News & Record endorsement

Hooray! The News & Record endorsed me for the District 5 seat.

Thank you!!!

Greensboro Partnership candidate questionnaire

Candidate Name Sandy Carmany

Vision for Greensboro

What are the three most pressing issues facing Greensboro?

1) Promoting quality economic development in all areas of the city: If Greensboro is to remain vibrant, we must have good paying jobs for ALL our citizens. I will continue to support the attraction of new companies with our great quality of life, an educated workforce, good infrastructure, and suitable sites for development supplemented by appropriate, targeted incentives when necessary. We must continue city assistance in the development of small businesses as well remaining as business-friendly as possible.

2) Effectively management of growth and its challenges (traffic congestion, poor air quality, lack of affordable housing, environmental impacts, lack of greenspace). Using the Comprehensive Plan as the guideline, we must find ways to “grow smart” such as increased densities where practical to accommodate more use of transit and promote walkability while striving to minimize impacts on existing neighborhoods and roads.

3) Providing effective/efficient city services and adequately maintaining city assets while keeping costs and tax rates at a reasonable level. As our infrastructure (roads, water & sewer lines, etc.) ages and demands for public services continue to increase, I will focus on providing essential services (fire and police protection, garbage collection, water and sewer, etc.) in a more cost-effective way and consider reducing less essential (but often beloved by the public) ones such as parks and recreation programs.

What do you see as your most important challenge if you are elected?

Providing strong, experienced leadership to keep the city council “on an even keel” and maintaining the forward momentum we have built up when a minimum of three new persons join the city council and try to “get up to speed” on the many complicated issues we will be addressing.

Administration of the City

Recently the City of Greensboro and Guilford County updated their joint water and sewer plan to create more cohesion in development requirements. Do you think there are other areas in which the city and county should seek to consolidate services? Please provide examples.

Yes. It might make sense to consolidate the operations of parks, recreation centers, and their programming under one entity that is funded proportionally by population in the city and the unincorporated parts of the county, eliminating the need to charge a differentiated fee schedule for city and non-city residents.

Second, as the county becomes more and more urbanized in the future, it might make sense for all fire protection services to be provided by one combined fire department instead of relying on individual fire districts and volunteer firemen. Some small baby steps have already been taken in this area.

Lastly, if we could overcome the trust, different development philosophies, and “turf” issues, it seems sensible that there be one planning department and development ordinance countywide to eliminate varying requirements and processes depending where within the county one wants to develop.

Public safety is a major concern to the citizens of Greensboro especially in light of recent reports of increased gang activity. How do we best respond to recent crime issues? Does it include more police officers?

The city council has already taken the first step in addressing the reported increase in gang activity by authorizing the immediate formation of a gang unit using existing police positions; this must be followed up with funding in the 2008-09 to hire additional officers to return the Community Resource Teams to full strength as well as fully staff the gang unit. Yes, I support funding additional police officers in order to increase our coverage and presence citywide.

In addition to increasing the number of officers, we must continue to work with our businesses and citizens through their neighborhood associations and crime watches, educating them on the skills needed NOT to become a victim as well as how they can function as additional “eyes” for our sworn officers.

Do you feel that community issues should be solved primarily by councilmember’s in consultation with staff or would you reach out to external groups for input?

a) With staff.
b) External groups.
c) Both.
d) Neither.

What is the best time and way for staff to work with affected parties, including the business community, when drafting policies, ordinances and fees?

a) At the very beginning, while still considering concepts.

b) After drafting the proposal, but before beginning the public hearing process.
c) Public participation should be at the public hearings only.
d) Not at all.
e) Input should remain with elected officials only.

Businesses often complain that the city’s permitting process is too cumbersome, often requiring they submit similar plans and information to multiple city agencies, if (re)elected would you advocate to create a working group made up of businesses and city staff to study and make recommendations on how to improve the city’s permitting process?

Yes. Progress has already been made in this area and we need to continue to search for better ways to do things.

Public Funding Investments

Do you support public investment such as incentives in job creation?

Yes. There are many forms that the investment can take – provision of appropriate infrastructure (water, sewer, roads) and assistance in preparing “shovel ready” sites for new businesses using the $10 million economic development bond approved by city voters in 2006. While I dislike the entire incentives process, I have and will continue to support awarding them on a judicious, case-by-case basis when their use will attract and win desirable new businesses and jobs with excellent salaries.

Do you see any area in which we should try to expand our incentive program (such as to the retail industry)? If so what?

No, not at this time. The retail industry tends to locate new facilities where market analysis indicates they are likely to be successful, with or without public incentives. In addition, salaries paid in this business sector tend to be low for a majority of the created positions; city tax dollars should be concentrated on higher-paying jobs with good benefits that offer the opportunity for long-term financial stability for those new workers.

Do you support utilizing tax increment financing for catalyst projects within the Downtown’s Business Improvement District?

Yes

Completion of road projects, such as Painter Blvd, is of significant importance in our community. What are your thoughts on finance options our community should pursue?

1) Lobby members of the General Assembly to make transportation issues the #1 priority and appropriate more state funding to address the multitude of construction and maintenance needs. Convince them we need to be focusing on urban areas where the congestion already exists instead of “pork barrel projects in less impacted areas. We also need to urge legislators to implement other funding options identified in numerous studies over the years such as charging mileage-based vehicle registration fees, ending the transfer of Highway Trust Fund money into the General Fund, and providing additional local options for sources of revenue.

2) As much as most of us detest the words “toll road,” I support exploring the option of constructing the northern portion of the Urban Loop as a toll road and getting the facility opened “sooner rather than later.” If we sit back and wait for the road to be funded and constructed through conventional means, it is possible it will never be completed.

Public funding needs exceed the city’s available revenue. Which of the following options would you support as a way to finance public budget items?

a) Additional sales taxes.
b) Increased user fees.
c) Increased car registration fees.

d) Impact fees.
e) Increased gas tax.
f) Real estate transfer taxes.
g) Increased property tax.
h) Use of special taxing districts.
i) Bonds.
j) Certificates of Participation.
k) Increase permit, inspection and plan review fees.
l) Increased government efficiencies – (#1!)
m)Cuts in government services.
m) All options should be considered.

Future Outlook

How far are you willing to go to promote regional cooperation?

a) Tax sharing
b) Merger of certain departments
c) Multi-jurisdictional infrastructure projects
d) Multi-jurisdictional development projects (public)
e) Multi-jurisdictional development projects (private)
f) Support for inter-basin water transfers
g) Economic development recruitment
h) Regional planning collaboration
i) Technology compatibility
j) Regional water & sewer solutions or authority
k) A structured, formal framework for regional collaboration

In what ways do you think the City government can continue to support and encourage DGI and facilitate and expand the growth of Downtown Greensboro?

We should continue to partner with each other to seek solutions to various issues and problems that need to be addressed, such as our recent collaboration on resolving parking issues, adding more police officers to the downtown squad, and addressing issues such as loitering. City Council has been receptive to most of the suggestions brought forward by DGI, and has consistently directed staff to find solutions to problems DGI identifies. The city’s economic development staff should maintain their close working relationship with DGI in assisting with new development and business opportunities in the downtown area. We should continue to provide financial support for DGI administrative needs until the time the BID revenues could absorb those expenses.

In his report regarding the potential development of an aerotropolis in the Triad region, Dr. John Kasarda makes 30 specific recommendations on how to take advantage of what he deems a “once-in-a-century opportunity”. Among these are recommendations on developing land around and immediately adjacent to the airport. How do you think Greensboro would be best served in planning for the future development of this land?

There are already a number of plans that have been developed over the years to direct the anticipated growth in this area. Those plans should be reviewed and updated to make sure they are still relevant, functional, and still address the ever-evolving needs of new businesses. It is clear to me that appropriate land absolutely must be preserved for new business and industrial development in this area and that appropriate infrastructure (roads, water and sewer) be provided to service the growth. Great care must be taken not to “waste” this land by placing residential development in inappropriate locations.

The cities of Greensboro and High Point seem to have a contentious relationship. If they combined their efforts, they could leverage their resources to improve the community as a whole. If elected, what would you actively do to build/improve the relation among city leaders?

I have ongoing friendly relationships with most of the members of the High Point City Council and have regular contact with several of them in regional meetings such as PART, the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments, and the Heart of the Triad Steering Committee, to name a few. I find that our two cities agree on far more issues than we disagree and recognize the benefits of acting as partners and leveraging our strengths. It is unfortunate that those few items on which we have differing opinions seem to receive so much more attention than those on which we agree.

Using those existing positive personal relationships, I will continue to listen carefully and try to understand High Point’s reasoning when our viewpoints differ. Nothing beats good communication based on the facts of an issue, willingness to negotiate, and genuine respect for one another when trying to identify solutions satisfactory to both parties!

Planning/Land Use

Do you support the connections 2025 comprehensive plan created by City Council? Why or why not?

Yes, in general concept, but not necessarily every single word verbatim. The plan represents the collective vision of a wide range of people and interests on how our city should accommodate desirable growth while promoting a good quality of life and protecting neighborhoods and the environment. The current writing of the LDO (Land Development Ordinance) will flesh out the details of the broad general concepts outlined in the plan. Connections 2025 and the supporting LDO give Greensboro the needed roadmap and tools to maintain a vibrant city.

Some cities that have implemented Phase II of the federally mandated stormwater regulations and stream buffer requirements have added requirements that go beyond the recommended levels. Do you believe the City of Greensboro should enact stormwater regulations that are more stringent than what the EPA and NCDENR require?

Greensboro should have stormwater regulations in place that address the unique need and situation of our city. If that calls for exceeding federal requirements, I could support that if the reason is compelling enough. For example, the increased restrictions in the Randleman Lake watershed are well-worth the “price” of exceeding federal regulations in exchange for securing an additional reliable water source. On the other hand, those restrictions must be reasonable and based on scientific data that demonstrates genuine results, NOT like the proposed Jordan Lake rules.

Quality of Life

Do you believe the city is responsible for investing in programs that contribute to the quality of life aspects of the city, such as arts, development of a greenway, parks and recreation, etc.?

As property taxes continue to rise and businesses and citizens bear a heavier and heavier financial burden, my first priority is the efficient delivery of basic essential services such as public safety, water/sewer, and solid waste collection. Libraries, the arts, and recreation programs are huge factors in our quality of life as well and should be supported by the city as we can afford to do so. This is an area where partnerships with nonprofits and community groups such as Action Greensboro can help leverage and stretch those city dollars.

Which of the following options would you support as a way to finance parklands and open space:

a) Acquisition with public funds.
b) Voluntary donations.
c) Required dedication during development.
d) Condemnation.
e) Incentives in the development process.

Do you think the city has some responsibility in ensuring the completion of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum?

I support exploring the potential use of federal HUD/CDBG funds to apply to this project if it appropriately meets the federal programs’ downtown redevelopment purposes and criteria. The city could possibly assist with upgrades to the public streets and sidewalks adjacent to the facility that might be needed to accommodate the anticipated large number of visitors. Despite the museum’s great importance and obvious positive impact on the downtown, I cannot in good conscience ignore and override the decision of Greensboro voters who twice defeated bond referendums by approving the direct contribution of city property tax dollars.

Would you support the development of a joint graffiti hotline coordinated among the city, county and state?

Yes

Would you support the development of a city graffiti clean up crew?

Yes, and I see this city crew as be a joint partnership effort among groups such as city, Greensboro Beautiful, Greensboro Merchants Association, Downtown Greensboro Inc., and the Greensboro Partnership as well as community and neighborhood organizations. Everyone must do his or her part – it has to be a joint effort. A second option would be to work with the Sheriff’s Department to make graffiti clean up one of the routine work release chores that inmates perform in addition to mowing and highway trash pickup.

City wins another award

I attended NC*APA's "Marvin Collins Planning Awards Ceremony and Luncheon" in Chapel Hill today with several members of the city's MPO staff (Tyler Meyer, Peggy Holland, and Peter Ohlms) and a member of the Parks and Recreation staff (Mike Simpson). We happily accepted the "Outstanding Planning Award -- Comprehensive Planning/Multi-Jurisdictional Project" for the Greensboro Area Bicycle, Pedestrian and Greenway Master Plan (better known as the BiPed Plan). City staff worked long and hard to include a lot of public input in writing this comprehensive, countywide master plan to improve availability of greenways, sidewalks, and bike paths in Guilford County. Congratulations!

The Triad racked up a lot of awards at this ceremony today. The City of High Point captured the "Outstanding Planning Award -- Comprehensive Planning/Large Community." Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines and the 2005-07 Eden City Council received "Distinguished Leadership/Elected Officials" awards.

I also learned about some special talents our Planning Director Dick Hails has -- according to several conference attendees, he did an interesting Alex Trebeck imitation, complete with a wig, while hosting a Jeopardy competition at a reception last night. I've suggested he might want to repeat his performance as he presents zoning cases at next week's city council meeting. {smile}

Another win!

Greensboro has landed the RF Micro expansion -- hooray!

Kammie stories

13-month-old Kammie is developing her own unique personality, one part of which is learning to express her feelings about a particular issue. For the most part she is pretty laid back and happy, but do something to upset her, and she can pitch a royal temper tantrum, complete with screaming and kicking her legs while laying in the floor.

But she's no dummy! Rather than throw herself down and risk injury, she has it all figured out. She looks behind herself, carefully crouches into the sitting position, and slowly lowers her head to the floor -- and then lets the screams and kicks fly. No use in hurting oneself, I guess!

A second example occurred this afternoon when she rode along with her mother Crystal and me to pick up my son's car at the dealership where he had some work done on it. I picked Kammie up and held onto her while her mom transferred the car safety seat from the backseat of my car into their car. When Crystal reached for her to put her into the car, Kammie whirled around in my arms and held on tight to me, refusing to go to mommy. When her mom tried again, Kammie started swatting at her to make her leave her alone. I'm happy that Kammie loves her grandma so much, but her mom and I sure were surprised at her actions. Thankfully my daughter-in-law has a good sense of humor and wasn't offended.

Kammie has definitely learned to assert herself!

Yes! Weekly questionnaire

Here are my responses to the Yes! Weekly candidate questionnaire:

1. Greensboro and surrounding municipalities are participating in the EPA’s Early Action Compact program to reduce the area’s excess levels of smog and particulate pollution. Do you think the city is doing enough to curb air pollution? Would you suggest any changes to the compact?

The Early Action Compact’s strategies have proven successful -- we expect the Triad to be declared “in attainment” of EPA’s 8-hour ozone standard in late December – so no changes seem to be needed at the moment. While improvement is always possible and desirable, Greensboro is already considered a leader in such “green” areas as the use of biofuel and hybrid vehicles, large transit ridership, and emphasis on walkability (sidewalks and trails), to name a few.

2. How would you prioritize the following transportation projects: New roads, increased bus service, more bicycle facilities, and light rail. Why?

New and/or expanded roads AND increased, improved bus service are the most productive and viable options, having the most immediate impact in reducing traffic congestion. Personal vehicles and mass transit are the most heavily used options by the large majority of Greensboro citizens. While I encourage bicycle usage, I realize this option is not practical for most commuters. I support light rail, but funding is problematic and it will take years to develop the system.

3. According to a report issued earlier this year by professor Keith Debbage, Greensboro’s economy is recovering slower than other cities in North Carolina and is still more dependent on manufacturing. What strategies would you propose for stimulating the economy?

1) Adequate infrastructure (water, sewer, and roads) in place along with good city services. 2) A highly-skilled workforce. 3) Business-friendly policies to expedite processing of permits. 4) Attractive, high quality of life and excellent school system. 5) Reasonable tax and fee structure. 6) Targeted recruiting emphasizing our strengths. 7) Judicious use of reasonable economic incentives to attract high-paying jobs. 8) Trouble-shooting advice and financial assistance for small business start-ups such as the Targeted Loan Pool.

4. Do you support the use of economic incentives? What factors would you consider when weighing an incentives request?

As long as economic incentives remain legal nationwide, Greensboro must retain the option of awarding them in order to remain competitive in attracting good-paying jobs. The factors I consider are – 1) the number of new jobs, their pay scale, and employee benefits, 2) the financial soundness and business record of the company, and 3) whether or not the incentive will actually tip the decision in Greensboro’s favor or is it being considered as an entitlement?

5. How can the city best support local businesses?

1) Provide efficient city services and adequate infrastructure (water, sewer, and streets) that satisfy the needs of businesses (and citizens) within an affordable tax and fee structure. 2) Be mindful of the financial and regulatory impacts of new city regulations and ordinances. 3) Continue to provide professional consultation and trouble-shooting assistance through the Assistant City Manager and his business-assistance team. 4) Maintain the Targeted Loan Pool to encourage viable small business start-ups.

6. Do you support the initiative launched by the Greensboro Minimum Wage Committee to create an ordinance requiring businesses within Greensboro’s city limits to pay employees a new minimum wage of $9.36 per hour?

No, such a social program should be implemented nationwide, statewide, or at an absolute bare minimum – countywide-- so as not to put Greensboro employers and businesses at a distinct economic disadvantage with High Point and the other towns in Guilford County. Why would potential new businesses choose to locate inside the Greensboro city limits in the future if they automatically had to incur higher labor costs than if they were located outside our city limits?

7. Do you support fringe development or would you favor reining in the expansion of the city’s geographical footprint? Why?

Fringe development, infill development, and redevelopment all play important roles in the city’s growth pattern. While it is vitally important to protect greenspace, there are few (if any) available 100+-acre sites inside the city to locate large companies such as Dell or HondaJet. With the coming predicted population boom in NC, it is highly unlikely the needed housing can be accommodated inside the city’s current “footprint.” Growth – infill or fringe – must be carefully planned.

8. Do you support the Heart of the Triad concept? Why or why not?

Yes. This strategically located area will be developed (and already is), with or without a sensible plan to accommodate the expanding population and explosive growth that is coming. It is best to have planned growth that controls and directs such development and preserves adequate greenspace instead of the random, hodgepodge sprawl that occurs when “we just let it happen.” Property owners in the affected area should be included in the development of the HOT plan.

9. Where do you stand on the city’s handling of allegations of racial discrimination under the administration of former police Chief David Wray?

Police Chief Bellamy is acting appropriately to thoroughly investigate the complaints, resolve them fairly while being mindful of the city’s financial liability, and put proper procedures into place to prevent their recurrence, keeping the City Manager informed of progress. To the public, this progress may appear slow, but it is important that these important decisions be based in fact and that the city (and the State Bureau of Investigation) “gets it right the first time.”

10. Would you support the creation of a police review board with subpoena power? Why or why not?

No. The current process using a subcommittee of the city’s Human Relations Commission provides an adequate review of any inquiries or complaints lodged by private citizens against a city police officer. Data from other locales that do have police review boards with subpoena power indicates no significant difference in the resolution of complaints or in citizen satisfaction with the process and/or outcomes.

We also ask you to provide the following biographical information in short form:

1. Date of birth January 20, 1949
2. Profession, or former profession if retired current community activist/volunteer, formerly a media assistant in the (then) Greensboro Public Schools
3. Name of employer, if applicable not applicable
4. Previous political experience, if any Greensboro City Council District 5 representative since 1991
5. Level of education, and name of school from which highest degree was received. Graduated from Southeast Guilford High School as valedictorian, was a chemistry major at NC State University but did not complete degree
6. Please list any campaign websites or blogs. Sandy’s Place found at http://sandycarmany.blogspot.com/

City Connections

The latest edition of City Connections explains the new downtown parking and loitering ordinances.

The new man in my life

World, please welcome little Garrett and treat him well!

[Update: One week old]

Reviewing my posts on the GPD/Wray issues

I'm puzzling over why certain bloggers have singled me out for vitriolic attacks concerning the David Wray/GPD issues when EVERY SINGLE MEMBER of the city council has been -- and still is -- in solid support of the city administration's actions to identify the problems and address them. While there has certainly been disagreement among us councilmembers on the timing and quantity of release of information and explanations, a recent "gut check" confirmed unity --not a single one of us has any criticism of the manager's actions in handling the process!

The only answer I have been able to come up with is because I blogged about it, trying to give the public a clearer understanding of what was going on. I went back into the archives of this blog and re-examined every post I have written pertaining to the subject to see if I had attacked David Wray, labeled him 'racist' or 'criminal' or demeaned him in any way. I couldn't find anything except direct reporting or summarizing of information that was available at the time, explanations of 'why we did what we did' for certain actions, and expressions of sadness and disappointment.

Following are links to everything I've posted on this topic. Please reread and refresh your memory on the information and opinions, then explain to me what I have said that is any different from what my colleagues have.

January 9, 2006 -- reluctant concurrence with Wray's resignation

January 11, 2006 -- summary lifted straight from the city manager's written explanation

January 15, 2006 -- explanation and opinion. For those who have pointed out that the SBI did not seek criminal indictments against Mr. Wray, please check out this tidbit from this one-and-a-half year old post: "...According to the city manager, all the report's findings were administrative in nature, violations of city policies and procedures, but no criminal violations were identified. Thus, the city will not be pursuing criminal action."

January 25, 2006 -- word-for-word posting of unanimously adopted city council statement

April 26, 2006 -- report on the 'secret tapes' of certain citizens

November 1, 2006 --word-for-word posting of the city manager's explanation to city employees
February 27, 2007 -- explanation of the release of the 'Brady tape'

That's it, folks! The only difference I can identify between my actions and those of fellow councilmembers is that I have publicly shared my thoughts and feelings in writing on this blog.

I've certainly received my fair share of praise for daring to take on blogging and make myself vulnerable in the first place, but hurtful attacks like these recent ones provide a powerful incentive to play it safe and exit the blogging world. Is it really worth it?

[Note: I have corrected the dates on the links above -- had originally posted them as '2005' -- guess it seems like this issue has been raging much longer than it actually has!]

Passport delays resolved?

Earlier this month, I realized my passport was expiring and downloaded the renewal form from the Department of State's website and mailed it off on September 10. I did not pay for expedited service since I have no travel plans, just wanted to keep my passport current. After all the horror stories about lengthy delays in processing such requests, I assumed it would 2-3 months before I received it.

Imagine my pleasant surprise to receive my new passport in the mail this afternoon, issued only one week after I mailed off the forms! Looks like they have resolved their problems.

New baby!

Grandchild #9 -- Garrett Wade Carmany -- arrived at 2:14PM, weighing in at 8-pounds, 7-ounces and 20 1/4 long. He's a big fellow with a HEALTHY set of lungs. Pictures will follow -- didn't have my camera with me this afternoon.

Now THAT is quick action and response!

Good news about some positive action that occurred due to yesterday's Healthy Homes bus tour!


Near the end of our walking tour of the West Market Street apartment complex, the tenant who led us on that tour stated that she had been told the city would be cutting off water service to the complex this morning due to management's failure to pay a reported $43,000 overdue water bill. When we returned downtown, I asked Engineering and Inspections Director Butch Simmons (who had one of the narrators on my bus) if he was aware of this and stated to him that even if this money was owed, it just wouldn't be right for the city to do this, immediately forcing all these tenants out of their homes, no matter how substandard they might be. Butch agreed and got on it.


Happily, I got a phone call from Butch this morning informing me that the city would NOT be shutting off the water and was working with the out-of-state owners to get those delinquent charges paid up. Yes, the city is owed money, but we also have to have a heart and not force 200+ families onto the streets in one fell swoop.


Furthermore, he told me of his hour-long telephone conversation with those owners where he laid it on the line to them. Those owners have agreed now to come to Greensboro and meet with their tenants and hear their grievances. But best of all, they committed to invest $3 million in repairs -- Butch is preparing a list of the worst, most immediate problems he wants addressed first. Ownership of the complex is to scheduled to change hands in January.

Here's hoping the current owners will honor their word and make those improvements ASAP and that the new ownership will be more conscientious in proving safe, decent apartments.


Wow! Amazing what a little public scrutiny can accomplish!

A 4-way balancing act

Now that I've had time to relax a bit this evening and reflect on last night's vote rejecting Councilmember Barber's motion to immediately release all information pertaining to the GPD investigation, I'll attempt some further description of the delicate information balancing act city staff and councilmembers are trying to manage.

As I see it, there are four "eggs" in the air at the moment that we are doing out best not to drop and splatter--

#1 the public's desire and right to know the truth with an accurate explanation of the events and facts behind it,

#2 the criminal investigation, resulting indictments,and pending trials,

#3 any possible administrative actions to address non-criminal violations of GPD departmental policies and directives, and

#4 the unresolved EEOC complaints filed by some of our black officers.

Although it is the city's position that appropriate actions were immediately taken to address and rectify alleged discriminatory practices (#4) even if they did occur, the premature release of all criminal and personnel evidence (#2 and #3) in order to satisfy the public's need (#1), could provide more "fuel for the fire" against the city in those EEOC cases (#4) with potential costly results.

Therefore a careful, reasoned approach is required to satisfy the public's needs with a continued release of pertinent information and accompanying explanations as issues are resolved (#2-4) is the smart and practical way to proceed. In my opinion, accepting Mr. Barber's approach would be like "throwing everything up into the air at once" and letting things fall where they may -- with a big mess resulting.

I ask for your continued patience and understanding as we councilmembers slowly and carefully walk this tightrope, trying to balance all these competing interests and do the right things to fairly resolve all these complicated issues.

Healthy Homes bus tour

I got back from my Raleigh meeting in time to go on the Greensboro Housing Coalition's "Healthy Homes bus tour." There were two large motor coaches full of people taking the city tour of housing success stories as well a visit to a large apartment complex that definitely needs some major improvements. Although former Mayor Carolyn Allen and several city council candidates participated in the tour, I did not spot any of my fellow councilmembers. I did have the opportunity to chat for a few minutes with fellow blogger Cara Michele when we ended up on the same bus. There were also a large number of Guilford College students on the bus, many of whom have been actively helping to repair homes, included one young lady who was praised for her roofing skills.

Housing Coalition staff and board members were complimentary of the city's effort to improve housing conditions in Greensboro and cited the Lead Safe Housing Program (HUD just awarded the city another $3 million grant to continue the program), the RUCO process (Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy), and the successful efforts of the city's code enforcement team to force landlords to bring their units up to code. Although there is still plenty of work to be done, significant progress has been made in improving availability of safe, decent housing, particularly since some delinquent property owners and landlords have realized that the city is really serious about correcting the problems.

Our final stop at a West Market Street apartment complex made it clear that there are still major problems. We visited at the invitation of some fed-up residents and suggestion of the code enforcement staff who have been spending a lot of time at this location recently. Owned by out-of-state landlords, nearly every building showed signs of disrepair -- broken steps, broken windows, mold and mildew on apartment wells, filthy garbage left in abandoned units, and one unsecured unit that had burned previously and had holes in the roof. Residents complained about foul odors, lack of maintenance, and roach infestations. Many are in a "Catch-22" situation -- their units are definitely substandard and need major repairs, but they likely face having to vacate the unit when Code Enforcement inspects and has to condemn it. While Code Enforcement is documenting problems and citing the landlords, the Housing Coalition is raising money to assist residents to relocate to better housing.

Apparently the management did not appreciate all the attention the apartments were receiving and complained to the police. Just as everyone had completed our walking tour and reboarded the bus, two officers arrived on the scene. Our tour leaders explained we had been invited by residents and were getting ready to depart and that resolved the situation. In one sense, it was amusing -- officers being asked to shoo off a bus filled with a variety of community leaders and housing activists, but in reality, was quite saddening and an eye-opening demonstration of the realities those tenants are facing.

My "no" vote on information release

(Meblogin alerted me to the debate going on over at Ed's blog about the 6-3 vote at tonight's city council meeting NOT to release ALL information about the GPD/David Wray case AT THIS TIME. I responded to his comment here as well as at Ed's but have decided to post it separately as well so it could be easily found.)

The first reason that I voted "no" on Mike Barber's motion to IMMEDIATELY release EVERYTHING pertaining to the GPD case was because the attorney general's office had specifically requested that council not do so lest such a premature release jeopardize their court case by revealing all evidence to the defendants and their attorneys prior to "discovery phase." Not only could this create problems for the prosecution, it would have been a deliberate slap in the face to the state's top law enforcement agency that has worked diligently over the last year-and-a-half to investigate this evidence when they could have chosen not to get involved at all.

DO NOT INTERPRET MY "NO" VOTE AS A DECISION NOT TO RELEASE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION EVER! It was a reasoned decision to release pertinent information in a logical, methodical way that will not damage the pending court cases. Over the next several days and weeks, I anticipate a steady release of additional information and explanations to fill in more of the blanks to help the public fully understand everything that has occurred.

Secondly, while many might consider the investigations "closed" with the indictments that were handed down, there is always the possibility of new evidence and information surfacing from various persons directly involved in the case, leaving the possibility of additional charges. It may be extremely helpful to investigators if persons are "left guessing" as to what evidence has or has not surfaced at this point.

Lastly I am acutely aware of the dangers of prematurely releasing information and potentially prejudicing the eventual jury pool, having observed and learned from the painful Duke rape case/Nifong fiasco where the public opinion "convicted" the accused before they ever entered a courtroom. I don't ever want to be any part in "Nifonging" any persons involved in the GPD case.

I'm sure I could have scored plenty of political points this evening by voting in favor of Mike's motion and am certain I will face plenty of criticism from my detractors for voting "no." However, I deliberately rejected political expediency in favor of allowing the investigations and judicial process to proceed on a fair, unbiased course in order to protect the rights of all those persons involved. After all this turmoil, time and effort that has been expended on this issue, it would be absolutely foolish to flush the case down the tubes just so I could look good -- that's just not my way of conducting myself.

I remain committed to releasing all the information we legally can at the appropriate time so that the public has a full understanding of the true facts in this case. The reality is that may not occur as quickly as some might like, but it WILL happen.

(I have a horrendous schedule for Wednesday with a morning meeting in Raleigh, the Healthy Homes bus tour in the afternoon and an obligation for the evening as well. That means I will not be around to accept or respond to comments until late tomorrow night at the earliest.)

Hydrant flushing

I received an email inquiry this evening from a constituent concerned about a hydrant in his southwest Greensboro neighborhood that is still being flushed, saying that in light of the current drought conditions, that this made no sense at all. I dashed off an inquiry to Water Resources Director Allan Williams, expecting a response sometime tomorrow. Much to my pleasant surprise, that response just arrived in my inbox from Allan who is obviously conscientious about his responsibilities, even late on a Sunday evening. Thanks, Allan!

Here is his response in case you have been wondering why on earth the city would be letting hydrants spew water into the street during this extreme drought:

I cannot access our database here from home but I can assure you we are not intentionally flushing any lines unless necessary to meet standards. In general, we know where we have slow moving lines and test for chlorine residual (it's actually a mandate that we computer model our entire distribution system to see exactly where the "oldest" water is). We test and if it is low, we flush until we get the required levels. We hate to have to use this water this way as most of the public thinks we have no reason; but I can assure we do. What's ironic is that the more water we buy from Winston, the more of a dead spot we create in one area around Stanley and Guilford College; hence we end up flushing more to buy more, so we back off from this one. Trust me, the legal operation of a water distribution system to meet standards is a challenge. And, we haven't seen the lower lake levels yet that can cause taste and odor problems, which we are preparing for.

Claudette Burroughs-White: Farewell to another friend

I'm starting to get a phobia about the month of September -- almost a year ago, my good friend and mentor Edie Jones passed away, and this evening I learned that good friend and former colleague Claudette Burroughs-White died in her sleep today. In both case, Greensboro lost great, strong women who accomplished many things for this city in their own unique ways.

Claudette appeared to be a gentle fighter, from her participation in the 1960 sit-in movement to leading the charge on the Greensboro City Council to close the White Street landfill. Appearances can be deceiving, though, and she was one of those "iron fists in a velvet glove" who didn't give up until the job was done. Even though she was battling a life-threatening disease, she was still co-chairing the Bicentennial Commission and spoke at city council briefing session not long ago to update us on the progress and advocate for the city's participation and financial support.

I last spoke with Claudette about two weeks ago, and was under the mistaken impression that her health was improving. We chatted for a while, and her last words to me were "You'd better win this election -- I'm counting on you!"

I'll do my best, Claudette. I'll do my best for you. Farewell and godspeed, old friend.

[UPDATE: This tribute just arrived in my inbox and is worth sharing.]

It was with sadness that we learned that Claudette Burroughs White died late Saturday night or early Friday morning. Claudette, a recipient of a State Democratic Women's STAR award, will be remembered throughout Greensboro for her dedicated service to the community, for her work for civil rights, and for the many ways she sought to improve understanding and conditions among people of different racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. As Gary Palmer said after being on a group trip to Israel with Claudette, "It was hard to keep up with her!" Calm, a good listener, as well as forceful and energetic are words that come to mind when thinking of Claudette. She will be greatly missed.

Sue Mengert

And a second one:

Dear Temple Emanuel Community,

The Greater Greensboro community and the Greensboro Jewish community has lost an incredible friend in Claudette Burroughs White. The details of her amazing biography as a Civil Rights Activist and a long term City Councilman have been in numerous articles recently.

Claudette was a personal friend of mine. We got to know one another when we were co-chairs of Greensboro’s commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the sit-ins at Woolworth. We also worked together as members of the Board of the National Conference of Community and Justice.

In 2001, Claudette was our featured speaker at our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. service. I remember so fondly the traditional Sabbath meal that we had at our house with Claudette and Gerald.

Claudette loved Israel and together with the NCCJ and the Greensboro Jewish Federation was instrumental in planning and recruiting for three Interfaith Missions. The Missions have been helpful in increasing the level of social capital and cooperation between the various faith communities in Greensboro.

Claudette loved homemade matzah ball soup. I was privileged to bring some to her house during her illness. I was also privileged to visit her several times in the
hospital and together, with Gerald, pray for her recovery.

Greensboro will miss this giant of a woman with her signature grey “afro.” Temple Emanuel and the greater Jewish community will miss her as well. She was truly “one of a kind,” a righteous woman of valor whose presence will live on in the acts of goodness that she performed and the hearts of all of us who cherish her memory.

Zacher Zaddika leveracha. May the memory of this righteous woman be a blessing!

Rabbi Fred Guttman

Council press conferences

Allen Johnson's editorial in this morning's edition of the News & Record (and over at his blog) rightly takes us city councilmembers to task for failing to follow through with our stated intent to hold regular press conferences. So why hasn't anything happened yet?

When Councilmember Mike Barber proposed the idea of weekly press conferences, I obligingly supported the concept as a way to keep the public better informed although I had concerns about their usefulness. Such planned media events can be a great opportunity for new information and/or clarification, but unless councilmembers and/or city staff have breaking news or something exciting to highlight, the press conferences have the potential to deteriorate into a boring ho-hum routines with little or no substance. I also could foresee the media getting frustrated if and when presenters could not share new information on such topics as the SBI investigation of the police department and/or the black officers' EEOC complaints due to legal constraints about the release of such protected information.

Secondly, I personally have no need for planned press conferences to share my thoughts, stances and opinions -- THAT'S WHY I DEVOTE SO MUCH TIME TO WRITE THIS BLOG! I can communicate weekly -- daily -- hourly -- whenever I want. I can fully express my thoughts, stances, and opinions on any topic in as many words as I choose without the filtering, sound-biting, or interpretation by a reporter. Besides, I have found that the media (and fellow bloggers) quickly picks up and follows up on anything of particular interest or substance about which I write -- without all the fuss and muss of having to travel to a set location to hear from me at a formal press conference.

Nevertheless, I agreed to participate in the council press conferences, underwent the training, and was awaiting my turn in the proposed rotation. Staff had everything ready to go, and I really do not know why those councilmembers ahead of me in line did not follow through -- you will have to check with each of them! I have had no burning issues to stimulate me to jump ahead and schedule one, particularly since I have THIS venue to use my voice. As was noted in Allen's column, once "election season" began, it would have been an unfair use of city resources to stage those press conferences for free "face time" at taxpayers' expense.

I would point out that a couple of councilmembers DID hold their own independent press conferences when they had an issue they wanted to address. That option exists for all councilmembers even today.

In response to Allen's statement --

"...The council's appetite for openness will be tested in earnest when the SBI investigation finally concludes.

The city should place all the information it reasonably can in the open. In fact, if the council does err, it should be on the side of saying too much."

-- I remain totally committed to releasing as much information as I/the city council possibly, LEGALLY can. With that said, the danger for "saying too much" brings significant financial exposure in the form of lawsuits -- both for me personally and for city taxpayers. Thus I will continue to exercise caution and comply with the law even though I'd absolutely LOVE to tell everything I know!

Free fun at the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market

Looking for some free entertainment? Check out this notice from Lynne Leonard from our Parks & Recreation Department:


SALTIMBANCO ANNOUNCES ITS UPCOMING ARRIVAL IN GREENSBORO!

WHEN: Saturday, September 15th from 6am – 10am

WHO: The Saltimbanco Bus, a troupe of street performers, is traveling the country to announce the upcoming engagements of the U.S. Saltimbanco tour.

WHAT: The traveling band of Saltimbanco street performers is touring around Greensboro a week prior to the Premiere of the U.S. Saltimbanco tour, with their team of stilt walkers, jugglers, mimes, they will be playing and clowning their way into the hearts of the people in and around the Greensboro area. The bus will be traveling throughout North Carolina, around Greensboro area, visiting museums, schools, fairs, festivals, sporting events and much more.

HOW: Come and meet the Saltimbanco bus characters at one of its various stops and exchange with all the characters promoting the show in Greensboro, see a mini street performance and win some promotional items.

Saltimbanco—from the Italian “saltare in banco,” which literally means “to jump on a bench”—explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms: the people who live there, their idiosyncrasies and likenesses, families and groups, the hustle and bustle of the street and the towering heights of skyscrapers. Between whirlwind and lull, prowess and poetry, Saltimbanco takes spectators on an allegorical and acrobatic journey into the heart of the city.

Saltimbanco belongs to the emblematic style of Cirque du Soleil—a signature Cirque du Soleil show with a style that borrows from theatre, dance and music and where spectacular costumes, lighting and make-up take pride of place.

Full of colour, amusement and amazement, Saltimbanco is a fun show for the whole family to enjoy, a great outing for everyone!

Lynne Leonard
City Beautiful Coordinator
Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department

One Guilford, part 2

I just received this from Ed Williams over at the News & Record -- he's actually releasing this to select bloggers before he gives it to the general media. How's that -- the newspaper giving bloggers the scoop!


One Guilford: A Leadership Symposium

Hosted by Guilford CollegeSponsored by the News & Record
Wednesday, October 17th – 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

One Guilford Leadership Symposium Scheduled for Oct. 17

Guilford College hosts One Guilford: A Leadership Symposium, the second in a planned series of community leadership symposiums sponsored by the News & Record, on Wednesday, October 17th.

The symposium is meant “to bring together community leaders and motivated citizens for constructive dialogues on the key issues pointing to a bright future for Guilford County,” said News & Record Editorial Page Editor Allen Johnson.

The October symposium focuses on the local economy and education.

The symposium – free and open to the public - is 9:00 am to noon at Dana Auditorium on the Guilford College campus.

After a welcoming by Guilford College President Dr. Kent Chabotar, and an overview of the Guilford County Strategic Alliance by Board of Commissioners Chairman Paul Gibson, four visions of the county’s future will be presented. Attendees will then break into smaller discussion groups moderated by leaders from the community.

Topics and presenters are:

Aerotropolis – creating a global economy based on aviation, manufacturing, transportation and logistics around Piedmont Triad International Airport. Presenting is Donald A. Kirkman, President and CEO, Piedmont Triad Partnership.

Furniture Capital – the economic impact of the High Point Market and potential for High Point’s development as the intellectual and creative center of the worldwide furniture industry, led by Dr. Andrew C. Brod, Director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at UNC-Greensboro.

Millennium Campus – What collaborative efforts between N.C. A&T State University and UNC-Greensboro mean for the future of Guilford County. Dr. Stanley F. Battle, Chancellor, N.C. A&T State University, will present.

Opportunity Preparedness – What it will take to educate Guilford County’s young people to meet challenges and reap rewards in the future One Guilford, by Amos Quick, Vice Chairman, Guilford County Board of Education.

After the discussions, the groups will join together to discuss conclusions in a final session led by Dr. Julianne Malveaux, president of Bennett College.

The first One Guilford was held May 16th at High Point University, was attended by more than 220 community leaders and citizens

The media is cordially invited to attend.

Sierra Club questionnaire

Here are my responses to the Sierra Club's candidate questionnaire:

1. What do you think are the most important environmental problems facing the City of Greensboro? If you are elected to City Council, what would you do to address these environmental problems?

One of the most important environmental problems facing Greensboro is our air quality, specifically our ozone levels. Successful strategies developed by the Triad Early Action Compact (on which I represent the city) for implementation of Triad governments and businesses have significantly reduced emissions levels along with the cleanup of Duke Energy’s Belews Creek power-generating facility. However, we still face problems with our air quality, particularly during prolonged hot, dry weather such as we have been experiencing this summer. If the EPA further reduces the 8-hour ozone standard to the proposed .075ppm, this region could very well find itself labeled “non-attainment” again, exposing us to potential federal transportation funding sanctions (both highway and transit) in addition to the obvious negative health impacts on our citizens. It is highly likely that governments and businesses will have to work even harder to further reduce vehicle emissions; a desirable side-effect of those efforts frequently focuses on reductions in energy use which in turn assist in our “Cool Cities” programs to address the global warming issue. I will continue to work with the EAC to identify those additional measures to reduce ozone production.

2. The City recently approved the U.S. Mayors (“Cool Cities”) Agreement, which suggests many ways to reduce greenhouse gases. Do you think that the city should take such recommended actions as purchasing only Energy Star equipment, purchasing hybrid or other energy efficient vehicles, improving the energy efficiency of its buildings, and establishing a methane recovery system at its wastewater treatment plant?

Greensboro has been actively practicing many of the “Cool Cities” strategies for years -- purchasing Energy Star equipment and hybrid/energy efficient vehicles and using bio-fuels in our motor fleet, for example. An energy audit performed at the Coliseum identified $4+ million in energy savings projects that are currently being implemented, and now a similar study is being conducted in the city’s other buildings to identify additional efficiencies. I whole-heartedly support these efforts.

I am well aware of the methane recovery system currently operating at our solid waste landfills that supplies fuel to Cone Mills’ boilers and that the city is in the process of negotiating a contract with a private firm to produce and recover additional methane resources. However, I am not familiar with such a recovery system for wastewater treatment plants (and was unable to find anything about such a system in a quick search on the Internet). I would certainly be interested in learning more about such a system if you can direct me to the appropriate information resources. Before I can commit to supporting such an effort, I need to know about the available technology, the operating effectiveness, and the cost of such a system.

3. The City of Greensboro has adopted a comprehensive plan (Connections 2025). To what extent should this document guide future decisions concerning planning and growth? How closely should the plan be adhered to? How do you feel about the proposal to amend the comprehensive plan to allow commercial development at the Lawndale/Lake Jeanette triangle?

It is hard to believe that the comprehensive plan is almost five years old already and that the next City Council will be responsible for overseeing the mandated 5-year review and update beginning next year. I believe Connections 2025 is a valuable document that should be closely followed to direct the city’s planning and growth; the current rewrite of the city’s Land Development Ordinance (LDO) is an effort to codify and implement the basic provisions of the adopted comprehensive plan. Many citizens do not seem to understand that the “Generalized Future Land Use Map” (GFLUM) that receives so much attention is in reality only one small part of the extensive document where the real “meat” is found in the text of its many chapters.

Due to legal constraints that restrict a council member from publicly stating an opinion on zoning cases before hearing all the facts/evidence in a public hearing during the city council meeting, I cannot legally state my position on the pending matter of the proposed amendment to the Comprehensive Plan and the rezoning request that accompanies it. I can only make a general statement that I usually do not support those proposals that I feel are incompatible with nearby residential development.

4. The News and Record recently reported that Greensboro lost 18% of its tree canopy between 1984 and 2000. Experts believe that losses have continued since 2000. What changes, if any, do you believe should be made in Greensboro’s tree protection ordinance to curb those development practices? Should the city adopt a tree protection ordinance that is as tough as the one adopted by Charlotte?

Loss of the tree canopy is certainly of great concern, but not all the blame can be assigned to development or lack of protective ordinances – ice storms and significant wind storms such as the May storm several years ago also inflict heavy losses on our tree counts. There isn’t much we can do in those cases except clean up the damage and replace the destroyed trees.

Although Greensboro has been designated a “Tree City” for many years in recognition of our tree preservation efforts, I do support reexamining our current tree protection ordinance and potentially expand the clear-cutting ban to residential development as well and/or require replanting where feasible with appropriate “credits” being allowed for trees left standing in stream buffer zones, required landscaping buffers, flood zones, etc.

I am not familiar with the Charlotte ordinance but have downloaded it in order to study it carefully. After a quick once-over, I would support exploring its use as a model to strengthen Greensboro’s current tree ordinances.

5. How important is it for the city to expand its public transportation system? What sort of expansion is needed? Should the current 30-minute service be continued or even improved? Should additional routes be added?

I think it is very important to continue to enhance the service provided by GTA (and regional service provided by PART) to meet the growing demands of a population becoming more comfortable in using mass transit as fuel prices soar and air quality concerns continue. We must 1) continue to construct appropriate sidewalk access to the GTA stops and provide clean, safe bus shelters; 2) continue the 30-minute service and eventually reduce that interval even more once the ridership demand justifies it, and 3) add additional routes where the needs exist. Since the current city council has already reached the authorized 3.5 cents transit tax limit, the new council will have to identify additional revenue sources to fund this needed enhancements.

As a member of the steering committee responsible for the new HEAT service (Higher Education Area Transportation), we are already working with Greensboro’s colleges and universities to identify funding to continue this widely used service once the federal funding grant ends after the third year of operation.

6. The U.S. Greens Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program establishes standards for energy efficient and environmentally sustainable design and construction. What should Greensboro do to encourage or require all new buildings to conform to LEED or similar standards?

The city should set an example for private development by incorporating the LEED standards into construction of future city facilities as much as feasible and encourage private developers to follow those standards as well. The City Council can adopt a policy position that all city construction contracts include that option for consideration.

7. From New York City to Minneapolis to Wendover Avenue in Greensboro, we see aging urban infrastructure collapsing under ever-increasing usage. Some say that too much is spent on new projects at the expense of maintaining the old. Considering our community needs as well as environmental and economic costs, what is the proper balance for Greensboro? By what percentage should we increase or decrease spending for such projects, and how would you fund any increase?

Greensboro has been spending millions of dollars per year for the past 5+ years to address this aging infrastructure problem. Two prime examples include the ongoing “slip-lining” and “pipe bursting” projects to repair and/or replace deteriorating sewer lines and the current $50+ million replacement of the large sewer line that travels through the Latham Park area.

These water and sewer improvements are being funded through the water/sewer “enterprise fund” – the water and sewer charges that city customers pay based on their consumption. I support upward adjustment of those water and sewer use rates as necessary to finance the continuing repair and upgrade efforts. The City Council also recently approved the use of “2/3 bonds” to finance needed repairs and upgrades to War Memorial Stadium and the Melvin Municipal Office Building (city hall); I support the continued judicious use of this financing method for other needed repair projects. Smaller maintenance and repair projects are appropriately and routinely included in the “General Fund” budget adopted each year by the City Council, and I support the continuation of that practice.

The city has extensive underground pipe inspection programs– one where work crews pump smoke into underground pipes and watch for plumes to appear from the ground indicating where cracks exist and one that is more technologically advanced by threading video cameras through the pipes to visually inspect for cracks and leaks. For every “hole on Wendover that eats a car,” there are likely hundreds of “non-breaks” that were caught by this early detection system and prevented from occurring in the first place.

Maintaining what we already have and proactively planning for future needs are equally important to the city; one cannot neglect one for the other. I cannot state a specific percentage that spending should be increased or decreased – those funding needs vary from year to year, depending on what projects are identified as priorities at any given time. I would cite the $50 million Latham Park sewer line project as an example – this is a much larger amount than is normally budgeted in a year, but the need was there, and the city council addressed it. Such “large ticket” items might not be necessary to fund every year.

8. The Greensboro City Council adopted the Greensboro Urban Area Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenway Plan in December, 2006. Do you fully support its 20-year implementation plan? Do you support the use of city funds to implement the plan’s top priority over the next two years?

Yes, I support the implementation of this plan better known as the “BiPed Plan.” I was involved in its development and participated in public forums gathering citizen input for the projects to be included in the plan. Yes, I support the use of city funds to implement the plan and demonstrated that support by voting in favor of the funding for one major expensive part of it – the pedestrian underpass/tunnel under Cone Boulevard to accommodate that portion of the Battleground Rail-Trail.

9. Hazardous waste disposal is available only at a single drop-off site, which has limited hours is and not used by most citizens. As a result, many hazardous items still go into the landfill. What should the city do to increase citizen participation in proper hazardous waste disposal?

I do not believe the city has made a good-enough effort recently to educate citizens about household hazardous waste and its proper disposal. We need to enhance our education and public awareness efforts through a high-profile media campaign. Perhaps special days should be declared periodically where a concentrated effort would be made to encourage citizens to drop off their waste, along the line of previous successful “electronic waste” collection days. IF another convenient site could be identified in another section of the city that is as well-situated and equipped to accept and handle hazardous materials as the current EcoFlo site is, I would support its consideration when the volume of materials being turned in justifies the expenditure. A joint sponsorship between the city and the Sierra Club would help make such efforts more successful.

10. The city has a well-established curbside recycling program, but recently there have been proposals to reduce the frequency of pickups and eliminate inspectors who check to be sure that recyclables are going into the right container. Do you favor such program cutbacks? Would you favor expanding the program so that it would be possible to recycle more types of plastics and other materials?

One slight correction to the statement in the above question: All the inspectors are NOT being eliminated; only one of the positions was cut. To make more efficient use of the remaining inspectors’ time, the inspections will take place at the sorting facility as the trucks dump the recyclables onto the sorting floor instead of the inspectors driving the streets and inspecting individual brown cans. Due to detailed records kept on each truck’s route, it will easy to identify where the city needs to concentrate better education and enforcement programs.

Years of experience have shown that very few people fill their brown recycling carts and place it at the curb every week. Yet, our collection trucks must travel every route every week to make sure that any carts that are placed at the curb are emptied, a huge waste of manpower and fuel. An extensive education campaign will begin in October to prepare citizens for the January implementation of the every-other-week collection cycle, and it is my hope that this long-overdue education effort will actually increase citizens’ awareness or recycling and spur an increase in their recycling habits. Appropriate accommodations will be made for those citizens who have need of more than one brown collection cart.

So, YES, I do support the reworking of these programs – I do not consider them cutbacks, but instead, see them as efforts to work smarter and provide the recycling program more efficiently. The fact that the recycling trucks will be traveling city streets half as often and that inspectors will be stationery instead of driving the streets provides an added bonus of cutting the city’s fuel consumption and vehicle emissions (helping with our air quality efforts) as well as cutting costs.”Rigid plastics” such as old laundry baskets and lawn furniture will soon be accepted into the city’s recycling program. I would support the addition of any other material(s) for which there is a reliable market for the purchase of that recycled material. I will work to keep the electronics recycling program going after our funding grant for it expires.

City Connections

Learn about the city's annexation plans and the newest recyclables in this week's edition of City Connections.

Signs anyone?

City gateway signs, not campaign signs! {smile}

Weekly schedule

The first part of my official week is fairly busy.

The quarterly meeting of the stakeholders group of the Triad Early Action Compact will be held at 2:00PM on Monday, September 10. Given all those long hot days we have had this summer, the report on the number of Code Orange days we've experienced probably isn't going to be pretty. As of August 23, top readings on four of the Triad's monitors had exceeded the .085 benchmark at least once. However, the official "score" is calculated using the fourth highest readings, and our three-year average is still (thankfully!) within the acceptable range.

Later that evening, I am the guest speaker for one of the District 5 neighborhood crime watch meetings.

On Tuesday evening, September 11 I will be attending another neighborhood crime watch meeting in District 5.

[District 5 has numerous active neighborhood crime watch groups. I visited the Lamrocton meeting last Thursday evening -- they had a full house to learn about gangs from CRT Officer Dewey Smith. Captain W.A. Phifer, Commander of the Southern Division, laughingly covered his ears and said he had to leave before he heard anything else he "didn't need to know" when residents got "creative" in their suggestions on how to deal with criminals in their area.]

The PART Board of Trustees will meet on Wednesday morning, September 12. The main business item will be to set a public hearing date at the request of the Yadkin County Commissioners to levy the 5% car rental tax in Yadkin County. As shown by the graph and chart below, PART Express ridership continues to climb with an all-time high of 28,294 boardings in August!

I will be attending the Executive Committee meeting of the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments on Wednesday evening. Many of the same elected officials in nearby Triad counties who serve on the PART board also serve on PTCOG -- we often joke that we begin and end the day together on these meeting days.

For now, the rest of the week appears to be clear, but if things go as usual, other meetings and duties will soon pop up and fill the spaces.

Cute Kammie

My brother sent me these photos of Kammie this morning. My son went down to Oak Island this weekend (hopefully Gabrielle will miss them) to do some painting at a house my brother owns, and his wife and Kammie went with him. Looks like Kammie has made herself right at home!

Thoughts

A friend shared this with me this morning. Enjoy!

North Buffalo Treatment Plant wins award

The city received good news this week as announced in this press release.

City of Greensboro North Buffalo Wastewater Treatment Plant Receives “Silver Peak Performance” Award

GREENSBORO, NC (September 5, 2007) -The City of Greensboro North Buffalo Wastewater Treatment Plant was awarded the Silver Peak Performance Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) recognizes public wastewater treatment facilities for their outstanding compliance records in the 2006 calendar year. The NACWA was proud to recognize Peak Performance Award facilities during the Association’s 2007 Summer Conference and 37th Annual Meeting, held July 17-20, 2007 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The North Buffalo WWTP received the Silver Peak Performance Award which recognizes facilities that have received no more than five NPDES permit violations per calendar year. According to Don Howard, Water Reclamation Manager, “Our team of licensed wastewater operators and maintenance people have labored together to achieve this noteworthy award.”

This award is further indication of the City of Greensboro’s efforts in achieving environmental compliance and protecting our greatest natural resources-water. The citizens of Greensboro and surrounding areas can be proud of the efforts to maintain and improve the quality of streams and waterways and being "good neighbors" to those people living downstream.
For more information on City of Greensboro water quality efforts, visit us at: http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/Water.

Profound thought

My sister shared this with me this week and I found it to be right on target, no need to say anything else about it.

That's the way things go sometimes...and a compliment

I received the following email from a constituent/friend that was just too good not to share.

You might recall that I was looking for the agenda for last Tuesday's Council meeting and not finding it.

By Monday it was posted. I looked for the item in which I was interested and found it as #17 on the consent list.

On Tuesday night, I went to channel 13, but I was running late and by the time I got to the TV, the Council was already on Item 7. That's important because somehow, I had decided that my item of interest was number 5. I watched for a few moments and then, disgusted with myself for being late, turned it off.

Today, I went on line to see if the minutes were posted yet. They were not. I pulled up the agenda to see if by chance there would be any notation about the votes added. There weren't, but I saw my mistake.

Then I went to the video, but the list did not have #17 on it as being brought up. It went from #7 to #14 to #28. Because the video allows a viewer to go to the issue, by number, I went to #14 and found that it was just a sort of short-hand. In fact, the video covered the entire consent agenda starting with #14 but not limited to that. Seeing that the consent agenda passed in its entirety, #17 is under way, which I think is a good thing. (I didn't contact you about it because I had a financial interest in the positive outcome. If it had been a bigger issue, I would have spoken to the entire Council).

The reason for this note is because I am so pleased that the internet opportunities afforded to the public by the city was so good in this case. The set-up to be able to select the part of the video of interest without having to watch the whole meeting was terrific. When trying to find out something, on my own, to have this kind of opportunity afforded by City Government 24 hours per day is unbeatable.

Coliseum update

Thursday's meeting of the War Memorial Commission was full of news about improvements being made at the Coliseum, most NOT at taxpayer's expenses.

By November 1, patrons visiting the War Memorial Auditorium will find automatically opening doors, a ramp from the back parking lot under the "tunnel" to the auditorium lobby, and infra-red hearing devices available for the hard of hearing.

Improvements funded by the $4 million Siemens energy contract include the following:

* change-out of all the lighting, now 95% complete
* installation of aisle lighting
* installation of low-flow toilet fixtures and new restroom sinks as reported by Fox8, estimated to save 1.6 million gallons of water per year
* replacement of the water-cooled chiller unit (on order)
* replacement of boiler (on order)
* replacement of several original 1959 air-handling units (on order)
* replacement of steam trap (on order)
* new tight-fitting doors (on order)
* a new security system that includes cameras

Coliseum Director Matt Brown noted that with all this new equipment, the Coliseum will save on future maintenance costs as well as energy-reduction costs. He noted that a similar contract is under consideration for other city facilities.

The renewal negotiations of Pepsi's 5-year contract will produce some changes and upgrades as well. All water and soft drinks will be dispensed in bottles (which will be recycled), no more plastic cups; new concessions equipment and a giant new cooler facility will insure those drink products are kept properly cold.


The new computerized Ticketing Services Agreement with Ticketmaster is producing a $1,225,000 "rights fee payment" that will result in "state of the art" improvements that include:

* an upper concourse lounge and upgraded concessions with an arena view platform
* widening the main concourse to build 8 new permanent cooking concession stands
* converting a current concession stand into an upscale bar with an open view into the arena
* realign the service drive and construct a new 125-space parking lot behind the auditorium
* build a "Garden" between the Pavilion and Special Events Center with a small outdoor amphitheater
* construct a Plaza Balcony off the new upper concourse lounge
* replace 11-year-old complex TVs with flat screen LCD or plasma units
* install new state of the art LCD TV video monitors for concession stand menu boards
* replace all metal railings with glass railings in the Coliseum
* install new complex electronic directional signage.

Upcoming events at the Coliseum include the Central Carolina Fair, Professional Bull Riding, Van Halen (expected to sell out), Hannah Montana (expected to sell out), American Idols Tour, Mannheim Steamroller, WWE, and Cirque de Soliel (expected to $1 million in business), among others.

The July financial report was very positive with net operating income running about $50,000 ahead of last year's figures at that time. The July 11-15 United Methodist Youth Convention was especially profitable with $155,326 in total event income.

Matt Brown noted that he is looking at the organizational structure of the coliseum "department" to modernize it to meet current needs. Explorations are underway to identify a local ownership group for arena football and efforts continue to land a NCAA Women's Final Four basketball tournament (tournament officials are saying we need another 500+ room hotel to satisfy their housing needs). Centerplate and other Coliseum staff will be working at this Saturday's Get DownTown event as well as the potential for other outdoor festivals.

Commemorative pictures were given to retiring Commission members Kevin Greene and Worth Holleman. Dr. Harrison Turner was elected as the new chair of the commission and Stahle Vincent as vice-chair.

A busy meeting!

Drugs

As my high school 40th reunion planning committee continues its work, various classmates have been sharing nostalgic "good old days" writings with fellow classmates. Here's one sent by Jane C. that really resonated with me and brought back (not-so-fond at the time) memories.

THE OTHER DAY, SOMEONE AT A STORE IN OUR TOWN READ THAT A METHAMPHETAMINE LAB HAD BEEN FOUND IN AN OLD FARMHOUSE IN THE ADJOINING COUNTY.

HE ASKED ME A RHETORICAL QUESTION, "WHY DIDN'T WE HAVE A DRUG PROBLEM WHEN YOU AND I WERE GROWING UP?"

I REPLIED THAT I DID HAVE A DRUG PROBLEM WHEN I WAS YOUNG:

I WAS DRUG TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY MORNING.

I WAS DRUG TO CHURCH FOR WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS.

I WAS DRUG TO FAMILY REUNIONS AND COMMUNITY SOCIALS NO MATTER THE WEATHER.

I WAS DRUG BY MY EARS WHEN I WAS DISRESPECTFUL TO ADULTS.

I WAS DRUG TO THE WOODSHED WHEN I DISOBEYED MY PARENTS, TOLD A LIE, BROUGHT HOME A BAD REPORT CARD, DID NOT SPEAK WITH RESPECT, SPOKE ILL OF THE TEACHER OR THE PREACHER, OR IF I DIDN'T PUT FORTH MY BEST EFFORT IN EVERYTHING THAT WAS ASKED OF ME.

I WAS DRUG TO THE KITCHEN SINK TO HAVE MY MOUTH WASHED OUT WITH SOAP IF I UTTERED A PROFANITY.

I WAS DRUG OUT TO PULL WEEDS IN MOM'S GARDEN AND FLOWER BEDS AND COCKLEBURRS OUT OF DAD'S FIELDS.

I WAS DRUG TO THE HOMES OF FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND NEIGHBORS TO HELP SOME POOR SOUL WHO HAD NO ONE TO MOW THE YARD, REPAIR THE CLOTHESLINE, OR CHOP SOME FIREWOOD. AND IF MY MOTHER HAD EVER KNOWN THAT I TOOK A SINGLE DIME AS A TIP FOR THIS KINDNESS, SHE WOULD HAVE DRUG ME BACK TO THE WOODSHED.

THOSE DRUGS ARE STILL IN MY VEINS, AND THEY AFFECT MY BEHAVIOR IN EVERYTHING I DO, SAY, AND THINK.

THEY ARE STRONGER THAN COCAINE, CRACK, OR HEROIN; AND IF TODAY'S CHILDREN HAD THIS KIND OF DRUG PROBLEM, AMERICA WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE.

GOD BLESS THE PARENTS WHO DRUGGED US!

News & Record questionnaire

The News & Record has posted my candidate questionnaire on its Election 2007 blog.

A nice break

My 4-day trip to Oak Island was fun and relaxing. I was able to take a 1-2 hour kayak excursion each day and enjoyed watching a mother egret teaching her three youngsters to fish one morning. If you are really quiet, the birds do not seem to mind my getting close to them.



I saw some interesting scenery...

and other kayakers enjoying the day.

There were plenty of power boats around, but I tried to stay in the backwaters as much as possible and out of the way of their wakes.

When I wasn't in the kayak or taking long walks on the beach, I was busy finishing up a baby afghan for soon-to-arrive grandson Garrett Wade Carmany. He's due on September 16 but there are indications he may be a bit early. It may be an odd choice of colors, but the my son and his wife has decorated the nursery in a jungle motif so it matches everything perfectly.

On the way home yesterday, I took a quick side trip to the state park at Lake Waccamaw. I enjoyed the stroll down the wooden walkway to the lake and enjoyed the greenery on the way down to the swimming dock.

Boy, the water is really shallow there, but I didn't have time to go wading. The park is a beautiful place left in its natural wild state for the most part. The homes and boat houses on the "developed" part of the lake are very attractive and inviting as well.

It was nice and relaxing, but vacation's over -- time to get back to work!