Yesterday, Doug Clark of the Greensboro News & Record posted Study finds little upward mobility in Greensboro.
John Robert Kernodle III commented"
"This is certainly not the first bit of bad news regarding the direction Greensboro is heading, what is shocking is how many folks in leadership positions (whether in local government or on any of the numerous boards that help shape policy) continue to plod ahead with an economic development formula that discourages looking outside the box. Like many cities in the south the leadership of Greensboro places primacy of place on attracting outside investors and outside business through incentives. Study after study shows that these incentive attracted businesses are rarely the economic boon the consultant-class promises they will be. And yet the leadership in this city drags its feet on providing aid to cooperative developments (be they consumer or worker owned), the leadership in this city drags its feet on opening up the budget making process to ordinary folks (participatory budgeting could easily have been implemented by now).
Simply put, outside the box solutions hold very little appeal to the current generation of leadership - and while there is at least some new blood on the city council it still feels like an uphill battle to get outside the box solutions implemented. Whether it's endemic hunger, the use of public funds for amenities for the wealthy, or the lack of social mobility - the future of this city looks increasingly troubled.
It's time to try new solutions, even if that means some of the old power players lose some of their power - even if it means some of the traditional wealth centers lose a bit of their clout."
"...the future of this city looks increasingly troubled." John could not be any closer to the truth.
John and I have know each other for just a few years now. If you don't already know, John Robert Kernodle III is the son of John Robert Kernodle Jr and grandson of John Robert Kernodle Sr for which seemingly about a hundred parks, monuments and other public things are named throughout Greensboro and Burlington. I always enjoy when John speaks to the Greensboro City Council as they always stop slouching in their seats for the duration of his speech no matter what subject John speaks on. Watch next time John speaks and you'll see what I mean, his family legacy literally scares the crap out of them.
And yet they remain corrupt to this day. But not only is it the outside incentive packages, the inside incentive packages are every bit as troubling as those John point to.
Take for example the way the Greensboro City Council hands out incentives. While the City of Greensboro Economic Development Guidelines set minimum investment levels that absolutely preclude the possability that small business owners might ever receive incentives (Discrimination perhaps?) the city's Urban Development Investment Guidelines are a virtual giveaway to anyone who happens to be in the real estate development business no matter how large or how small, depending on where the project is to be placed.
If you're connected and put your project downtown its even possible to get 100% incentive packages from the Greensboro City Council.
How is that possible you ask? Easy, the Greensboro City Council has a history of bending, breaking and making exceptions to the Urban Development Investment Guidelines as council sees fit. Such was the case with Oakley Capital Llc, the wholly owned real estate holding arm of Charles Aris Inc, a company that was founded in Greensboro in 1969. In other words, even though the so called "improvements" to the building owned by Oakley Capital Llc did not add any tax value to the property-- not one cent-- the Greensboro City Council made an exception to the rules at the request of Councilman Zack Matheny to give Oakley and Charles Aris (in reality, one in the same) $200,000 loan and grant package including a $100,000 forgiveable loan.
Another example is the Union Square University Campus where Bob Isner, Bob Chapman, Robbie Perkins and company were sold city owned property they never paid for and recieved $Millions of Dollars in grants for work that has never been done. That's right, they're getting paid and have been given city owned property without having invested a single solitary cent of their own money. Correction: Roch points out in the comments below that the grants were paid to the City by the EPA for environmental remediation and not to Isner and Chapman.
How do you like them apples, John?
I e-mail these posts to Greensboro Mayor Nancy Baracat Vaughan but she never replies. Why do you think that is? And why do you think Mayor Vaughan refused to add this one simple request to her so called "disclosure resolution"?
Please continue reading Incentives In Greensboro: Part 19: Zack Matheny, Just Following Orders
