I just returned from Cone Hospital where the test results aren't all in but it's possible I might have a heart valve problem. That said, I'm madder than ever about the goings on with Downtown Greensboro Incorporated. Mayor Robbie Perkins, Councilmembers Yvonne Johnson, Zack Matheny and Nancy Vaughan, and City Manager Denise Turner Roth are not on my list of favorite people today.
For starters: This is a decision that should have gone before the entire City Council.
“I am tired of talking about it behind closed doors,” Perkins said. So what does he do? He arranges to work out a deal behind closed doors for the next 3 months.
Nancy Vaughan is quoted in the same article as Mayor Perkins.
“I have to think that they are intertwined and I am trying to get some guidance right now between the two and where the overlap is,” she said. “Basically it’s shadow organizations. It’s the same leadership. It’s the same board.”
Their solution:
“Representatives from the City of Greensboro and Downtown Greensboro Incorporated (DGI) have reached an agreement on continuing their partnership in promoting and improving the downtown area."
That isn't a solution. That will only lead to more of the same. It is time that the Greensboro City Council and Downtown Greensboro Incorporated faced up to the fact that half of DGI's public funding comes from beyond the Downtown Business Improvement District and therefore every citizen of Greensboro deserves representation on the Board of Directors of DGI. No taxation without representation is the basis upon which the United States of America was founded and for the City of Greensboro to deny citizens from outside of Downtown to have a seat on the DGI board of Directors is a slap in the face not only to Greensboro but to every American Citizen.
This is a solution:
Therefore, let it be known that I am putting my name in the hat to be one of several non downtown residents and business owners who will make up 50% of the new Board of DGI. That's right, appoint me one of Ed Wolverton's bosses! If he can't hack it as President I'll let him clean the sidewalks.
We have long heard it said that the many downtown non profits struggle to find enough volunteers to sit on their boards. Well here's a volunteer, what's your excuse now?
And what will my first order of business be? To put all DGI board meetings on the web for everyone to watch. No secrets, no shadows, no hidden agendas and no taxation without representation. Because anyone who gets even a dime in public money should be required to be 100% transparent all the time.
Update: From Frayda Bluestein, NC School of Government:
"A city contracts with a private company to collect solid waste within the city. If not for this contract, city employees would carry out this function. The only connection between the city and the company is the contract. It’s a small company and the contract accounts for a significant portion of its revenue. Is the private company subject to the public records law, the open meetings law, or other transparency requirements that apply to public agencies? The answer is clearly: no. The same city contracts with a nonprofit organization that promotes arts in the community. If not for this contract, city employees would carry out this function. The city appoints three of the five members of the nonprofit board. The city owns the property the nonprofit uses for its offices, and leases it to the nonprofit for nominal consideration. The nonprofit receives most of its funding from the city. Is the nonprofit organization subject to the transparency laws? The answer is probably: yes."
DGI is screwed!
For starters: This is a decision that should have gone before the entire City Council.
“I am tired of talking about it behind closed doors,” Perkins said. So what does he do? He arranges to work out a deal behind closed doors for the next 3 months.
Nancy Vaughan is quoted in the same article as Mayor Perkins.
“I have to think that they are intertwined and I am trying to get some guidance right now between the two and where the overlap is,” she said. “Basically it’s shadow organizations. It’s the same leadership. It’s the same board.”
Their solution:
“Representatives from the City of Greensboro and Downtown Greensboro Incorporated (DGI) have reached an agreement on continuing their partnership in promoting and improving the downtown area."
That isn't a solution. That will only lead to more of the same. It is time that the Greensboro City Council and Downtown Greensboro Incorporated faced up to the fact that half of DGI's public funding comes from beyond the Downtown Business Improvement District and therefore every citizen of Greensboro deserves representation on the Board of Directors of DGI. No taxation without representation is the basis upon which the United States of America was founded and for the City of Greensboro to deny citizens from outside of Downtown to have a seat on the DGI board of Directors is a slap in the face not only to Greensboro but to every American Citizen.
This is a solution:
Therefore, let it be known that I am putting my name in the hat to be one of several non downtown residents and business owners who will make up 50% of the new Board of DGI. That's right, appoint me one of Ed Wolverton's bosses! If he can't hack it as President I'll let him clean the sidewalks.
We have long heard it said that the many downtown non profits struggle to find enough volunteers to sit on their boards. Well here's a volunteer, what's your excuse now?
And what will my first order of business be? To put all DGI board meetings on the web for everyone to watch. No secrets, no shadows, no hidden agendas and no taxation without representation. Because anyone who gets even a dime in public money should be required to be 100% transparent all the time.
Update: From Frayda Bluestein, NC School of Government:
"A city contracts with a private company to collect solid waste within the city. If not for this contract, city employees would carry out this function. The only connection between the city and the company is the contract. It’s a small company and the contract accounts for a significant portion of its revenue. Is the private company subject to the public records law, the open meetings law, or other transparency requirements that apply to public agencies? The answer is clearly: no. The same city contracts with a nonprofit organization that promotes arts in the community. If not for this contract, city employees would carry out this function. The city appoints three of the five members of the nonprofit board. The city owns the property the nonprofit uses for its offices, and leases it to the nonprofit for nominal consideration. The nonprofit receives most of its funding from the city. Is the nonprofit organization subject to the transparency laws? The answer is probably: yes."
DGI is screwed!
