You might also remember the comments of then Mayor Perkins who, with the help of City Council quickly established a contest to give away a Million Dollars in prizes to the person or persons who came up with what would be judged the best idea for Greensboro. Turns out that Million Dollars in prize money is being split between all 3 cities.
And in May of last year when I suggested Greensboro adopt Open Government my idea was quickly sanctioned from the Greensboro Ideas website.
And perhaps you also remember Mayor Robbie Perkins talking about how he didn't want the Federal Dollars going to any one neighborhood and thought the best investment would be projects that spent the money at Piedmont Triad International Airport. As a matter of fact: from the contest rules:
"You and your proposal for Greensboro may be the mortar that helps cement these ‘building blocks’ of the City’s future:
Capitalizing on local universities and colleges and developing high-impact collaborations between them and the private sector
Attracting people, businesses and investments in the downtown area
Enhancing the arts and other quality of life features
Improving the impact of the Piedmont Triad International Airport and area infrastructure
Workforce development
Advanced manufacturing"
But that contradicts with the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s stated goals in today's News & Record article:
"The program’s goal is to boost economically depressed areas."
And as we all know, Greensboro's most economically depressed areas are not downtown and some 10 miles east of Piedmont Triad International I have to wonder if perhaps the Feds are putting the brakes on Greensboro's efforts before allowing the contest to go on.
So did the Federal Government change the rules or did Greensboro issue the wrong rules to begin with? A Google News search for U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Strong Cities, Strong Communities project hartford las vegas only indicates Greensboro as having these problems.
I mean, the N&R isn't known for getting first scoops, are they?
Methinks Councilman Wilkins has discovered yet more corruption in Greensboro city government. But hey, this is purely speculation based on the fact that the City of Greensboro was never transparent in the way they handled this entire matter up until now. I could be wrong. A transparent city would avoid problems like this altogether.
