As expected he didn't publish my comment (the liars never do) and he has failed to offer any evidence that anything he has written is in-fact anything more than his personal opinion or lies. Tom Terrell provides lots of commentary but zero documentation-- nothing that would stand up before a court of law. Something you would think an attorney at one of Greensboro's most prestigious legal firms adept at doing.
Well allow me to remind Mr Terrell that the current makeup of the Greensboro City Council is looking very shaky going into November's elections, Greensboro's citizens are outraged and Tom Terrell's employer, Smith Moore Leatherwood is a service provider for the City of Greensboro.
At least, for the time being...
A few facts from the North Carolina School of Government, Protest Petitions: Going or Staying? by David Owen:
Even though the protest petition has a long history in zoning, it is not frequently a factor in North Carolina rezonings. In a 2006 School of Government survey two-thirds of the responding cities reported that no protest petitions had been filed in the previous year."
"... only 6% of the municipal rezoning petitions had a sufficient protest to subject the proposed rezoning to the supermajority vote requirement."
"Even when a valid protest petition is filed, it rarely has a direct effect on the outcome of the proposed rezoning. Survey respondents reported 43% of the protested rezonings did not receive a simple majority vote in favor and thus would have failed even if no protest petition had been filed."
So there you have it, Tom Terrell's supposed need to do away with protest petitions proven a lie by none other than the North Carolina School of Government. Citizens win against developers in only 6% of the instances where protest petitions are used and Tom Terrell, Greensboro Mayor Robbie Perkins and the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition thinks 6% is too often for Greensboro's working class to have their say.
Hell Day continues here at East Greensboro Performing Arts Center. You see, I always follow through on my threats.
