"Mayor Nancy Vaughan in her second term has had some problems. She allowed protestors to disrupt far too many meetings without consequences, and once allowed them to take over the Council Chambers after the City Council, led by Vaughan, left the dais.
Vaughan obviously struggled with how to handle protestors who insisted on disrupting meetings, but since the infamous taking over of the chambers she has had several people removed from the chambers and has controlled the meetings much better. It’s just one of those things, however: If the mayor loses control of the meeting it’s news, but if she controls the meeting it isn’t."
You know, perhaps, if Nancy "Grasshopper" Vaughan would have been willing to listen to the citizens' concerns in the first place the City Council meetings would have never been disrupted in the first place?
"The City Council met secretly on the $126 million bond package for months so that the public meetings were cursory. But evidently the public wasn’t bothered by that because the bonds passed overwhelmingly."
Most working class voters in Greensboro are working two or three jobs and find it impossible to have time enough to keep up with regular City Council meetings, much less secret meetings.
"The City Council too many times has jabbed at the North Carolina legislature and that has cost Greensboro state funding and state support. Economic development flows through the state and Greensboro hasn’t received much; to think the two aren’t connected would be naive. But Vaughan of late has been against passing meaningless resolutions that do nothing but make the relationship with the state legislature more difficult.
With a City Council made up of eight Democrats and one Republican and a state legislature that is overwhelmingly Republican, there is bound to be some tension, but having won their case in federal court over the redistricting of Greensboro, Vaughan and the majority on the City Council seem more willing to try and work with the state rather than fight the state."
This is the silliest thing. Trudy Wade isn't a problem. It's just that Nancy Vaughan has too many skeletons in her own closet to play the Uncle DH card against Trudy. What's that, you ask?
Well it just so happens that Trudy Wade's uncle is none other than Mr D H Griffin Sr, owner of the D H Griffin Companies. Perhaps you've heard of them. Well it just so happens that DH Griffin Companies is one of the contractors working on the Steven Tanger Performing Arts Center. DH Griffin is also the company the city calls every time Nancy Vaughan wants to tear down another house belonging to Bulent Bediz or anything else the City wants torn town. DH Griffin is who Roy Carroll called when he needed to tear down those old buildings on Lindsey Street so he could build his new building there. Back in 2014, DH Griffin and Dana Dorman were partners in a plan to save the Cascade Saloon that would have cost the City of Greensboro zero, zilch, nada, nothing at all, but DH backed out because he was concerned he might anger folks downtown and injure his existing business.
I still have Dana's e-mails and odds are good Jeffery Sykes has them as well.
So what it all boils down to is this: If you want Trudy Wade off your back you only have to threaten Uncle DH's income stream. That is, unless Trudy has something on you that you really don't want shared. What is it that Trudy Wade knows about Nancy Vaughan that we don't know?
That, my friends, is the Uncle DH card, and that is why Trudy Wade won't be a problem for Greensboro when you write me in as Mayor of Greensboro.
"Vaughan recently said in an interview, “I do think I am more qualified than the other two candidates.”
And Vaughan is right. This is an easy call. Vaughan is far and away the only candidate in the race who voters should consider electing mayor."
Well that was before Billy Jones came along. Now things have changed. Nobody has any secrets on me.
"Vaughan has had accomplishments.
Greensboro was the first city in the state to equip all of its police officers with body-worn cameras and the first to have a policy on releasing body-worn camera videos. The policy was overridden by a state policy, but taking the initiative to pass it was an accomplishment."
Seriously? When I'm elected Mayor of Greensboro not only will we release police body camera videos and force the State of North Carolina to take us to court so we can prove the state law is unconstitutional, but I will request the City provide me with a body camera so you can keep up with me as well.
"The City Council has kept the tax rate flat; although the revaluation meant that people paid more taxes, at least the rate itself was not increased.
Through bonds and increased fees, the city has provided funding to get the streets and roads back in an acceptable condition.
The Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts is moving forward with a unique funding method that includes over $38 million in private funds and no revenue from the city’s general fund.
Vaughan said she would like to serve one more term to finish fome of the projects she has started and the voters should giver her that opportunity."
I think I detect a few notes of sarcasm in John's endorsement of Mayor Vaughan as I certainly wouldn't consider any of those things to be accomplishments. Maybe this was John's way of telling you to vote for Billy Jones.
