Say Yes To Education-- The E-mails: Part 1

I sent the following e-mail to 3 members of the Guilford County School Board, Guilford County Board of Commissioners and Greensboro City Council just this morning:

"I've chosen the 3 of you not because I blame you personally but because you are in the habit of actually reading my e-mails. Apparently your contemporaries don't think a website with 65,000 readers and over 20 dedicated professionals volunteering behind the scenes is worth bothering with. I trust you'll pass this along and correct them immediately.  ;-)

You see, I'm the only one with a fake high school diploma. Most of the others have more education and expertise in your very own fields than any of you have-- thus the reasons they were recruited.

I trust all of you will forward this to the respective members of your councils and boards.

I don't understand. Schools teach students to be careful about what they post to the Internet because it can be used against them when they go looking for a job. But when people and corporations are hired to look over Millions of Dollars in taxpayer monies the people who hire them can't seem to take the time to google them to see how well they are doing elsewhere?

Or could it be a case that Guilford County Schools, Guilford County and the City of Greensboro knew all along and ignored the truth. Well allow me to put it this way. There exists e-mails warning you it was going to happen before you voted to spend over 20 Million dollars of your money.

How do I know this to be true? Because I was BCC'd the e-mails. And yes, I still have them all and am prepared to destroy the entire local political establishment.

So who tells the truth first-- me or your respective boards?

-Billy Jones

Candidate for Mayor of Greensboro 2017 "

So who will be the first to come clean?

Come back for Say Yes To Education-- The E-mails: Part 2

County Robs From Poor To Give To Rich

Yesterday the Triad Business Journal reported, With land bought Carroll seeks anchor tenant for towering 'Project 561'

 "Businessman Roy Carroll's plans to build one of the state's tallest buildings have taken a step forward with his acquisition of a key downtown Greensboro parcel.

Carroll, who heads The Carroll Cos., has completed his $1.5 million purchase of the 1.5-acre surface parking lot at Bellemeade and North Eugene streets. The parcel, which had been owned by Guilford County, could become home to "Project 561."

That's the name Carroll has given to the $50 million office tower project he unveiled last summer at a Greensboro Rotary Club meeting. It would be the tallest building outside Charlotte.

Carroll told me Tuesday that the parking lot, which the county agreed to sell to him last fall, is a good fit for the project, given that it neighbors NewBridge Bank Park and sits across the intersection from Carroll at Bellemeade, a hotel and residential development now under construction."

Now here's the part no one bothered to tell you:

That parking lot for which the Guiilford County Commissioners accepted the paltry sum of $1.5 Million Dollars is currently used by Newbridge Bank Park, Sandhills Center and Monarch as well as Genoa Pharmacy which is open to anyone who wants to use their low cost pharmacy services. Besides people with mental health issues, Genoa also caters to people on Disability, retirees on Medicare and Medicaid and others whose pharmacy needs are not being met by most pharmacies.

On top of that, these entities serve far more than Guilford County. On any given day you will find people from bordering counties there as well as these services don't have locations outside of Greensboro.

Of course our elected leaders who are solely fixated on short term gains never thought about any of those things or the fact that all of these services already suffer a parking shortage because most of the parking spaces were already reserved for Newbridge Bank Park causing them to be empty most all of most every day.

The Business Journal article goes on to say:

" Carroll made an offer to the county for the property in July, and after no upset bids were submitted after an advertisement for bids, the county commission voted in September to sell Carroll the property for $1.5 million."

But one has to wonder if perhaps Roy Carroll instituted the County's effort to place the property up for sale considering other recent sales of municipal property locally. You see, Guilford County was earning revenue from the parking lot in the form of monthly parking fees for each and every parking space even if the space remained empty. It's not as if the lot was really surplus or unused property.

Employees of all the previously mentioned companies plus Newbridge Bank Park paid monthly fees to Guilford County for the right to use the lot.

Any why are local politicians remaining silent here.

Will the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite Be Home To Buick?

Plans are to spend well over $120,000,000 in State bond money to build the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite in order to attract an automaker to North Carolina but everyone keeps asking which automaker will it be as one automaker after the other announces plans to go elsewhere.

One brand that has yet to be mentioned is Buick which is about to launch their new compact SUV, the Envision crossover.

"The Envision fills an empty spot in Buick showrooms, which currently feature just two crossovers: the sub-compact Encore and midsize Enclave. Without a complete roster of crossovers, Buick has not fully capitalized on surging demand for crossovers. By introducing the Envision to U.S. customers, Buick is now jumping into the SUV market with both feet.

The Envision should have little trouble gaining traction. The smaller Encore was Buick’s top seller in 2015, and one of the Envision’s main competitors, Ford’s (F) Lincoln MKC, became the brand’s No. 2 seller in its first full year of sales.

Crossovers are doing so well that the Envision will join Buick’s crossover lineup “largely without taking sales from the other two” SUVs, according to IHS Automotive senior analyst Stephanie Brinley."

But alas, the 2016 Envision crossover is already being produced for sale in the US market made in China.

"Peterson acknowledged that the Envision’s origins may turn away some buyers, yet history is on Buick’s side.

“We’ve seen this in the auto industry going back to cars from Japan and Korea. There’s some initial reaction, but for the most part, people look at whether the brand I’m buying it from has the reputation” in performance, safety and other areas, Peterson said. “I think Buick has that reputation.”

Analysts say importing the Envision is a natural evolution for Buick, the best-selling GM brand in China. Buick already ships the Encore to the U.S. from a plant in South Korea, while the Cascada will be imported from Europe.

“I doubt that it will make much of a difference for consumers,” Brinley said."

How could our economic development experts be so wrong? That is: unless the actual plan is corporate welfare to contractors and developers.

And have you been paying attention to this new state wide bond proposal they're pitching? Seems there's a little known clause in there that allows them to change what the money gets spent for. Wonder why they felt the need to add that?

Milton Kern's Latest Scam

Recently articles started appearing in some of our local main stream media publications about downtown developer Milton Kern wanting to convert the old Guilford County Jail to a homeless shelter. As always, when Milton Kern's name is involved with taxpayer funded projects people can't help but be alarmed.

But alas, as is usually the case we are never told the whole story in these accounts. A recent Facebook conversation with Guilford County Commissioner Alan Branson reveled that the Guilford County Sheriff's Department still uses the old jail building 7 days a week so currently selling "the old jail" which is still being used as a jail 5 days a week as a means to move prisoners to trial via way of the tunnel under Eugene Street which connects the jail to the Guilford County Courthouse is not an option the County is currently able to consider: https://www.facebook.com/ecpaintinganddrywall/posts/1019587884780250?pnref=story

 And this:

As always, my thanks to Commissioner Alan Branson for clearing this up and doing what neither the City of Greensboro nor our local main stream media outlets have chosen to do. Please, while wanting to help the homeless is a good idea always be wary of any man who previously tried to swindle the taxpayers out of $1.9 Million Dollars and spread the truth to all concerned.

How Auto Sales May Dent Megasite Growth

For those who still think the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite still has a chance in hell of attracting an automaker: Stolen in its entirety from the Wall Street Journal:

"What goes up usually comes down.

Record auto sales in 2015 lent a big boost to overall economic output, but Americans’ appetite for autos and trucks is falling from those highs. That slowdown hurt GDP in the fourth quarter, and it’s set to dent first-quarter output, too.

“That number can’t go up to infinity,” said Steve Blitz, chief economist at ITG Investment Research.

Conditions that superfueled the boom may now be cooling: There had been a lot of old cars on the road, Mr. Blitz said, and cheap financing plus many Americans’ more optimistic view of the economy prompted drivers to replace their vehicles.

In the December quarter, Americans still bought autos and trucks at a healthy pace, noted Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group. But real spending on motor vehicles and parts fell a seasonally adjusted $5.2 billion—wiping 0.58 percentage point off fourth-quarter GDP after adding about a percentage point to output over the first three quarters of the year. Excluding motor vehicle output, the Commerce Department said GDP rose 1.3% in the fourth quarter.

Because of the seasonal factor, it’s not unusual for the category to be weak in the final quarter of the year. But this time it’s more meaningful because of the unseasonably warm winter. Bad weather didn’t keep people from dealers’ lots like it sometimes does. And the decline was steeper than in prior—and colder—fourth quarters.

What’s more, some indicators suggest the slowdown will continue. The fourth-quarter decline came as the inventories-to-sales ratio was at its highest during the current business cycle, according to Mr. Blitz, potentially signaling a pullback in auto manufacturing as dealers try to clear some inventory.
And there was evidence on Tuesday that vehicle sales were more modest in January. General Motors reported a 0.5% increase in sales last month, while Ford said sales fell 2.8% from a year earlier. That’s after overall auto sales rose 14% in January 2015 from a year earlier as the major dealers posted double-digit increases. Auto makers pointed to fewer selling days last month and heavy snow in the east, and, to be sure, sales were still solid. But “headwinds remain to be fought,” said Kelley Blue Book analyst Jack Nerad.

Spending on motor vehicles is just one chunk of personal consumption, but it’s been a sizable slice that has helped offset weakness in other areas, like trade and capital spending. An upshot, according to Mr. Baumohl, is that spending on big-ticket items often depresses other forms of discretionary spending. For his part, Mr. Baumohl is confident the American consumer will continue to support the economy. “Consumers remain in charge,” he said. He still expects 3% growth this year.

But not everyone is so optimistic. “It is starting to seem that [the first quarter] may not look all that different than the fourth quarter of 2015],” said Richard Moody, chief economist at Regions Financial Corp. “The net result will likely be another quarter of the same 2 to 2.5% we’ve come to know but not necessarily love since the end of the 2007-09 recession.”

Mizuho Securities chief U.S. economist Steven Ricchiuto warns if auto sales no longer outpace overall retail sales, that would have important ramifications for economic growth in the first half of the year. So far, they are “they are weak but not terrible,” he said, underpinning his expectations for a first-quarter growth rate below 2%.

Related reading:
Winter Weather Dings U.S. Auto Sales
U.S. GDP Advances 0.7% in Fourth Quarter
Turmoil in the Oil Patch Is Hitting U.S. GDP Growth
Why the Manufacturing Contraction Might Not Signal a Recession
The U.S. Economy’s Latest Growth Is Looking Increasingly Frail
U.S. Growth May Struggle to Find Support From the Third Quarter’s Strongest Industries "

One needs not be rocket scientist, real estate developer nor economist to know that Greensboro's Guilford County's, Randolph County's ans the State of North Carolina's leaders are planning yet another giveaway to wealthy developers. And the price tag on this one exceeds $200 Million Dollars that could be used to help the poor rather than build empty industrial parks for jobs that will never come.

Making The Best Of A Bad Situation

I came up with an idea for the Guilford County Animal Shelter and sent the following e-mail to all 9 County Commissioners.

"As some of you are aware I was working to build the nation's first aquaponics school on the County owned property next door to the Agricultural Extension Offices. Well I haven't heard a word from the non profit running the project in almost 2 months so I guess it is dead. Oh well, shit happens, I've got a farm to run.

Now that you need a place to put the Animal Shelter you should all be very happy that I prevented Marty Kotis from buying it out from under everyone. After all, it would really be a shame for the County to sell property at below the market value then have to go out and buy (or God forbid) rent property for the animal shelter.

It seems like a good location to me. It's almost in the center of the county, easily accessible and well known. But I'd like to make a suggestion.

There are no pet supply stores in all of east Greensboro. As a matter of fact: unless there happens to be a pet supply store in Gibsonville (Alan?) the furthest eastward any pet supply is located in Guilford County would be Friendly Shopping Center or Lawndale Drive

Now if the County wanted to operate such a store on the same property or if the county wanted to lease space specifically to someone who would like to fulfill an RFP to run a pet supply store next door to the animal shelter I believe it could bring much needed jobs to my community along with additional revenue in which to offset the cost of running the shelter.

And just to be clear, I'm talking pet supply store, not pet store. They can buy their pets from the Guilford County Animal Shelter.

And rather than make an unnecessary trip to the courthouse to speak before a bunch of people that probably don't care what I think anyway I decided to post this e-mail to our blog at EzGreensboro.com

Thanks -Billy"

Will they read it? Will they care? Will they do for East Greensboro what the City Council refuses to do? Will they prove to be more responsive than the Greensboro City Council has been? Will they show us a better way?

I donno, I've got endless ideas and ammo, I just keep shooting until something falls from the sky.

How are Zack Matheny and Mike Barber not guilty of violating § 14-234.1; Misuse of confidential information, in his pursuit of the DGI job?

"§ 14-234.1.  Misuse of confidential information.

(a)        It is unlawful for any officer or employee of the State or an officer or an employee of any of its political subdivisions, in contemplation of official action by himself or by a governmental unit with which he is associated, or in reliance on information which was made known to him in his official capacity and which has not been made public, to commit any of the following acts:
(1)        Acquire a pecuniary interest in any property, transaction, or enterprise or gain any pecuniary benefit which may be affected by such information or official action; or
(2)        Intentionally aid another to do any of the above acts.
(b)        Violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor. (1987, c. 616; 1993, c. 539, s. 146; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)"

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/statutes/statutelookup.pl?statute=14-234.1
.
.
If our District Attorney won't touch it, Zack got away with breaking the law;

The North Carolina Criminal Self-Dealing Statute (G.S. 14-234): 
Five Things You Should Know

http://canons.sog.unc.edu/?p=8145
.
.
It's okay when white connected folks do it.
.
.
I have been told by multiples of Greensboro law enforcement personnel that Guilford County District Attorney Doug Henderson doesn't care if Zack Matheny and Mike Barber broke the law.

http://www.ncdistrictattorney.org/18/contactus.html

Updated, Updated; On Marsh Prause, Nancy Vaughan, Jim Westmoreland, Jeff Phillips, Marty Lawing and DGI's meeting to hire City Councilman Zack Matheny

After Cyndy Hayworth publicly accused City Council member Mike Barber

of extortion over a job for City Council member Zack Matheny,

and after Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan

unsuccessfully attempted to appoint John Lomax

a Matheny business partner and campaign contributor/crony

to DGI's board before a vote to hire Matheny,

it is my understanding that at the meeting to hire Matheny, 

attorney Marsh Prouse suggested DGI wait for a commitment

from Greensboro's City Council and Guilford County
that DGI would be funded before announcing Zack's employment, 
making the job dependent upon taxpayer money
for a sitting, elect official who has voted for the funding
of the organization, and serves as City Council's DGI Liaison.

Zack Matheny, Nancy Vaughan and Mike Barber

put their own interests of power, income and reelection 

in front of the best interests of City of Greensboro taxpayers,
and the News and Record and the Rhino Times won't report it.

Matheny should have ended all public comment

and any Council deliberations and votes

on his announcement of going after a position Zack helped create

by getting rid of Jason Cannon

and killing Cyndy Hayworth's chance at the job

by leaking information about her education credentials to the press
and the News and Record and the Rhino Times won't report it.

Apparently DGI's Board decided Zack Matheny, 

an acting Greensboro Councilman and DGI's Liaison

doesn't have a conflict of interest in applying for the job,

which includes Vaughan, Phillips, Lawing and Westmoreland.

Nancy Vaughan was supposedly in the room as a DGI board member, 

along with Nick Piornack, who is Nancy Hoffmann's business partner,

Mark Prince of Guilford's Merchants Association,

Brian Wise, General Counsel and VP of Finance

for Roy" Carroll Companies

Guilford County Manager Marty Lawing,

Guilford County Commissioner Jeff Phillips

and City of Greensboro Manager Jim Westmoreland.
.
.
§ 14-234. Public officers or employees benefiting from public contracts; 

(a)       (1)        No public officer or employee who is involved in making or administering a contract on behalf of a public agency may derive a direct benefit from the contract

3)        No public officer or employee may solicit or receive any gift, favor, reward, service, or promise of reward, including a promise of future employment, in exchange for recommending, influencing, or attempting to influence the award of a contract by the public agency he or she serves.

(4)        A public officer or employee derives a direct benefit from a contract if the person ...(ii) derives any income or commission directly from the contract...

(f)        A contract entered into in violation of this section is void.
http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/05/14-234-public-officers-or-employees.html

Neither Barber or Matheny withdrew 

"from any consideration of the matter"

while currently serving on City Council
and the News and Record and the Rhino Times won't report it.

Greensboro Council member Mike Barber has an indirect financial interest

in Zack's DGI employment,as they are located in the same district 

in Trudy Wade's redistricting plan, 

and that Matheny voted for funding a golf course, 

in which Mike Barber recused himself

which Barber profits from local taxpayers with

with the help of Jim Melvin and the Bryan Foundation
and the News and Record and the Rhino Times won't report it.
.
.

§ 14-118.4. Extortion

Any person who threatens or communicates a threat or threats to another with the intention thereby wrongfully to obtain anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity is guilty of extortion and such person shall be punished as a Class F felon.

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/ByArticle/Chapter_14/Article_20.pdf

Zack Matheny has a direct financial interest

in applying for a job he voted to fund,

and now DGI's Board wants to wait for guaranteed funding

from Phillips, Vaughan, Westmoreland and Lawing

before hiring Matheny with everyone else's money

a few months before an election?

If political corruption is the use of powers by government officials

for illegitimate private gain,

how is this not political corruption?

If Guilford County is funding DGI, 

and Phillips and Lawing are allowing DGI's board

 to dictate the hiring of a sitting City Councilman

based on a guarantee of funding provided by Guilford County, 

Phillips and Lawing may have a problem,
as they will be directly responsible 
for the hiring of an elected official 
with Guilford County's tax monies
which they will have promised as long as Zack gets the job.

Zack and Mike Barber lobbying for Matheny's DGI job

while involved in deliberations concerning the organization's funding, 

is an abuse of their positions
and the News and Record and the Rhino Times won't report it.

As public officials,

Westmoreland, Vaughan, Phillips and Lawing

are responsible, if not accessories at this point
in one of our community's biggest episodes of political corruption
ignored by the News and Record and the Rhino Times,
who's Brian Wise should have been in the room
if John Hammer had anything to do with it.

Mike Barber just abused his position as a council member

to advocate via extortion for taxpayer monies to be allocated 

to a fellow council member

positioned to compete for the same council spot

under Trudy Wade's redistricting plan.

The selection process has been compromised

by the selection committee and DGI's board
which includes Lawing, Phillips, Westmoreland and Vaughan.

Mike Barber is a known liar and should be investigated

for trying to extort the DGI job for Zack Matheny

out of Cyndi Hayworth,

after Zack leaked Hayworth's lack of education credentials,

leaving her ineligible for the job

after Zack helped get Jason Cannon fired to get the same job
and the News and Record and the Rhino Times won't report it.

Marsh Prause is connected to Greensboro's elite
who run Downtown Greensboro
and is in the business of extracting taxpayer dollars for clients
like DGI;

"Marsh is active in the civic affairs in the City of Greensboro, including appointments by elected representatives and foundations to boards, commissions, and task forces involved with major projects and initiatives such as the Downtown Greenway, the Greensboro Performing Arts Center (Tanger Center), the proposed merger of the City and County planning boards, the City’s bicentennial celebration, and the revision of land development, zoning, and other ordinances.  He is a board member for several local non-profits.

If Guilford County funds DGI at this point, 

commissioners will be approving the actions of Greensboro's City Council, 

which includes extortion, cronyism, nepotism and abuse of office.

...since 2007, he has chaired the board of an active historic preservation revolving fund that promotes preservation as a form of economic development by facilitating transactions that leverage state and federal preservation tax credits to enable the restoration and adaptive reuse of historically and architecturally significant properties. In January of 2015, Marsh was appointed to the Board of Directors of Downtown Greensboro Incorporated, the primary economic development organization for Greensboro’s center city area."


http://allmanspry.com/attorney-profiles/d-marsh-prause/
.
.
Zack Matheny should resign

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/05/zack-matheny-should-resign.html

Zack Matheny violates the City Charter and his oath of office etc..., again, by discussing "Economic Development" in Greensboro's budget, while a candidate for DGI's top job

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/05/zack-matheny-violates-city-charter-and.html

In blow to Mayor Nancy Vaughan and Zack Matheny, John Lomax found to be ineligable to join board

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/05/dgi-update-in-blow-to-mayor-nancy.html
.
.
A few supporters for Robbie Perkins for Mayor

...Nancy and Trip Brown, Chester Brown, III, Roy Carroll, Shirley Frye, Ross Harris, Kathy Manning and Randall Kaplan, Marsh Prause, Sara Lee and Paul Saperstein - The parents of Greensboro's lobbyist and Mac Sims.
.
.
Greensboro Downtown Economic Development Strategy Project Committee, Community Stakeholders and Adisory Group;

Roy Carroll, Aprill Harris, Ed Kitchen, Mac Sims, Dawn Chaney, Willie Hammer, Robin Saul, Susan Schwartz, Frank Auman Jr., Chester Brown, Seth Coker, Betty Cone, Milton Kern, Jim Melvin, Skip Moore, Jeff Nimmer, Marsh Prause, Dabny Sanders, Walker Sanders, Rich Wittington
.
.
"The new board includes Mark Gibb of Gibb’s Hundred Brewing, downtown resident Paula Pierce, small-property owner Marsh Prause, small-property owner James “Smitty” Smith, Lotus club owner Paul Talley and Brian Wise of the Carroll Companies."

http://triad-city-beat.com/downtown-greensboro-inc-board-disposes-of-critics/

It is difficult to get a man to understand something

when his salary depends on his not understanding it.

Upton Sinclair

It appears some closet fascists seek to organize Greensboro's economic control according to Roy Carroll's corporatist perspectives, values, and systems, including Greensboro's political system.

Zack Matheny has presented himself as a solution to the perceived benefits of his favor, to the cronies who control downtown Greensboro, by advocating and taking advantage of government controlled taxpayer capital allocations to himself, and through himself enabled by at least Nancy Vaughan and Mike Barber, to DGI's board members, who will return the favors with continued financial and political support for at least Zack, Nancy and Mike.

Fascism is a form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with collaboration with traditional elites, which abandons democratic/capitalistic liberties, with the help of corporate media, which in this case is the News and Record and the Rhino Times.

If you choose not to know something,

especially if that something is something you should know,

you are morally blameworthy.

Robert P. Lawry

Director of the Center for Professional Ethics

"...Built in 1895, the Cascade Saloon at 408 and 410 S. Elm Street is one of the oldest buildings in the city. 

The City of Greensboro used eminent domain to take over the Cascade Saloon earlier this year and has since debated what to do with the building.

...Preservation Greensboro offered to take ownership of the building in order to stabilize and restore it, but asked the city for $175,000 to help subsidize the costs associated with renovating the nearly 4,000 square foot, two-story structure.

Marsh Prause represented Preservation Greensboro for the agreement, and made the case for the transfer of ownership.

“We’re offering to take this problem on for you,” said Prause.

“It has negative value. We’re asking you to offset some of the liability and risk we are willing to take on for you.”

Even though the city would have to use taxpayer funds to hand over the building, the simple math of the cost difference made the choice clear for councilman Zack Matheny.

“We were going to spend the money no matter what,” said Matheny.

...“Once it is fixed up it has the potential to be an icon,” said Prause. “It could stand out more than any building downtown.”

...In a situation with only three options – tear down the historic building for $600,000, let someone else restore it into a operating business for $175,000, or do nothing and risk the liability of the nearly 120-year-old structure caving in on itself – the choice was clear to Vaughan.

“To me it is just a no brainer,” said Vaughan. The council will pass the ownership of Cascade Saloon, but will not pay out the $175,000 to Preservation Greensboro until the organization provides more transparency as to who the donors are, and what they plan on doing with the structure..."

http://yesweekly.com/article-18607-saloon-saved.html
.
.
"Downtown Greensboro Inc. got two new board members this week

The Greensboro City Council’s appointment of high-profile downtown developers John Lomax and Andy Zimmerman could mean the embattled nonprofit agency may escape the cut in city funding that it has been threatened with this budget season.

“You could assume that,” said Mayor Nancy Vaughan, who appointed the two men at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Meaning Nancy Vaughan appears to have made a deal,

to garner political support for her reelection from DGI's Board, 

in exchange for funding the organization

and getting Zack Matheny, Roy Carroll's pick,

hired as the new president while Roy's attorney serves and votes on the Board,

which helps Nancy Hoffmann, Mike Barber, Nancy Vaughan

Marikay Abuzuaiter and Zack Matheny

by eliminating one contender

from Trudy Wade's fourth district. 

As mayor, Vaughan is a member of the board of DGI, which promotes downtown Greensboro using money from a special business improvement district tax on downtown property owners.

If John Lomax attended the closed session, 

even though he was not allowed to join the board,

and the meeting concerned a personnel decision,

how is it not a violation of employment confidentiality statutes? 

City Council members have been discussing taking away DGI’s funding altogether in the past few weeks, even as Councilman Zack Matheny applied to be the group’s next chief executive officer.

Nancy Vaughan openly tried to appoint John Lomax,

a Matheny business partner and financial contributor

to DGI's Board without the News and Record or the Rhino Times

reporting the information to the public.

Cyndy Hayworth, the group’s interim CEO, charged last month that she was threatened with a budget cut if Matheny wasn’t chosen as DGI’s next leader. Matheny and Councilman Mike Barber, whom Hayworth accused of making the threat, both deny giving any ultimatums."

http://www.news-record.com/news/dgi-brings-in-two-new-experienced-board-members/article_596344f8-ff39-11e4-a0b5-a7efea234b4e.html