers at a Guilford County Unity Effort forum on Sept. 8:
Introductory statement
Good evening, everybody. Thank you for coming.... My name is Joel Landau. I’m running for city council because I feel we can do better. Here’s a little bit about my background. I’m deeply involved with the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress, serving on both its executive committee and its issues committee. I’m also a neighborhood delegate to the congress. I serve as co-chair of Greensboro’s Community Sustainability Council. Greensboro Beautiful recently honored me with a special award for a commitment to a vision of a greener Greensboro. I have over 20 years of experience in successfully managing small businesses in Greensboro. I’m general manager of Deep Roots Market, the winner of the 2009 small business retailer of the year award. I served almost four years on the Greensboro Planning Board, which just expired last month — not the planning board, my term — where I was a voice against urban sprawl and a supporter of neighborhood rights. All in all, I’m a voice for progress. I’m not a member of any private interest group. I’m just a concerned citizen wanting to serve you, the people of our wonderful city.
Would you ever support a tax increase in order to provide improved public services?
I’ve got over 20 years of experience running businesses and efficiency is real important to me. I was president of my homeowners association a couple years. You know, my first preference is to see if we can reduce taxes. Failing that, I want to keep taxes where they are. I would not rule out a tax increase. I think you have to look at what the needs of the city are. We need certain services, and balance revenues and expenses the best we can. I think any of us can think of some areas where we just might need more money, be it temporarily, to deal with an emergency, or to take advantage of some special offer maybe. Maybe we can save a bunch of money down the road by spending a little now if there’s a grant that came up in the state or local government. I go into it with an open mind. My first choice is to reduce taxes.
How would you be accountable to constituents?
One thing is I give out my phone number: 854-2728, though it’s easier to reach me at work, which is 292-9216 extension 3. You can reach me through my website, joellandau.com. I plan on having regular meetings at different recreation centers around my district that will be advertised. You can come out, talk to me, give me your input and ask me questions. Another issue that we’ve been looking at recently at the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress is how our boards and commissions get filled. Often people put in applications and they don’t get appointed. The reason is that a city council member is not going to appoint someone that they don’t know because they want to vouch for whoever they’re putting on a board of a commission. I will take an active role in looking at anyone who has put in an application….
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?
With the MWBA, one thing I’d like to check into, I believe right now the city has a process for contracts that are $30,000 or more. Under that, from what I understand, it’s kind of the good-old boy network. So I’d like to look at perhaps lowering that threshold to open up that process. A lot of minority contractors and women contractors are small businesses. A $20,000 contract would be a big deal for them. With businesses in general I think we might need to look at what would be some niches for us, such as aviation, logistics and higher education, obviously research into some of the areas pertaining to nanotechnology and biotechnology and see if we can really focus on those. With small business and supporting them, we have good and accessible support services to help people get started and to provide counseling along the way. Personally, I think we need to buy local as much as we can. It’s something we emphasize at Deep Roots, supporting our local businesses…. I’d like to see the city have a more active internship program, or at least work with the colleges to make their internship programs better. We need to keep our young people, graduating from school, in town.
How do you measure the savings versus human life and the environment in the area of the White Street Landfill?
Someone mentioned earlier: This is a controversial issue right now. I don’t know how you measure human life. There’s not a good way to do that. Some people have a concern whether there really is a health hazard. Having not seen anything to disprove that yet I would rather err on the side of caution and assume there is a health hazard. One of my concerns with the landfill — because I’m not sure how I would have voted back in 2006 when council voted to close it — but we did make a promise to keep it closed to municipal solid waste and some people have moved there, businesses have gone there, and in general it’s a question of integrity, too. When the city makes a promise, does it mean anything or is it just, ‘Well, we said it last year, but we don’t mean it anymore?’ Now, being in District 4, I have a lot of constituents that are coming up to me and voice a different opinion. Of course, I’m going to listen to them. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to do what they say, but I’m certainly going to give it serious consideration. So I hope I straddled that well enough.
What are your big plans for Greensboro?
That’s an interesting question. It almost has the premise that one person can go in and change the city. Things that are real important to me include, I think we need to change our current development patterns. Sprawl, which I define as developing land at a faster rate than the population is growing. It uses up precious resources. It makes it harder to do mass transit, which we all say we want to do, but you can’t do it when you’re sprawling…. It’s real important that we empower good people to get involved with decisions that affect their lives directly. Of course, as the neighborhood congress, we’re very active with that. I’d like to see us have a sustainable, green economy, one that has jobs that are going to be around for awhile and that meet the changing needs of the world and the country in terms of what’s happening with markets, energy efficiency and such. What else? We need to build community, to get people talking again and build trust and to promote a civil discourse, looking for solutions to problems. As a business person, I’m solution oriented. And I’m looking for people, not that they agree with me necessarily, but they agree about let’s work together to do what’s best for the city.
What can we do to make our city a safer place — to reduce crime, drug addiction, vacant housing, homelessness and panhandling?
I would reinforce the community policing that we do; that seems to have a good effect on increasing trust, which helps reduce crime. Crime-watch programs help. We certainly need adequate police staffing…. As I’ve heard the chief say, “The police can go after criminals.” The things that cause crime are not things that our police can address. That has to do with social problems. We need to have positive options for our youth. We have some good programs now at our rec centers to give them something to do that they enjoy like the basketball program we have here in the summer. Use libraries to the fullest, besides the recreation centers. Promoting neighborhood cohesion is part of it. And then, of course, jobs. Under all of this, improving the economy and providing more jobs for people. That reduces a big part of the cause of crime.
Closing statement
A couple issues, just to touch back on. When we talk about the landfill one thing that we need to include is that we need to reduce the amount of waste that we generate. There’s no reason we can’t cut our waste by 50 percent. And that will get us some serious savings. Whatever we do, whether it’s the White Street or the transfer station, that will keep the cost down and also increase the length of whatever landfill that we use.
I just wanted to mention quickly about the LDO rezonings that came up. And I know one of our [inaudible] brought up at a city council meeting that she didn’t know that all the properties were being rezoned. Council was briefed about that a year ago. This is something, three and a half, four years, this LDO — land development ordinance — has been being rewritten. And it’s mainly a matter of rezonings of people, of the categories being renamed. Now, the planning department grossly underestimated how important people would think that particular item was when they heard that properties were being rezoned. In most cases, it has no effect on what they can do with their properties. So that wasn’t handled well.
In general, in my closing, I feel that we need to get more people engaged with local government. As a city council member, I will reach out for your input. I feel my experience running a small business has taught me how to listen to the customer, which is you. How to be efficient and how to solve problems. I understand finances and budgeting, and I will work to see that your tax dollars are used efficiently and effectively. In all, I bring experience and perspective based on neighborhoods, sustainability, small business, community engagement and people working together. My history is one of working cooperatively with others to build community, solve problems and get things done. If you aren’t happy with how city council has gone the past two years, then please support me, Joel Landau, District 4.
Introductory statement
Good evening, everybody. Thank you for coming.... My name is Joel Landau. I’m running for city council because I feel we can do better. Here’s a little bit about my background. I’m deeply involved with the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress, serving on both its executive committee and its issues committee. I’m also a neighborhood delegate to the congress. I serve as co-chair of Greensboro’s Community Sustainability Council. Greensboro Beautiful recently honored me with a special award for a commitment to a vision of a greener Greensboro. I have over 20 years of experience in successfully managing small businesses in Greensboro. I’m general manager of Deep Roots Market, the winner of the 2009 small business retailer of the year award. I served almost four years on the Greensboro Planning Board, which just expired last month — not the planning board, my term — where I was a voice against urban sprawl and a supporter of neighborhood rights. All in all, I’m a voice for progress. I’m not a member of any private interest group. I’m just a concerned citizen wanting to serve you, the people of our wonderful city.
Would you ever support a tax increase in order to provide improved public services?
I’ve got over 20 years of experience running businesses and efficiency is real important to me. I was president of my homeowners association a couple years. You know, my first preference is to see if we can reduce taxes. Failing that, I want to keep taxes where they are. I would not rule out a tax increase. I think you have to look at what the needs of the city are. We need certain services, and balance revenues and expenses the best we can. I think any of us can think of some areas where we just might need more money, be it temporarily, to deal with an emergency, or to take advantage of some special offer maybe. Maybe we can save a bunch of money down the road by spending a little now if there’s a grant that came up in the state or local government. I go into it with an open mind. My first choice is to reduce taxes.
How would you be accountable to constituents?
One thing is I give out my phone number: 854-2728, though it’s easier to reach me at work, which is 292-9216 extension 3. You can reach me through my website, joellandau.com. I plan on having regular meetings at different recreation centers around my district that will be advertised. You can come out, talk to me, give me your input and ask me questions. Another issue that we’ve been looking at recently at the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress is how our boards and commissions get filled. Often people put in applications and they don’t get appointed. The reason is that a city council member is not going to appoint someone that they don’t know because they want to vouch for whoever they’re putting on a board of a commission. I will take an active role in looking at anyone who has put in an application….
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?
With the MWBA, one thing I’d like to check into, I believe right now the city has a process for contracts that are $30,000 or more. Under that, from what I understand, it’s kind of the good-old boy network. So I’d like to look at perhaps lowering that threshold to open up that process. A lot of minority contractors and women contractors are small businesses. A $20,000 contract would be a big deal for them. With businesses in general I think we might need to look at what would be some niches for us, such as aviation, logistics and higher education, obviously research into some of the areas pertaining to nanotechnology and biotechnology and see if we can really focus on those. With small business and supporting them, we have good and accessible support services to help people get started and to provide counseling along the way. Personally, I think we need to buy local as much as we can. It’s something we emphasize at Deep Roots, supporting our local businesses…. I’d like to see the city have a more active internship program, or at least work with the colleges to make their internship programs better. We need to keep our young people, graduating from school, in town.
How do you measure the savings versus human life and the environment in the area of the White Street Landfill?
Someone mentioned earlier: This is a controversial issue right now. I don’t know how you measure human life. There’s not a good way to do that. Some people have a concern whether there really is a health hazard. Having not seen anything to disprove that yet I would rather err on the side of caution and assume there is a health hazard. One of my concerns with the landfill — because I’m not sure how I would have voted back in 2006 when council voted to close it — but we did make a promise to keep it closed to municipal solid waste and some people have moved there, businesses have gone there, and in general it’s a question of integrity, too. When the city makes a promise, does it mean anything or is it just, ‘Well, we said it last year, but we don’t mean it anymore?’ Now, being in District 4, I have a lot of constituents that are coming up to me and voice a different opinion. Of course, I’m going to listen to them. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to do what they say, but I’m certainly going to give it serious consideration. So I hope I straddled that well enough.
What are your big plans for Greensboro?
That’s an interesting question. It almost has the premise that one person can go in and change the city. Things that are real important to me include, I think we need to change our current development patterns. Sprawl, which I define as developing land at a faster rate than the population is growing. It uses up precious resources. It makes it harder to do mass transit, which we all say we want to do, but you can’t do it when you’re sprawling…. It’s real important that we empower good people to get involved with decisions that affect their lives directly. Of course, as the neighborhood congress, we’re very active with that. I’d like to see us have a sustainable, green economy, one that has jobs that are going to be around for awhile and that meet the changing needs of the world and the country in terms of what’s happening with markets, energy efficiency and such. What else? We need to build community, to get people talking again and build trust and to promote a civil discourse, looking for solutions to problems. As a business person, I’m solution oriented. And I’m looking for people, not that they agree with me necessarily, but they agree about let’s work together to do what’s best for the city.
What can we do to make our city a safer place — to reduce crime, drug addiction, vacant housing, homelessness and panhandling?
I would reinforce the community policing that we do; that seems to have a good effect on increasing trust, which helps reduce crime. Crime-watch programs help. We certainly need adequate police staffing…. As I’ve heard the chief say, “The police can go after criminals.” The things that cause crime are not things that our police can address. That has to do with social problems. We need to have positive options for our youth. We have some good programs now at our rec centers to give them something to do that they enjoy like the basketball program we have here in the summer. Use libraries to the fullest, besides the recreation centers. Promoting neighborhood cohesion is part of it. And then, of course, jobs. Under all of this, improving the economy and providing more jobs for people. That reduces a big part of the cause of crime.
Closing statement
A couple issues, just to touch back on. When we talk about the landfill one thing that we need to include is that we need to reduce the amount of waste that we generate. There’s no reason we can’t cut our waste by 50 percent. And that will get us some serious savings. Whatever we do, whether it’s the White Street or the transfer station, that will keep the cost down and also increase the length of whatever landfill that we use.
I just wanted to mention quickly about the LDO rezonings that came up. And I know one of our [inaudible] brought up at a city council meeting that she didn’t know that all the properties were being rezoned. Council was briefed about that a year ago. This is something, three and a half, four years, this LDO — land development ordinance — has been being rewritten. And it’s mainly a matter of rezonings of people, of the categories being renamed. Now, the planning department grossly underestimated how important people would think that particular item was when they heard that properties were being rezoned. In most cases, it has no effect on what they can do with their properties. So that wasn’t handled well.
In general, in my closing, I feel that we need to get more people engaged with local government. As a city council member, I will reach out for your input. I feel my experience running a small business has taught me how to listen to the customer, which is you. How to be efficient and how to solve problems. I understand finances and budgeting, and I will work to see that your tax dollars are used efficiently and effectively. In all, I bring experience and perspective based on neighborhoods, sustainability, small business, community engagement and people working together. My history is one of working cooperatively with others to build community, solve problems and get things done. If you aren’t happy with how city council has gone the past two years, then please support me, Joel Landau, District 4.
DJ Hardy, unbound
For those who haven't noticed, we've been filing short candidate profiles each week — two for each of the cities with upcoming municipal elections. We want to be comprehensive, and inform our readership of the full range of political choices with the goal of — dare we hope? — more fully realizing the promise of democracy.
This approach has its downside. Trying to capture the essence and policy positions of a forthright, intelligent and provocative candidate in 600 words can be a little like trying to hook up a garden hose to a fire hydrant. Equitable coverage is one thing, but holding information back from readers is another.
DJ Hardy, an at-large candidate for Greensboro City Council, impressed me in an interview this afternoon as someone who has staked out unique positions on some issues that other candidates don't like to talk about much. He formulates his thoughts succinctly. In the interest of stimulating discussion, I'm posting some select quotes here that didn't make the cut for my forthcoming Aug. 26 profile in our print edition.
On moving from the west side of town to his current home in Ole Asheboro:
"We used to live in Rachel's Keep. We still have rental property there. Some days I want to move back. There's a lot less stress. The need for security is different. Grocery shopping is easier. What we need on the east side is a grocery store. The fact that we don't have one is horrible."
On involving young people:
"I would like to have youth participation on boards and commissions after they go through a city academy. They might not be able to vote. Their voice needs to be heard, especially if these are people we want to retain. We have people that once they turn 18 they can vote. Before that, we don't engage them. I think they do count. They're participants in our society."
Experience with the Obama campaign:
"Canvassing for Obama was inspirational because of what it did for me personally. I found a person who was involved in politics, and who was an agent of change. And he got other people to be active participants. What got me going was seeing people's faces in response to Obama, and the hope he brought them."
On governance:
"It's not about the issues so much as people feeling like they have a part in a place, and that they're heard. You're less inclined to make mistakes when you know the policy impacts on people. We don't have to agree on everything. I still respect what you have to say."
On Greensboro police Officer AJ Blake:
"I asked Chief Bellamy to hold off on his termination hearing until his appeal process went through. He wasn't getting paid. Why don't you wait, just in case he's found not guilty. Now, a jury has found him not guilty of what he's been terminated for. That's a potential lawsuit. There's such a rush to judgment. That's the kind of thing that disgusts people about local government."
On why the police department fired Blake before his case went to superior court:
"I know the answer. It's pressure from city leadership."
On an allegation that Councilman Mike Barber attempted to get criminal charges dropped for Blake with the understanding that the officer would withdraw as a plaintiff from a discrimination lawsuit against the city:
"I think it's true. I think he certainly was sticking his nose where it didn't belong. He was potentially making deals without the knowledge of other council members."
On voter dissatisfaction:
"I think a lot of people are really fed up because they see it doesn't have to be that way. That's where the Obama effect is relevant: People have seen good leadership. They've seen someone who engages them, fosters their participation and who they feel is working for them. The primary is going to send a clear message to the incumbents that the status quo is not going to cut it."
On the potential for a challenger slate:
"Whether I win or not, I do want to see a change — however we get there, whether it's me or someone I can align myself with.... I will say that one person I'm particularly impressed with is Ryan Shell. We have some significant differences. I like the fact that someone young is stepping up. He has creative ideas, and is constantly coming up with solutions on issues council doesn't spend much time on. I definitely support Joel Landau in District 4. I think he has a real shot."
On the GPD gang enforcement unit:
"Clearly they have a problem when there's a guy [Jorge Cornell] who's arrested on a frequent basis and charges are dropped. Something smells.... You have somebody on the inside of the gang unit [AJ Blake] who says there are racial motivations, comments that are disparaging to Hispanics. The city has a real bad history with special units [e.g. special intelligence under former Chief David Wray]."
"The gang unit really needs to be looked at. It needs to have clear indicators of what success is."
"We should also look at alternatives that prevent gang activity, and consider if that money spent on the gang unit could be spent more efficiently on prevention. Because if we lock people up, guess what? They get out, and they go right back to what they're doing."
This approach has its downside. Trying to capture the essence and policy positions of a forthright, intelligent and provocative candidate in 600 words can be a little like trying to hook up a garden hose to a fire hydrant. Equitable coverage is one thing, but holding information back from readers is another.
DJ Hardy, an at-large candidate for Greensboro City Council, impressed me in an interview this afternoon as someone who has staked out unique positions on some issues that other candidates don't like to talk about much. He formulates his thoughts succinctly. In the interest of stimulating discussion, I'm posting some select quotes here that didn't make the cut for my forthcoming Aug. 26 profile in our print edition.
On moving from the west side of town to his current home in Ole Asheboro:
"We used to live in Rachel's Keep. We still have rental property there. Some days I want to move back. There's a lot less stress. The need for security is different. Grocery shopping is easier. What we need on the east side is a grocery store. The fact that we don't have one is horrible."
On involving young people:
"I would like to have youth participation on boards and commissions after they go through a city academy. They might not be able to vote. Their voice needs to be heard, especially if these are people we want to retain. We have people that once they turn 18 they can vote. Before that, we don't engage them. I think they do count. They're participants in our society."
Experience with the Obama campaign:
"Canvassing for Obama was inspirational because of what it did for me personally. I found a person who was involved in politics, and who was an agent of change. And he got other people to be active participants. What got me going was seeing people's faces in response to Obama, and the hope he brought them."
On governance:
"It's not about the issues so much as people feeling like they have a part in a place, and that they're heard. You're less inclined to make mistakes when you know the policy impacts on people. We don't have to agree on everything. I still respect what you have to say."
On Greensboro police Officer AJ Blake:
"I asked Chief Bellamy to hold off on his termination hearing until his appeal process went through. He wasn't getting paid. Why don't you wait, just in case he's found not guilty. Now, a jury has found him not guilty of what he's been terminated for. That's a potential lawsuit. There's such a rush to judgment. That's the kind of thing that disgusts people about local government."
On why the police department fired Blake before his case went to superior court:
"I know the answer. It's pressure from city leadership."
On an allegation that Councilman Mike Barber attempted to get criminal charges dropped for Blake with the understanding that the officer would withdraw as a plaintiff from a discrimination lawsuit against the city:
"I think it's true. I think he certainly was sticking his nose where it didn't belong. He was potentially making deals without the knowledge of other council members."
On voter dissatisfaction:
"I think a lot of people are really fed up because they see it doesn't have to be that way. That's where the Obama effect is relevant: People have seen good leadership. They've seen someone who engages them, fosters their participation and who they feel is working for them. The primary is going to send a clear message to the incumbents that the status quo is not going to cut it."
On the potential for a challenger slate:
"Whether I win or not, I do want to see a change — however we get there, whether it's me or someone I can align myself with.... I will say that one person I'm particularly impressed with is Ryan Shell. We have some significant differences. I like the fact that someone young is stepping up. He has creative ideas, and is constantly coming up with solutions on issues council doesn't spend much time on. I definitely support Joel Landau in District 4. I think he has a real shot."
On the GPD gang enforcement unit:
"Clearly they have a problem when there's a guy [Jorge Cornell] who's arrested on a frequent basis and charges are dropped. Something smells.... You have somebody on the inside of the gang unit [AJ Blake] who says there are racial motivations, comments that are disparaging to Hispanics. The city has a real bad history with special units [e.g. special intelligence under former Chief David Wray]."
"The gang unit really needs to be looked at. It needs to have clear indicators of what success is."
"We should also look at alternatives that prevent gang activity, and consider if that money spent on the gang unit could be spent more efficiently on prevention. Because if we lock people up, guess what? They get out, and they go right back to what they're doing."
Campaign strategy
Joel Landau volunteer meeting from Jordan Green on Vimeo.
Nick DiVitci outlines a strategy to elect Joel Landau to the District 4 seat on Greensboro City Council by obtaining permission to place signs in homeowners’ yards, getting volunteers to display the candidate’s bumper stickers on their cars and setting up meet-the-candidate meetings at supporters’ homes.
The meeting took place at DiVitci’s house in the Hamilton Forest neighborhood earlier this evening.
DiVitci, a progressive Democrat, also managed Democrat John Parks’ recent campaign for Guilford County Commission.
Landau, who has made two unsuccessful bids for city council, faces Mary Rakestraw, a Republican who was instrumental in the removal of City Manager Mitchell Johnson, in the District 4 race. Joseph Rahenkamp and Mike Martin are also running for the seat.
Abuzuaiter, Landau, Hayworth, Jobe in city council race
Joel Landau confirms that he plans to run in District 4. Mike Barber says he currently plans to run for reelection in District 4, but doesn't rule out a bid for mayor. Teresa Jobe confirms that she plans to run for council, but hasn't decided whether to run at large or for the District 4 seat. Cyndy Hayworth plans to challenge Zack Matheny in District 3. Marikay Abuzuaiter plans to run for an at-large seat. Julie Lapham is considering running at-large.
Full story here:
Sandra Anderson Groat, Greensboro’s mayor pro tem, observed that many of her colleagues seem to be running for reelection, even though filing doesn’t take place until July 3 and the municipal primary won’t happen for another nine months.
Preoccupied with settling affairs for her failed homebuilding business, Groat said jockeying for November was far from her highest priority.
“If I don’t feel like I can make a difference, I don’t need to be up there,” she said. “It’s the second year of the term. I’m supposed to be doing the job I was elected to do, not running for reelection.”
As Groat expresses circumspection, other council members are openly declaring their campaign plans and a host of insurgents convinced that something has gone significantly wrong with city council stand poised to enter the fray. Some of the loudest complaints are lobbed at the council’s fractious conduct and its perceived deference to real-estate and development interests.
“I know my phone rings off the hook because I was Yvonne’s campaign manager, with people saying, ‘What on earth is going on with city council? They’re like a bunch of kitty cats playing in the sandbox,’” said Julie Lapham, a health researcher who managed Yvonne Johnson’s successful 2007 bid for mayor.
She sat in a Jan. 21 city council meeting, shaking her head at a decision to table a rezoning request for a self-storage facility. Her disgust only rose when the council deliberated at length over a decision to restore the protest petition to Greensboro.
“Why on earth do we have to wait thirty years for this?” she asked. “This should be a no-brainer.”
Lapham said she is considering a run for one of the council’s three at-large seats. Lapham currently serves on the Greensboro Commission on the Status of Women.
One person with definite plans to vie for one of the three at-large seats is Marikay Abuzuaiter, who was edged out in the 2007 general election by Mary Rakestraw by 623 votes.
“What I would like to see on council is more professional demeanor,” she said.
The sitting mayor announced plans to seek reelection at a press conference on Jan. 13. Three days later, District 4 District 4 Councilman Mike Barber led his own press conference, feeding speculation that he would challenge Johnson for the seat.
Reached by phone on Jan. 23, Barber said he is currently running for reelection in District 4, but had not ruled out a run for mayor.
“Since I live in my wife’s dictatorship, she will decide sometime in March,” he said. “I’m honored and humbled that people have shown interest in my candidacy. Years down the line, I will be proud to tell my children that people considered me worthy of the office.”
One sitting council member has announced her retirement. District 2 Councilwoman Goldie Wells said she will not seek reelection in November. So far one person — Ray Trapp, interim executive director of the Triad Apartment Association — has announced plans to run for the seat. Trapp was in the audience on Jan. 21 when Wells led the charge on a vote that saw council request the restoration of the protest petition. Trapp did not speak on the issue. Instead, Triad Real Estate and Building Industries Coalition President Marlene Sanford spoke on the apartment association’s behalf, arguing in favor of maintaining the city’s exclusion from the protest petition.
District 3 Councilman Zack Matheny, a one-term representative, has said he plans to run for reelection. Cyndy Hayworth, who ran in 2007, told YES! Weekly she plans to challenge Matheny for his seat this year.
Hayworth is the president of Junior Achievement of Central North Carolina, and serves on the Greensboro Zoning Commission. Matheny and Hayworth served together on the commission until Matheny was elected to city council. Hayworth has developed a reputation for taking a tougher line against developers than her rival.
Teresa Jobe, a self-described “stay-at-home mom” who serves on the Greensboro Commission on the Status of Women with Lapham, confirmed recently that she plans to run for council, but said she had not decided whether to run at large or in District 4.
Jobe applauded Barber’s press conference, but said, “I don’t think that because of where they are and how long they’ve been on council, they’re able to come up with fresh ideas, and we need more youth and more ordinary people on the council.
In a Dec. 8 post on her Teresa Talks blog, Jobe took a critical stand against the council’s decision in favor of rezoning land for Kotis Properties at the intersection of Spring Garden Street and Holden Road, allowing the developer to put in a Dunkin Donuts store. Although Barber cast the lone vote against the rezoning, Jobe faulted him for not effectively advocating for his constituents interests.
“Mike Barber did not address the council in opposition to the zone change,” she wrote. “He did not go to bat for the people in his district. Mr. Barber’s vote was merely a political move, designed as a half-hearted pitch to his constituents.”
The protest petition represents another arena in which Jobe suggested the sitting council is motivated more by political calculation than principle.
“The ones who are against it know that if they didn’t vote for the protest petition, they would get voted out of office next time,” she said. “I think that was purely political — especially Robbie Perkins.”
The District 4 contest is shaping up as a crowded field.
Joel Landau, co-chair of the Greensboro Sustainability Commission and a progressive standard-bearer in municipal politics, confirmed Sunday that he plans to seek the District 4 seat. Landau was eliminated in the primary in 2007, but redistricting the following year moved him from District 5 to District 4. He said he enjoys a strong base of support and good name recognition in the district, and would offer voters a meaningful alternative from Barber.
“I’m more working with people and working together to find solutions, where he throws stuff out there on his own and let’s everybody deal with it,” Landau said. “Also, I’m more attuned to neighborhood groups and their concerns. Mike’s more aligned with the developers.”
Full story here:
Sandra Anderson Groat, Greensboro’s mayor pro tem, observed that many of her colleagues seem to be running for reelection, even though filing doesn’t take place until July 3 and the municipal primary won’t happen for another nine months.
Preoccupied with settling affairs for her failed homebuilding business, Groat said jockeying for November was far from her highest priority.
“If I don’t feel like I can make a difference, I don’t need to be up there,” she said. “It’s the second year of the term. I’m supposed to be doing the job I was elected to do, not running for reelection.”
As Groat expresses circumspection, other council members are openly declaring their campaign plans and a host of insurgents convinced that something has gone significantly wrong with city council stand poised to enter the fray. Some of the loudest complaints are lobbed at the council’s fractious conduct and its perceived deference to real-estate and development interests.
“I know my phone rings off the hook because I was Yvonne’s campaign manager, with people saying, ‘What on earth is going on with city council? They’re like a bunch of kitty cats playing in the sandbox,’” said Julie Lapham, a health researcher who managed Yvonne Johnson’s successful 2007 bid for mayor.
She sat in a Jan. 21 city council meeting, shaking her head at a decision to table a rezoning request for a self-storage facility. Her disgust only rose when the council deliberated at length over a decision to restore the protest petition to Greensboro.
“Why on earth do we have to wait thirty years for this?” she asked. “This should be a no-brainer.”
Lapham said she is considering a run for one of the council’s three at-large seats. Lapham currently serves on the Greensboro Commission on the Status of Women.
One person with definite plans to vie for one of the three at-large seats is Marikay Abuzuaiter, who was edged out in the 2007 general election by Mary Rakestraw by 623 votes.
“What I would like to see on council is more professional demeanor,” she said.
The sitting mayor announced plans to seek reelection at a press conference on Jan. 13. Three days later, District 4 District 4 Councilman Mike Barber led his own press conference, feeding speculation that he would challenge Johnson for the seat.
Reached by phone on Jan. 23, Barber said he is currently running for reelection in District 4, but had not ruled out a run for mayor.
“Since I live in my wife’s dictatorship, she will decide sometime in March,” he said. “I’m honored and humbled that people have shown interest in my candidacy. Years down the line, I will be proud to tell my children that people considered me worthy of the office.”
One sitting council member has announced her retirement. District 2 Councilwoman Goldie Wells said she will not seek reelection in November. So far one person — Ray Trapp, interim executive director of the Triad Apartment Association — has announced plans to run for the seat. Trapp was in the audience on Jan. 21 when Wells led the charge on a vote that saw council request the restoration of the protest petition. Trapp did not speak on the issue. Instead, Triad Real Estate and Building Industries Coalition President Marlene Sanford spoke on the apartment association’s behalf, arguing in favor of maintaining the city’s exclusion from the protest petition.
District 3 Councilman Zack Matheny, a one-term representative, has said he plans to run for reelection. Cyndy Hayworth, who ran in 2007, told YES! Weekly she plans to challenge Matheny for his seat this year.
Hayworth is the president of Junior Achievement of Central North Carolina, and serves on the Greensboro Zoning Commission. Matheny and Hayworth served together on the commission until Matheny was elected to city council. Hayworth has developed a reputation for taking a tougher line against developers than her rival.
Teresa Jobe, a self-described “stay-at-home mom” who serves on the Greensboro Commission on the Status of Women with Lapham, confirmed recently that she plans to run for council, but said she had not decided whether to run at large or in District 4.
Jobe applauded Barber’s press conference, but said, “I don’t think that because of where they are and how long they’ve been on council, they’re able to come up with fresh ideas, and we need more youth and more ordinary people on the council.
In a Dec. 8 post on her Teresa Talks blog, Jobe took a critical stand against the council’s decision in favor of rezoning land for Kotis Properties at the intersection of Spring Garden Street and Holden Road, allowing the developer to put in a Dunkin Donuts store. Although Barber cast the lone vote against the rezoning, Jobe faulted him for not effectively advocating for his constituents interests.
“Mike Barber did not address the council in opposition to the zone change,” she wrote. “He did not go to bat for the people in his district. Mr. Barber’s vote was merely a political move, designed as a half-hearted pitch to his constituents.”
The protest petition represents another arena in which Jobe suggested the sitting council is motivated more by political calculation than principle.
“The ones who are against it know that if they didn’t vote for the protest petition, they would get voted out of office next time,” she said. “I think that was purely political — especially Robbie Perkins.”
The District 4 contest is shaping up as a crowded field.
Joel Landau, co-chair of the Greensboro Sustainability Commission and a progressive standard-bearer in municipal politics, confirmed Sunday that he plans to seek the District 4 seat. Landau was eliminated in the primary in 2007, but redistricting the following year moved him from District 5 to District 4. He said he enjoys a strong base of support and good name recognition in the district, and would offer voters a meaningful alternative from Barber.
“I’m more working with people and working together to find solutions, where he throws stuff out there on his own and let’s everybody deal with it,” Landau said. “Also, I’m more attuned to neighborhood groups and their concerns. Mike’s more aligned with the developers.”
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