GREENSBORO, NC -- Ben Holder, candidate for Greensboro City Council at-large, has added his profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com.
Holder, 42, is a property manager and is registered as Democratic. He says
his
three top issues are to hire a new police chief, hire a new city manager and hire a new city attorney.
In
answer to what he will do, specifically, to increase transparency in
city government, he says, "I have been the guiding light for Greensboro for a decade. Nobody in
this city, not the media or the government, has fought for transparency
and uncovered lies as successfully as I have. I do it."
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
No objections from Council as City bestows special secrecy on candidates
GREENSBORO, NC -- The City of Greensboro has a public records request tracking system, PIRT, they call it: Public Information Request Tracking. It is supposedly for the purpose of tracking requests for city records.
It's a sham. A costly, time wasting, frustrating sham that has been perverted into a means of delay, bullying and intimidation imposed on a select few members of the public.
Only a small number of certain individuals' requests are entered into the tracking system, those mostly being some local bloggers, labor representatives and reporters from Yes!Weekly—whom the City previously tried to stop from publishing with a secret lawsuit (the City lost).
People who escape the tracking of the PIRT system and have their requests answered without being monitored include:
Until recently, the Manager's weekly memo included the requests of challenger city council candidates, people like George Hartzman (mayor), Ben Holder (at-large) and Sal Leone (district 5), but not the requests made by incumbent candidates.
Now, in a mind-numbing exhibition of just how rudderless the City's management is in their approach to transparency, the City Manager has decided that, rather than level the playing field by including the requests made by sitting city council people in her weekly memo along with those made by challenging candidates, no candidate requests—challengers' or incumbents'—will be included in her weekly memo.
Think about that:
People elected to represent us and those seeking to represent us, the very people of whom we should expect the greatest transparency and accountability, are being given special privileges by the City Manager so that they may avoid scrutiny. She is wrapping a special cloak of secrecy around their interactions with city government while continuing to subject a small group of other citizens to extra attention.
As astonishing as all of that is, the real kicker is that all of our elected representatives on city council, every single one of them, is aware of and has voiced no public objection to this practice. Remember that the next time you hear a city council person talk about how important government transparency is to them.
I asked to be afforded the same courtesy the City Manager has provided to candidates: to have my records requests excluded from the Manager's weekly memo, I was told that privilege is only for candidates. Yes, I was specifically told that the special cloak of secrecy is only for those who do or may represent us.
Worth noting is that mayoral candidate George Hartzman expressed his objection to the policy quite vociferously. As he wrote in an email to City Council about his requests being removed from the Manager's weekly memo:
It's a sham. A costly, time wasting, frustrating sham that has been perverted into a means of delay, bullying and intimidation imposed on a select few members of the public.
Only a small number of certain individuals' requests are entered into the tracking system, those mostly being some local bloggers, labor representatives and reporters from Yes!Weekly—whom the City previously tried to stop from publishing with a secret lawsuit (the City lost).
People who escape the tracking of the PIRT system and have their requests answered without being monitored include:
- Elected representatives, including members of city council
- Professional media (excluding Yes!Weekly)
- Lawyers
- Engineers and architects
- Real estate and business people
- Former city employees
Until recently, the Manager's weekly memo included the requests of challenger city council candidates, people like George Hartzman (mayor), Ben Holder (at-large) and Sal Leone (district 5), but not the requests made by incumbent candidates.
Now, in a mind-numbing exhibition of just how rudderless the City's management is in their approach to transparency, the City Manager has decided that, rather than level the playing field by including the requests made by sitting city council people in her weekly memo along with those made by challenging candidates, no candidate requests—challengers' or incumbents'—will be included in her weekly memo.
Think about that:
People elected to represent us and those seeking to represent us, the very people of whom we should expect the greatest transparency and accountability, are being given special privileges by the City Manager so that they may avoid scrutiny. She is wrapping a special cloak of secrecy around their interactions with city government while continuing to subject a small group of other citizens to extra attention.
As astonishing as all of that is, the real kicker is that all of our elected representatives on city council, every single one of them, is aware of and has voiced no public objection to this practice. Remember that the next time you hear a city council person talk about how important government transparency is to them.
I asked to be afforded the same courtesy the City Manager has provided to candidates: to have my records requests excluded from the Manager's weekly memo, I was told that privilege is only for candidates. Yes, I was specifically told that the special cloak of secrecy is only for those who do or may represent us.
Worth noting is that mayoral candidate George Hartzman expressed his objection to the policy quite vociferously. As he wrote in an email to City Council about his requests being removed from the Manager's weekly memo:
"I most certainly did not ask to have candidate requests hidden, as it would contradict the transparency theme of my campaign. I advocated for all requests, including those from incumbents, be included."
Nancy Vaughan adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
GREENSBORO, NC -- Nancy Vaughan, candidate for Mayor of Greensboro, has added her profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com.
Vaughan, 52, is a community volunteer and currently sits on City Council as an at-large representative. She is registered as Democratic. She says her three top issues are jobs/economic development, neighborhood stabilization and solid waste management.
In answer to what she has done, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, she says, "I think we should revisit the Council Financial Disclosure form. Use a form similar to what is used at the state level, modified for Council business and extended to Board and Commission members."
Vaughan, 52, is a community volunteer and currently sits on City Council as an at-large representative. She is registered as Democratic. She says her three top issues are jobs/economic development, neighborhood stabilization and solid waste management.
In answer to what she has done, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, she says, "I think we should revisit the Council Financial Disclosure form. Use a form similar to what is used at the state level, modified for Council business and extended to Board and Commission members."
Monday, August 12, 2013
Marikay Abuzuaiter adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
GREENSBORO, NC -- Marikay Abuzuaiter, incumbent candidate for Greensboro City Council at-large, has added her profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com.
Abuzuaiter, 59, is owner of Mahi's restaurant. She is registered as Democratic. She says her three top issues are economic development, infrastructure maintenance and poverty.
In answer to what she has done, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, she says, "When a citizen requests information from me I have supplied it! Many times it has only been an answer to a question or direction on where to find an answer. I have never ignored a citizen request."
Abuzuaiter, 59, is owner of Mahi's restaurant. She is registered as Democratic. She says her three top issues are economic development, infrastructure maintenance and poverty.
In answer to what she has done, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, she says, "When a citizen requests information from me I have supplied it! Many times it has only been an answer to a question or direction on where to find an answer. I have never ignored a citizen request."
Mike Barber adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
[CORRECTION: This post originally misidentified the race in which Mike Barber is running. He is a candidate for an at-large seat. That has been corrected.]
GREENSBORO, NC -- Mike Barber, candidate for Greensboro City Council at-large has added his profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com.
Barber, 51, works as a an attorney and is CEO of The First Tee of The Triad. He is registered as Democratic. He says his three top issues are job growth, community safety and fiscal management.
In answer to what he will do, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he says, "Recommend utilizing key word software that places most emails on a server and available to the public, which will also reduce the high volume of public record requests and cost. Create a panel to review other correspondence and flagged emails. Create a 3rd public monthly meeting for speakers which actually allows for discussion between council members and public. "
GREENSBORO, NC -- Mike Barber, candidate for Greensboro City Council at-large has added his profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com.
Barber, 51, works as a an attorney and is CEO of The First Tee of The Triad. He is registered as Democratic. He says his three top issues are job growth, community safety and fiscal management.
In answer to what he will do, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he says, "Recommend utilizing key word software that places most emails on a server and available to the public, which will also reduce the high volume of public record requests and cost. Create a panel to review other correspondence and flagged emails. Create a 3rd public monthly meeting for speakers which actually allows for discussion between council members and public. "
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Socially connected and wrong
GREENSBORO, NC -- WFMY has recently taken to promoting themselves as "the source for the socially connected." The source for what, they don't say, but if I had to guess, it would be error-prone information.
It's one thing if the station wants to carve out a nice little sugary space of vapid small talk for themselves—car dealerships seem to think it's the perfect demographic—but please, then, stay away from stories that might involve the conveyance of actual facts. You're not the ones to tell us.
On their website today, WFMY reports of yesterday's celebration of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene:
With heavy losses and dwindling supplies, the British were in no condition to continue to fight so far from their supply lines. Three days after the battle, Cornwallis withdrew his troops to Wilmington.
I tried emailing the WFMY news desk about the error, but the message bounced as that mailbox is full.
It's one thing if the station wants to carve out a nice little sugary space of vapid small talk for themselves—car dealerships seem to think it's the perfect demographic—but please, then, stay away from stories that might involve the conveyance of actual facts. You're not the ones to tell us.
On their website today, WFMY reports of yesterday's celebration of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene:
"On Saturday, people came out to celebrate General Greene's 271st birthday at Guilford Courthouse National Battlefield in Greensboro. It's the same sight [sic] where Greene earned his victory over the British."Greene did not win the battle. The British won and took the courthouse. In fact, Greene is perhaps the war's most celebrated loser. That's one of the things that made this battle, and Greene as a military tactician, so remarkable. Outnumbered and poorly equipped, Greene had his Southern army and the Virginia Regulars who joined him in defending the Guilford Courthouse take defensive positions in wooded areas where the usual advantage of British General Charles Cornwallis' tight and disciplined formations was diminished. The British ended up paying a high price in casualties for their victory.
With heavy losses and dwindling supplies, the British were in no condition to continue to fight so far from their supply lines. Three days after the battle, Cornwallis withdrew his troops to Wilmington.
I tried emailing the WFMY news desk about the error, but the message bounced as that mailbox is full.
Friday, August 09, 2013
City Council pulls a fast one, screws working people.
GREENSBORO, NC -- On the last City Council meeting's agenda was a resolution to move the start time of council meetings to 4:00 (they previously started at 5:30), but to keep the public comment period (speakers from the floor) after presentations, which were to begin at 5:30.
Instead, council decided to move the meeting start time to 4:00 and keep the current agenda order without delaying public comment until after 5:30. In practicality, this means that the public comment period will likely begin around 4:30 and that, to assure a spot in line, people will have to arrive and sign up to speak before 4:00.
Obviously, that's hostile towards the schedules of working people.
The motion to make these changes was made by at-large representative and mayoral candidate Nancy Vaughan. It was seconded by district 4 representative Nancy Hoffmann. Voting in favor were Tony Wilkins, Robbie Perkins, Yvonne Johnson, Jim Kee, Vaughan and Hoffmann.
Voting against the change were T. Diane Bellamy-Small, Zack Matheny and Marikay Abuzuaiter.
Instead, council decided to move the meeting start time to 4:00 and keep the current agenda order without delaying public comment until after 5:30. In practicality, this means that the public comment period will likely begin around 4:30 and that, to assure a spot in line, people will have to arrive and sign up to speak before 4:00.
Obviously, that's hostile towards the schedules of working people.
The motion to make these changes was made by at-large representative and mayoral candidate Nancy Vaughan. It was seconded by district 4 representative Nancy Hoffmann. Voting in favor were Tony Wilkins, Robbie Perkins, Yvonne Johnson, Jim Kee, Vaughan and Hoffmann.
Voting against the change were T. Diane Bellamy-Small, Zack Matheny and Marikay Abuzuaiter.
Too dark?
GREENSBORO, NC -- Dang raises an interesting question. Why is the city contemplating spending $7.8 million for 7 acres or so of land for a possible performing arts center when the City's redevelopment commission already owns 13 undeveloped acres on the south edge of downtown?
Is it because the area is "a little too dark?" he asks.
One wonders. Although the site was once suggested for a new baseball stadium, that idea was shot down with the excuse that the land was a contaminated brownfield. Federal dollars were available to clean it up, but the excuse stuck and the ballpark went to its present location.
Subsequently, federal funds were used to clean up the site, it has been approved for additional federal dollars to subsidize a parking deck there and it has easy access via Lee St. and Elm/Eugene to I-40 and I-85.
As I mentioned, the city already owns the land, so there would be no need to spend millions to buy property from campaign contributors.
It's a very commonsense location for a performing arts center.
What's coming instead?
Dog shit.
That's right, a proposal has surfaced to put a dog park there.
Ah, Greensboro: Spend $8 million dollars to buy and demolish private property that currently generates about $60,000 per year in tax revenue, remove that property from the tax rolls and leave free vacant land 15 years in the longing for development to the dogs.
Is it because the area is "a little too dark?" he asks.
One wonders. Although the site was once suggested for a new baseball stadium, that idea was shot down with the excuse that the land was a contaminated brownfield. Federal dollars were available to clean it up, but the excuse stuck and the ballpark went to its present location.
Subsequently, federal funds were used to clean up the site, it has been approved for additional federal dollars to subsidize a parking deck there and it has easy access via Lee St. and Elm/Eugene to I-40 and I-85.
As I mentioned, the city already owns the land, so there would be no need to spend millions to buy property from campaign contributors.
It's a very commonsense location for a performing arts center.
What's coming instead?
Dog shit.
That's right, a proposal has surfaced to put a dog park there.
Ah, Greensboro: Spend $8 million dollars to buy and demolish private property that currently generates about $60,000 per year in tax revenue, remove that property from the tax rolls and leave free vacant land 15 years in the longing for development to the dogs.
Thursday, August 08, 2013
That's the way, uh huh uh huh, I like it
GREENSBORO, NC -- From an unsigned editorial at the News & Record regarding teen curfews:
"[S]ometimes the simplest solution isn’t the best one."It troubles me when I see civic leaders consider policy without consulting the available empirical information. The News & Record editorial brings to bear some findings on the effectiveness of curfews on crime and victimization. City Council should take heed.
Alex Seymour adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
Seymour, 38, works as a chef and kitchen manager and is registered as unaffiliated. He says his three top issues are freedoms, transparency/accountability and "promoting wonderful Greensboro."
In answer to what he will do specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he says, "I would move to eliminate all small private meetings and press to do all business in public with every speaker being allowed to speak. Demanding accountability from staff and consequneces for incompetence and misleading information. I support a citizens review board. "
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
The Bencini principle illustrated
THE NEBULOUS TRIAD REGION OF THE PIEDMONT PLATEAU, NC -- Rob Bencini, Economic Futurist and former Economic Development Director for Guilford County, regularly discusses the detrimental effects of "regionalism" on Greensboro, the third largest city in North Carolina. His premise is that the "piedmont triad" marketing comes at the expense of Greensboro's brand. As he put it recently:
Even the naming of the tournament has discarded what was once a proud association with its host city—and not just because of the introduction of a single corporate sponsor. What was once the Greater Greensboro Open morphed into the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic, still preserving Greensboro's identification. Now Greensboro is gone from the name entirely although it's still played in Greensboro.
Even the memory of Greensboro's involvement is vanishing. During last week's Bridgestone Invitational, as Tiger Woods was about to win that tournament for the eighth time, the CBS announcers commented that only Sam Snead has won a single tournament as many times.
Comments are welcomed below, or you can send a letter to: P.O. Box 555, The Triad
"Greensboro, in fact does have many good things going for it, but even our boosters dismiss Greensboro – intentionally –when there is a marketing opportunity."He's right. The coming Wyndham Championship P.G.A. golf tournament is a good example of just how much Greensboro's identity has been subverted. Local media decline to identify the tournament as taking place in Greensboro, instead giving credit to "the Triad."
Even the naming of the tournament has discarded what was once a proud association with its host city—and not just because of the introduction of a single corporate sponsor. What was once the Greater Greensboro Open morphed into the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic, still preserving Greensboro's identification. Now Greensboro is gone from the name entirely although it's still played in Greensboro.
Even the memory of Greensboro's involvement is vanishing. During last week's Bridgestone Invitational, as Tiger Woods was about to win that tournament for the eighth time, the CBS announcers commented that only Sam Snead has won a single tournament as many times.
"Sam Snead won the Wyndham Championship eight times," they said.Sam Snead would have to have been close to 100 years-old to have ever won a Wyndham Championship. The fact is, Snead never won the Wyndham Championship. He did win the Greater Greensboro Open eight times.
Comments are welcomed below, or you can send a letter to: P.O. Box 555, The Triad
Jim Kee adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
GREENSBORO, NC -- Jim Kee, incumbent candidate for Greensboro City Council district 2, has added his profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com.
Kee, 55, works as a developer and property manager and is registered as Democratic. He says his three top issues are economic development, public safety and infrastructure.
In answer to what he has done, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he says, "I continue to keep the citizens informed regarding proposed investments such as the performing arts center and the Florida street extension. I encourage citizen participation on all items."
Kee, 55, works as a developer and property manager and is registered as Democratic. He says his three top issues are economic development, public safety and infrastructure.
In answer to what he has done, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he says, "I continue to keep the citizens informed regarding proposed investments such as the performing arts center and the Florida street extension. I encourage citizen participation on all items."
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
Why would they do that?
GREENSBORO, NC -- Buried by mayoral candidate George Hartzman's disregard for clarity (a terrible habit for a potential elected representative) is this good question: Why did quotations from Hartzman on a matter before city council make it into the printed News & Record, but not into the online version where there is infinite space?
I've asked editor Jeff "Grits" Gauger to comment, but I haven't heard back from him yet.
I've asked editor Jeff "Grits" Gauger to comment, but I haven't heard back from him yet.
George Hartzman adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
GREENSBORO, NC -- George Hartzman, candidate for mayor of Greensboro, has added his profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com.
Hartzman, 46, works as an ethics continuing education and financial advisor and is registered as unaffiliated, He says his three top issues are cronyism and campaign contributions, bus stop benches and Downtown Greensboro Incorporated.
In answer to what he will do specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he says, "Institute a 48 hour reporting rule for donations larger than $200. Move the filing due dates closer to the elections, and post election filing to within a month of the vote."
Hartzman, 46, works as an ethics continuing education and financial advisor and is registered as unaffiliated, He says his three top issues are cronyism and campaign contributions, bus stop benches and Downtown Greensboro Incorporated.
In answer to what he will do specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he says, "Institute a 48 hour reporting rule for donations larger than $200. Move the filing due dates closer to the elections, and post election filing to within a month of the vote."
Well, duh!
GREENSBORO, NC -- At last night's city council meeting, during the public comment portion of the meeting, council took a little side trip prompted by a misunderstanding of their own rules. The rules currently state that each speaker from the floor will have up to 3 minutes to speak and that the total of all speakers will be 30 minutes. That's 30 minutes for the speakers from the floor -- not for speakers from the dais.
For Mayor Robbie Perkins, though, if one speaker speaks for 3 minutes and the council talks about the speaker's topic for 27 minutes, he counts that as having reached the 30 minutes total for speakers from the floor even though there has been only 3 minutes of speaking from the floor. That's not what the rules say.
Nonetheless, in discussing whether or not to continue beyond the 30 minutes for speakers—that they had not yet reached—the mayor complained last night that many of the same people keep coming back meeting after meeting to talk about the same issues.
Well, duh! That's because this council is really bad at fixing things. They sit on their hands or accept nonsensical dissembling answers from the city's top staff and fail to actually change anything.
The mayor should worry less about blaming passionate people for their tenacity and more about addressing the reasons they keep coming back: because we have a do-nothing council.
Duh!
For Mayor Robbie Perkins, though, if one speaker speaks for 3 minutes and the council talks about the speaker's topic for 27 minutes, he counts that as having reached the 30 minutes total for speakers from the floor even though there has been only 3 minutes of speaking from the floor. That's not what the rules say.
Nonetheless, in discussing whether or not to continue beyond the 30 minutes for speakers—that they had not yet reached—the mayor complained last night that many of the same people keep coming back meeting after meeting to talk about the same issues.
Well, duh! That's because this council is really bad at fixing things. They sit on their hands or accept nonsensical dissembling answers from the city's top staff and fail to actually change anything.
The mayor should worry less about blaming passionate people for their tenacity and more about addressing the reasons they keep coming back: because we have a do-nothing council.
Duh!
Wendell Roth adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
Roth, 47, works as an entrepreneur and consultant and is registered as Republican. He says his three top issues are jobs, fiscal responsibility and term limits.
In answer to what he will do specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he says, "We need to conduct the public's business in front of the public. In addition, we need to simplify the city's accounting methods and require transparency for city funded initiatives and entities."
Monday, August 05, 2013
Jean Brown adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
GREENSBORO, NC -- Jean Brown, candidate for Greensboro City Council at-large, has added her profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com.
Brown, 73, is retired and is registered as Republican. She says her three top issues are unnecessary spending, foolish regulations and the arts center.
In answer to what she will do specifically, to increase transparency in city government, she says, "Meet more directly with citizens at town meetings and listen to the advice and complaints of the people we represent "
Brown, 73, is retired and is registered as Republican. She says her three top issues are unnecessary spending, foolish regulations and the arts center.
In answer to what she will do specifically, to increase transparency in city government, she says, "Meet more directly with citizens at town meetings and listen to the advice and complaints of the people we represent "
News & Record misses mark on reportedly fake council representaive emails
GREENSBORO, NC -- The News & Record misrepresented a key portion of the emails sent by someone Greensboro City Council person Zack Matheny says was impersonating him. It reported:
More importantly, though, the supposed person with the supposed criminal record was represented, in the emails, but not in the N&R story, as one of Matheny's colleagues on City Council. This is how it read in the email:
"The emails questioned the complexes’ policy on renting to people with criminal records and related the story of a 29-year-old man who was denied an apartment based on his record."The email I obtained did not purport the age of the person supposedly denied access to rental housing, instead, it said that the person made "$29k per year." [The News & Record confirms the error and says they are correcting the story.]
More importantly, though, the supposed person with the supposed criminal record was represented, in the emails, but not in the N&R story, as one of Matheny's colleagues on City Council. This is how it read in the email:
"I was talking to one of my colleagues on the council and he was educating me that your complex would not accept him because he has a criminal background."That matters because it reveals possible political motives: to sow suspicion of Matheny with his colleges or to besmirch another sitting council person, possibly both.
Zack Matheny adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
Matheny is 40, works as as an entrepreneur and is registered as Republican. He says his three top issues are economic development, public safety and fiscal responsibility.
In answer to what he has done, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he says, "Over my years on council I have gotten closed meetings taped so at sometime they can be released for public and I have argued for meetings to be open to all. I am accessible and open with all topics. "
Yvonne Johnson adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
GREENSBORO, NC -- Yvonne Johnson, incumbent candidate for Greensboro City Council at-large, has added her profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com.
Johnson is 70, works as a non-profit executive director and is registered as Democratic. She says her three top issues are jobs & economic development, quality of life and improving public transportation.
In answer to what she has done, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, she says, "I have always tried to provide vital information when asked. Unless there is a personnel issue, I answer questions and share information. "
Johnson is 70, works as a non-profit executive director and is registered as Democratic. She says her three top issues are jobs & economic development, quality of life and improving public transportation.
In answer to what she has done, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, she says, "I have always tried to provide vital information when asked. Unless there is a personnel issue, I answer questions and share information. "
Friday, August 02, 2013
Changing diapers
GREENSBORO, NC -- Ben Holder, candidate for city council at-large, and I were discussing the situation regarding the Greensboro City Manager's boneheaded decision to unequally and unfairly put the records requests and questions asked by non-incumbent city council candidates on a special webpage—publicity and scrutiny from which incumbent candidates are exempted, as the Manager has explicitly said—and of her request of city staff to notify her office whenever a candidate asks for information.
Ben and I were both bothered by the fact that, while we each have some important matters of public interest, health and safety we want to discuss during the public speakers' portion of the next City Council meeting, we find ourselves compelled to address this most recent mess instead -- again. (For me, the last detour was to address Mayor Robbie Perkins' refusal to stand up for Greensboro against WGHP's and WFMY's sensationalized fabrications of "hundreds of teens fighting" in downtown Greensboro.)
It's hard to move forward, to get any momentum, when you are constantly having to pit to fix a flat tire. It's like we have drivers who keep intentionally running over debris or, to use a golf analogy, we are constantly having to help our team captain find her ball in the woods.
Ben put it best: We have to keep changing diapers. Everything else has to wait when there is a poopie mess.
That's the Greensboro we have now. Mendacious, small and too often distracted by avoidable messes.
Instead of an inspiring effort to involve the community at-large in raising funds for a downtown performing arts center, we had to pull over to fix the flat caused by the Mayor, the News & Record and others who said there was already $20 million raised for the project when that wasn't true.
"Bring her in here, boys, we got a tire down."
Instead of reaching the green in two with a chance for birdie, City Attorney Mujeeb Shah-Khan shanked one hard into the woods with his lawsuit attempting to stop the publication of Yes!Weekly newspaper. Access to public records, already woefully bad, ground to a halt, money was spent and the cause and extent of the reasons for the suit remain, to this day, unclear.
"Keep looking, ya'll, it's got to be around here somewhere."
Now, instead of heading into election season with everybody on a level playing field, The City Manager has inappropriately inserted herself into the process, tainting what should be sacrosanct fairness and creating another unnecessary diversion.
"Just a minute, kids, the little one has made a mess."
But here's the thing: Mistakes happen. People make bad decisions on occasion. Heck, I've had my share, no doubt. It's how one responds that matters and that's where Greensboro stumbles—a lot.
Why did we not see:
But, no. Instead, the very people who are supposed to be our "leaders"—people paid good money to do a good job—double down on their mistakes or ignore them and allow them to stand, uncorrected, to Greensboro's detriment. Their colleagues and bosses on City Council are no better. What, other than spite or ill intent, causes the kind of intransigence we see repeatedly in response to errors from our civic leaders? I'm at a loss.
Ben and I were both bothered by the fact that, while we each have some important matters of public interest, health and safety we want to discuss during the public speakers' portion of the next City Council meeting, we find ourselves compelled to address this most recent mess instead -- again. (For me, the last detour was to address Mayor Robbie Perkins' refusal to stand up for Greensboro against WGHP's and WFMY's sensationalized fabrications of "hundreds of teens fighting" in downtown Greensboro.)
It's hard to move forward, to get any momentum, when you are constantly having to pit to fix a flat tire. It's like we have drivers who keep intentionally running over debris or, to use a golf analogy, we are constantly having to help our team captain find her ball in the woods.
Ben put it best: We have to keep changing diapers. Everything else has to wait when there is a poopie mess.
That's the Greensboro we have now. Mendacious, small and too often distracted by avoidable messes.
Instead of an inspiring effort to involve the community at-large in raising funds for a downtown performing arts center, we had to pull over to fix the flat caused by the Mayor, the News & Record and others who said there was already $20 million raised for the project when that wasn't true.
"Bring her in here, boys, we got a tire down."
Instead of reaching the green in two with a chance for birdie, City Attorney Mujeeb Shah-Khan shanked one hard into the woods with his lawsuit attempting to stop the publication of Yes!Weekly newspaper. Access to public records, already woefully bad, ground to a halt, money was spent and the cause and extent of the reasons for the suit remain, to this day, unclear.
"Keep looking, ya'll, it's got to be around here somewhere."
Now, instead of heading into election season with everybody on a level playing field, The City Manager has inappropriately inserted herself into the process, tainting what should be sacrosanct fairness and creating another unnecessary diversion.
"Just a minute, kids, the little one has made a mess."
But here's the thing: Mistakes happen. People make bad decisions on occasion. Heck, I've had my share, no doubt. It's how one responds that matters and that's where Greensboro stumbles—a lot.
Why did we not see:
- The mayor come forward and say, "I was wrong to tell the people at the East Greensboro Summit that $20 million in private contributions had been procured for a downtown performing arts center. That' wasn't true. We are a long way from that, actually, so let's all pull together and start raising some money."
- The City Attorney tell City Council and the public, "Our attempt to silence Yes!Weekly newspaper was against Supreme Court precedent prohibiting prior restraint and we erred in trying to stop their publication," instead of buffaloing City Council and the public about what they did and why, as he did. (Holder still wants a clear public explanation of what transpired that led the City to think it needed to take such extreme action. I do too.)
- The mayor step up and say, "WFMY and WGHP should not have exaggerated what happened downtown. If they think I said there were up to five hundred teens fighting, they misunderstood. There were a few fights, involving a few people over a period of many hours that sent some crowds running at times."
-
The City Manager say, "I didn't think it through. It's unfair to use city resources to put some candidates under public scrutiny and not others. We'll stop."
But, no. Instead, the very people who are supposed to be our "leaders"—people paid good money to do a good job—double down on their mistakes or ignore them and allow them to stand, uncorrected, to Greensboro's detriment. Their colleagues and bosses on City Council are no better. What, other than spite or ill intent, causes the kind of intransigence we see repeatedly in response to errors from our civic leaders? I'm at a loss.
John Alexander Underwood adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
GREENSBORO, NC -- John Alexander Underwood, candidate for Greensboro City Council district 4, has added his profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com.
Underwood is 30, works in retail and is registered as unaffiliated. He says that his three top issues are jobs, crime and corruption.
In answer to what he would do, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he says, "Corruption is a disease, and transparency is the cure. We live on hollowed ground, a sacred city where liberty was fought for, paid for in blood on the alter of freedom, transparency is our duty."
Thursday, August 01, 2013
Joseph Landis adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
Landis is 27, works as a flight attendant and is registered as unaffiliated. He says that his three top issues are housing, refocusing development and the coliseum.
In answer to what he would do, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he says, "Rather than have a long process to request information we need to post everything that is remotely considered public on a site that is easily accessed, thus removing all the roadblocks.
Is Greensboro City Manager in violation of the Hatch Act?
GREENSBORO, NC -- In addition to creating a webpage where challenger council candidates—but not incumbents—have their questions and requests made of the city posted for public scrutiny, Greensboro City Manager Denise Turner-Roth has doubled down and sent a letter to candidates in which she says she has asked staff to:
And where is the City Attorney?
"[N]otify the City Manager's office of all requests made of them by candidates."It is hard to imagine what legitimate purpose the City Manager may have in requesting this notification. In fact, it appears as if she is improperly inserting herself into an election in what may well be a violation of the Hatch Act, a federal law that makes it illegal for a local public employee whose organization receives federal funds to:
"[U]se official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election or nomination for office."Still, no public objection by her bosses, the incumbent city council representatives exempted from the Manager's scrutiny. Are they going to let her get in hot water for the sake of having a campaign advantage? That seems short-sighted and irresponsible.
And where is the City Attorney?
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Official deception: City takes sides in election
GREENSBORO, NC -- This is a screen shot of the title of a City of Greensboro webpage:
"Candidate requests," it says.
That's a lie.
It is an officially sanctioned lie made with the knowledge and without the objection of our current city council.
The fact is, despite its headline, that webpage only shows the requests made by (and information provided in response to) challenging candidates. Incumbent candidates do not have their requests publicized here. Not only is that treatment unfair, the City is lying about what it is doing, clearly in an attempt to obfuscate its unequal treatment.
Despite me having requested to receive the same information for incumbent candidates, the City has provided me nothing.
What could possibly be the point of publicizing the requests and answers for challenger candidates but not incumbent candidates and misrepresenting the action to boot? Well, it's pretty obvious, don't you think?
Accommodating this deceit are our illustrious incumbent city council representatives. Here they are, followed by the names of their challengers.
INCUMBENTS:
Mayor Robbie Perkins
At-large: Marikay Abuzuaiter, Yvonne Johnson and Nancy Vaughan
District 1: T. Dianne Bellamy-Small
District 2: Jim Kee
District 3: Zack Matheny
District 4: Nancy Hoffman
District 5: Tony Carmany
NON-INCUMBENT CHALLENGERS:
Mayor: George Hartzman
At-large: Mike Barber, Jean Brown, Katei Cranford, Ben Holder, Joseph Landis, Chris Lawyer and Marlando Pridgen
District 1: Sharon Hightower and Tigress McDaniel
District 2: Jamal Fox
District 3: Corey Pysher and Wendell Roth
District 4: Bill Knight and John Alexander Underwood
District 5: Sal Leone and Alex Seymor
"Candidate requests," it says.
That's a lie.
It is an officially sanctioned lie made with the knowledge and without the objection of our current city council.
The fact is, despite its headline, that webpage only shows the requests made by (and information provided in response to) challenging candidates. Incumbent candidates do not have their requests publicized here. Not only is that treatment unfair, the City is lying about what it is doing, clearly in an attempt to obfuscate its unequal treatment.
Despite me having requested to receive the same information for incumbent candidates, the City has provided me nothing.
What could possibly be the point of publicizing the requests and answers for challenger candidates but not incumbent candidates and misrepresenting the action to boot? Well, it's pretty obvious, don't you think?
Accommodating this deceit are our illustrious incumbent city council representatives. Here they are, followed by the names of their challengers.
INCUMBENTS:
Mayor Robbie Perkins
At-large: Marikay Abuzuaiter, Yvonne Johnson and Nancy Vaughan
District 1: T. Dianne Bellamy-Small
District 2: Jim Kee
District 3: Zack Matheny
District 4: Nancy Hoffman
District 5: Tony Carmany
NON-INCUMBENT CHALLENGERS:
Mayor: George Hartzman
At-large: Mike Barber, Jean Brown, Katei Cranford, Ben Holder, Joseph Landis, Chris Lawyer and Marlando Pridgen
District 1: Sharon Hightower and Tigress McDaniel
District 2: Jamal Fox
District 3: Corey Pysher and Wendell Roth
District 4: Bill Knight and John Alexander Underwood
District 5: Sal Leone and Alex Seymor
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Parks & Rec anti-campaigning rules lack force of law
GREENSBORO, NC -- The City of Greensboro confirms that the rules of the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department against campaigning in parks and parks facilities were never approved by city council and, thus, lack the force of law.
Jamal Fox adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
Jamal, 25, is an adjunct professor and registered as a Democrat. His three top issues are community, economic development and public safety. In answer to what he would do, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he says, "I will strengthen the communication between the city and community i.e. town halls."
This is Jamal's first run for council.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Creepy
GREENSBORO, NC -- Lex Alexander recently wrote a blog post taking Greensboro Police Chief Ken Miller to task for writing to local blogger Billy Jones asking that Jones remove a paragraph from a blog post.
In return, City Attorney Mujeeb Shah-Khan is now following Lex on Twitter.
In return, City Attorney Mujeeb Shah-Khan is now following Lex on Twitter.
Chis Lawyer adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
Chris, 34, is a physician's assistant and registered as a Republican. His three top issues are budgets, business/jobs and public safety/infrastructure. In answer to what he would do, specifically, to increase transparency in city government, he said, "there must be full disclosure at all times."
This is Chris' second run for council. He ran at-large in 2011, finishing fourth in a race for three seats, just out of the money by 762 votes or 1.5% of the votes cast.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
A.P.B. for missing council candidates
I am trying to find the email addresses of some city council candidates that are undiscoverable by a Google search. If you are one of the following or know how to reach any of the following, please email me at sysop@wirecom.com so that I can help them promote their candidacies.
Looking for:
Jean Brown
Katei Cranford
Joseph Landis
Marlando Pridgen
Sharon Hightower
Tigress McDaneil
Corey Pysher
Wendell Roth
John Alexander Underwood
Looking for:
Jean Brown
Katei Cranford
Joseph Landis
Marlando Pridgen
Sharon Hightower
Tigress McDaneil
Corey Pysher
Wendell Roth
John Alexander Underwood
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Stonewall Correlation: Week goes by without campaigning answer from Greensboro
GREENSBORO, NC - Last Saturday, staff at the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market asked mayoral candidate George Hartzman to stop talking with vendors about his plans for rejuvenating the War Memorial Stadium across the street. They deemed such discussion, because of the topic and Hartzman's status as a candidate, in violation of Parks & Recreation rules.
The city provided a copy of the rules to me within hours of asking. The rules cited a city ordinance that gives the rules legal authority when approved by city council.
I could not find a council meeting where the rules had been approved by city council.
So I asked the City if and when the Parks & Rec rules were approved. That was on Monday. Although the City could get me a copy of the rules within hours, a week was not enough time for them to answer whether council had approved them or not.
When it comes to requesting information from the City of Greensboro, I've developed an analysis that I call the Stonewall Correlation: The longer it takes the city to respond, the more embarrassing the answer.
The city provided a copy of the rules to me within hours of asking. The rules cited a city ordinance that gives the rules legal authority when approved by city council.
I could not find a council meeting where the rules had been approved by city council.
So I asked the City if and when the Parks & Rec rules were approved. That was on Monday. Although the City could get me a copy of the rules within hours, a week was not enough time for them to answer whether council had approved them or not.
When it comes to requesting information from the City of Greensboro, I've developed an analysis that I call the Stonewall Correlation: The longer it takes the city to respond, the more embarrassing the answer.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Not smarter than a fifth grader
GREENSBORO, NC -- From WFMY reporting on power bill charges:
"She said the deposit amount is equal to two-twelfths of the bill."
Did accuracy elude WGHP again?
GREENSBORO, NC -- On the heels of their shamefully miserable fabrications regarding a "teen brawl" a few weeks ago in downtown Greensboro, WGHP reports this about reports of shots fired outside a building on East Market Street:
"The incident happened at St. John’s Lodge at 1107 E. Market St. where a promoter was hosting a party to “give teens something to do near downtown,” according to Greensboro City Council-member Zack Matheny."The News & Record, who managed to adhere mostly to the facts in reporting the previous events, reports this about last night:
"The building at 1107 E. Market St. was rented out for a birthday party for a 16-year-old, said David Stephens, building superintendent for St. John's Lodge."Was it a party to celebrate an individual's birthday or a party to give teens something to do near downtown? Given WGHP's previous fabrications and the refusal of any City Council person, including Matheny, to refute WGHP's previous incorrect reporting, the credibility advantage goes to the News & Record.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
WGHP's contemptible malice towards Greensboro's black kids
GREENSBORO, NC -- By now, the extent of WGHP's fabrications and distortions about hundreds of kids fighting in downtown Greensboro is well know. Refuted by the police and video records, WGHP's story has been discredited. The world-wide damage caused by their dishonesty is apparent.
Yet, even today, WGHP continues to promote their false version of events. It's bad enough they've made no corrections, but by continuing to push their original false story, it is becoming inescapable that the people responsible—reporters Lindsey Eaton and Brandon Jones, anchors Brad Jones and Cindy Farmer, news director Karen Koutsky and the anonymous staff who are keeping the lies alive—harbor some ill intent towards the young black kids of Greensboro besmeared by their fictions.
Yet, even today, WGHP continues to promote their false version of events. It's bad enough they've made no corrections, but by continuing to push their original false story, it is becoming inescapable that the people responsible—reporters Lindsey Eaton and Brandon Jones, anchors Brad Jones and Cindy Farmer, news director Karen Koutsky and the anonymous staff who are keeping the lies alive—harbor some ill intent towards the young black kids of Greensboro besmeared by their fictions.
The Fourth what?
WASHINGTON, DC -- In a close vote, the United States of America's House of Representatives failed to pass an amendment to a bill that would have defunded the National Security Agency's dragnet phone surveillance of American citizens. By a vote of 217 to 205, the House decided to allow the program to continue.
North Carolina representatives, voting to continue the spying program were:
George Butterfield (D)
Renee Elmers (R)
Virginia Foxx (R)
Mike McIntyre (D)
George Holding (R)
Richard Hudson (R)
Robert Pittinger (R)
David Price (D)
Voting to cut funding were:
Walter Jones (R)
Patrick McHenry (R)
Mark Meadows (R)
Mel Watt (D)
Representative Howard Coble was recovering from surgery and did not vote.
North Carolina representatives, voting to continue the spying program were:
George Butterfield (D)
Renee Elmers (R)
Virginia Foxx (R)
Mike McIntyre (D)
George Holding (R)
Richard Hudson (R)
Robert Pittinger (R)
David Price (D)
Voting to cut funding were:
Walter Jones (R)
Patrick McHenry (R)
Mark Meadows (R)
Mel Watt (D)
Representative Howard Coble was recovering from surgery and did not vote.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Records request
GREENSBORO, NC -- I submitted the following records request to the City of Greensboro this morning:
"Conforming with the city's ability and willingness to make public the questions and requests asked of city staff by city council challenger candidates and the responses the city provides to them, I am requesting to receive the same for incumbent candidates from now through November 5, 2013. Please provide me with this information on an ongoing basis with at least the same regularity as the city makes such information available for challenger candidates."(Hyperlinks added.)
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Failure of leadership
GREENSBORO, NC -- The negative fallout for Greensboro continues on the heels of WGHP's and WFMY's fabrications regarding downtown fights and Mayor Robbie Perkins' and his colleagues on council unwillingness to stand up for the truth on behalf of the city they claim to serve.
Local blogger Kristen Jeffers and News & Record reporter Joe Killian discuss the issue on Huff Post Live. Killian, especially, does a superb job of explaining the facts and context. Would that the TV's talking heads or any of our city council people were as informed and articulate.
(Hat tip: Billy Jones)
Local blogger Kristen Jeffers and News & Record reporter Joe Killian discuss the issue on Huff Post Live. Killian, especially, does a superb job of explaining the facts and context. Would that the TV's talking heads or any of our city council people were as informed and articulate.
(Hat tip: Billy Jones)
Sale Leone adds profile to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com
Leone is 41, works in law enforcement and is registered as a Democrat. He says that his three top issues are the people, poverty and unemployment.
He did not answer the question about what he would do to increase transparency in city government.
City Manager confirms unequal treatment for candidates
GREENSBORO, NC -- Greensboro City Manager Denise Turner Roth announced last week that the city will be posting the records requests made by city council challengers, but not incumbents, to a special webpage on the city's website. Today, she confirms that this will apply only to challengers and that incumbents will not have their requests posted:
Watch the video as city council takes action in response to now-candidate, at-large, Ben Holder:
Unless and until this policy is changed, the obvious solution for council challengers is to use an unidentifiable email address to make requests. The law does not demand that one identify oneself when requesting or receiving records.
-----
UPDATE: District 3 representative Zack Matheny, who joined Perkins in rejecting the previous sharing scheme, weighs in:
"Consistent with the way this has been conducted in the past, we will not list incumbent-requested items on the web-site with items requested by candidates unless otherwise directed by Council."The last time something like this was attempted, city council responded by voting not to have an information sharing policy. It was then-council-person, now-mayor, Robbie Perkins who made a motion that council abandon the scheme. It passed 8-1, with T. Dianne Bellamy Small as the lone no vote.
-- Denise Turner Roth, City Manager
Watch the video as city council takes action in response to now-candidate, at-large, Ben Holder:
Unless and until this policy is changed, the obvious solution for council challengers is to use an unidentifiable email address to make requests. The law does not demand that one identify oneself when requesting or receiving records.
-----
UPDATE: District 3 representative Zack Matheny, who joined Perkins in rejecting the previous sharing scheme, weighs in:
"We have to continue to do our jobs. Being a Current Elected Official and being a candidate is not the same. For example, the way you present this would also imply that being a candidate would mean being able to attend Closed session meetings to discuss Personal Employment Issues, and you know that is not the case.Of course, whether or not to post the records requests of all candidates online or only the challengers has nothing to do with the limited situations prescribed by law where council may meet in closed session.
"I understand and support your fight for Public Records and traditionally support your arguments, this one however, is difficult to support."
Monday, July 22, 2013
Campaigning at city parks facilities; questions remain
GREENSBORO, NC -- Greensboro mayoral candidate George Hartzman describes being asked to leave the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market, a facility of the Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department, because he was campaigning. He was told that was against the policies of the Parks & Recreation Department.
Indeed, the city provided a copy of the Parks & Rec policy (refreshingly fast, thank you), that includes this portion:
The second question involves the legal authority for these rules. The rules cite a city ordinance that makes it unlawful to disobey these rules upon their approval by city council. However, I cannot find a record of the rules having been approved by city council.
I have asked the city if they can clarify if and when the rules were approved by the city council. If council has not approved them, ignoring them would not be illegal.
Indeed, the city provided a copy of the Parks & Rec policy (refreshingly fast, thank you), that includes this portion:
11. POLITICAL SPEECHESThis raises two questions: the first is whether going from booth to booth to talk to vendors constitutes making a "speech."
It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to make political speeches of any kind in any park or other Parks and Recreation facilities without firs securing written permission from the City Manager or County manager dependent on the facility location/ownership.
The second question involves the legal authority for these rules. The rules cite a city ordinance that makes it unlawful to disobey these rules upon their approval by city council. However, I cannot find a record of the rules having been approved by city council.
I have asked the city if they can clarify if and when the rules were approved by the city council. If council has not approved them, ignoring them would not be illegal.
GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com returns
GREENSBORO, NC -- I have fired up GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com again for the 2013 municipal elections. The site provides information provided by the candidates about them and their campaigns. It is the number-one result of a Google search for Greensboro city council candidates.
I have sent invitations to all the candidates for whom I could find contact information to add their information for free.
A surprising number of candidates have no contact information available online, meaning I haven't been able to notify them. So if you have a favorite who you want to help make sure the voters get to know, please tell him or her to add their information to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com.
I have sent invitations to all the candidates for whom I could find contact information to add their information for free.
A surprising number of candidates have no contact information available online, meaning I haven't been able to notify them. So if you have a favorite who you want to help make sure the voters get to know, please tell him or her to add their information to GreensboroCouncilCandidates.com.
It's official: News & Record untrusted
GREENSBORO, NC -- A screenshot of today's News & Record website:
The News & Record needs to flip its organizational model. The job of the editor, at least as it was traditionally known and which the N&R continues to try to impose on its operation, is of less significance now than is the job of those who can expertly deploy, maintain and develop new ideas for computational journalism in service to reporters (i.e. computer assisted reporting.)
Ask yourself, who is more important, the guy who decides what's going to go where in the paper or the guy or gal who understands how to electronically link reporter and audience in fresh and creative ways, avoiding the likes of above?
 |
| "This Connection is Untrusted" |
The News & Record needs to flip its organizational model. The job of the editor, at least as it was traditionally known and which the N&R continues to try to impose on its operation, is of less significance now than is the job of those who can expertly deploy, maintain and develop new ideas for computational journalism in service to reporters (i.e. computer assisted reporting.)
Ask yourself, who is more important, the guy who decides what's going to go where in the paper or the guy or gal who understands how to electronically link reporter and audience in fresh and creative ways, avoiding the likes of above?
Monitoring the N&R's campaign coverage
Greensboro, NC -- I've experienced it first hand. Many, many years ago, when I ran for mayor, the N&R wrote an article about the incumbent deciding to run for reelection. When I subsequently announced my candidacy at a meeting of the Northeast Neighborhood Association with the News & Record's political reporter in attendance, there was nothing—not a single word—written about my declaration in the News & Record.
Today, the song remains the same. Candidate for mayor George Hartzman is running into the same slanted B.S. in an editorial at the News & Record that mentions the two already well-known candidates for mayor and ignores the lesser known Hartzman.
It is my opinion that our city suffers greatly from a lack of attention to new blood. Just how much does the N&R contribute to that?
I will be conducting an ongoing word study of the News & Record's news and editorial coverage of the Greensboro city council and mayoral race where I will report, from time to time, the number of times each candidate receives mention by the News & Record.
Stay tuned for the first analysis.
Today, the song remains the same. Candidate for mayor George Hartzman is running into the same slanted B.S. in an editorial at the News & Record that mentions the two already well-known candidates for mayor and ignores the lesser known Hartzman.
It is my opinion that our city suffers greatly from a lack of attention to new blood. Just how much does the N&R contribute to that?
I will be conducting an ongoing word study of the News & Record's news and editorial coverage of the Greensboro city council and mayoral race where I will report, from time to time, the number of times each candidate receives mention by the News & Record.
Stay tuned for the first analysis.
Friday, July 19, 2013
And they're off! 23 running for Greensboro City Council
GREENSBORO, NC -- The field is set for the upcoming Greensboro city council elections. Filing closed at noon today, with the following candidates:
-----------
MAYOR
--------------
George Hartzman
Robbie Perkins
Nancy Vaughan
AT-LARGE
--------------
Marikay Abuzuaiter
Mike Barber
Jean Brown
Katei Cranford
Ben Holder
Yvonne Johnson
Joseph Landis
Chris Lawyer
Marlando Pridgen
DISTRICT 1
-----------------
T. Dianne Bellamy-Small
Sharon Hightower
Tigress McDaniel
DISTRICT 2
----------------
Jamal Fox
Jim Kee
DISTRICT 3
----------------
Zack Matheny
Corey Pysher
Wendell Roth
DISTRICT 4
----------------
Nancy Hoffman
Bill Knight
John Alexander Underwood
DISTRICT 5
----------------
Sal Leone
Alex Seymour
Tony Wilkins
-----------
MAYOR
--------------
George Hartzman
Robbie Perkins
Nancy Vaughan
AT-LARGE
--------------
Marikay Abuzuaiter
Mike Barber
Jean Brown
Katei Cranford
Ben Holder
Yvonne Johnson
Joseph Landis
Chris Lawyer
Marlando Pridgen
DISTRICT 1
-----------------
T. Dianne Bellamy-Small
Sharon Hightower
Tigress McDaniel
DISTRICT 2
----------------
Jamal Fox
Jim Kee
DISTRICT 3
----------------
Zack Matheny
Corey Pysher
Wendell Roth
DISTRICT 4
----------------
Nancy Hoffman
Bill Knight
John Alexander Underwood
DISTRICT 5
----------------
Sal Leone
Alex Seymour
Tony Wilkins
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Correction
On July 1, 2013, I wrote a post in response to a News & Record editorial. I misidentified the author of the editorial. It was written by John Newsome. I apologize for the error.
N&R editor Gauger's bogus apology
GREENSBORO, NC -- News & Record editor Jeff "Grits" Gauger has issued an apology for a column in which he portrayed characters such as the McCoys and Bubba discussing North Carolina politics while slurping grits at Mabeline's diner and saying "ain't" and "purdy." (It truly was one of the worst things I've read -- ever.)
Gauger says we got it all wrong. He wasn't mocking Southerners, but some "universal hick."
I don't buy it.
His stereotypes were all Southern. Although he says he intended for his characters to just as easily have represented someone from his previous home of eastern Ohio, there were no references to scrapple, hanky pankies or pop. No colloquialisms like "you-uns," "like I say," "jeez-oh-man" or the ubiquitous missing infinitive. No reference to the sorrows of the Cleveland Browns fans, Pabst Blue Ribbon or the devil's strip.
There are plenty of cliches one could use to mock the people of eastern Ohio, but all of Gauger's stereotypes were specific to Southerners. So I don't beleive his explanation. Not at all. He was mocking Southerners and Southerners alone.
There is a larger point beyond whom Gauger was mocking. It is that he was mocking at all—that, after a year and a half of living here, Gauger remains unable to write about us with any sincerity or knowledge of who we are. He still doesn't know us. From the get go, he has only written about the people of our region as caricatures—people enamoured with grits*, Duke blue vs. Carolina blue and who can't make him a satisfactory bowl of soup.
It is not just that Guager writes these insipid, boring and unenlightened caricatures, but that he does so at the expense of meaningful commentary, substituting his corn pone for serious commentary on the vote to amend the state's constitution regarding marriage, the city's attempted censorship of Yes!Weekly, errors in his paper and its website fiasco. He's silent on these, but grits and diners are an endless inspiration. It's why he got the nickname "Grits Gauger" in the first place and why it sticks.*
People look for newspaper editors to be smart, to have the ability to offer some insight into ourselves or to, at least, have some significant knowledge of what's going on around them. Gauger doesn't have anything substantive to say about his new home or its people and, after a year and a half, it seems he never will.
* Links to these articles are unavailable do to the obliteration of the News & Record's website under Gauger's watch.
(Hat tip, Sam Hieb)
Gauger says we got it all wrong. He wasn't mocking Southerners, but some "universal hick."
I don't buy it.
His stereotypes were all Southern. Although he says he intended for his characters to just as easily have represented someone from his previous home of eastern Ohio, there were no references to scrapple, hanky pankies or pop. No colloquialisms like "you-uns," "like I say," "jeez-oh-man" or the ubiquitous missing infinitive. No reference to the sorrows of the Cleveland Browns fans, Pabst Blue Ribbon or the devil's strip.
There are plenty of cliches one could use to mock the people of eastern Ohio, but all of Gauger's stereotypes were specific to Southerners. So I don't beleive his explanation. Not at all. He was mocking Southerners and Southerners alone.
There is a larger point beyond whom Gauger was mocking. It is that he was mocking at all—that, after a year and a half of living here, Gauger remains unable to write about us with any sincerity or knowledge of who we are. He still doesn't know us. From the get go, he has only written about the people of our region as caricatures—people enamoured with grits*, Duke blue vs. Carolina blue and who can't make him a satisfactory bowl of soup.
It is not just that Guager writes these insipid, boring and unenlightened caricatures, but that he does so at the expense of meaningful commentary, substituting his corn pone for serious commentary on the vote to amend the state's constitution regarding marriage, the city's attempted censorship of Yes!Weekly, errors in his paper and its website fiasco. He's silent on these, but grits and diners are an endless inspiration. It's why he got the nickname "Grits Gauger" in the first place and why it sticks.*
People look for newspaper editors to be smart, to have the ability to offer some insight into ourselves or to, at least, have some significant knowledge of what's going on around them. Gauger doesn't have anything substantive to say about his new home or its people and, after a year and a half, it seems he never will.
* Links to these articles are unavailable do to the obliteration of the News & Record's website under Gauger's watch.
(Hat tip, Sam Hieb)
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Racist? A thought experiment
GREENSBORO, NC -- Imagine: A few hundred mostly white teenagers and young adults are milling around downtown on a Saturday night. A fight breaks out between some teenagers.
Someone breaks a window.
A few cameras capture some of the crowd reaction: hundreds of mostly white people running down the street. Some may be running towards the fight, some may be running away. The details to say for certain are lacking.
Then a gunshot. More white people running.
How would these events then be portrayed in the media?
400 teens in massive brawl?
or
Fights, gunshot cause hundreds to scatter in panic?
Go one step further. What would YOU assume if you were to see video of hundreds of white people running through the streets of downtown and heard it corresponded to some nearby fights? Would you think of those people running, "Those out of control animals are up to no good," or would it be "Those people are panicked, they must be scared of something?"
I'll wager that the willingness to lump bystanders with the criminals depends greatly on the race of the bystanders.
Such is Greensboro.
Someone breaks a window.
A few cameras capture some of the crowd reaction: hundreds of mostly white people running down the street. Some may be running towards the fight, some may be running away. The details to say for certain are lacking.
Then a gunshot. More white people running.
How would these events then be portrayed in the media?
400 teens in massive brawl?
or
Fights, gunshot cause hundreds to scatter in panic?
Go one step further. What would YOU assume if you were to see video of hundreds of white people running through the streets of downtown and heard it corresponded to some nearby fights? Would you think of those people running, "Those out of control animals are up to no good," or would it be "Those people are panicked, they must be scared of something?"
I'll wager that the willingness to lump bystanders with the criminals depends greatly on the race of the bystanders.
Such is Greensboro.
Monday, July 15, 2013
N&R racist bullshit: "Video of young black people fighting and running as a shot rang out..."
GREENSBORO, NC -- Joe Killian of the News & Record writes:
1. To what video are you referring that shows people fighting? I have seen multiple videos of the evening in question and none show anybody fighting. What video Mr. Killian? Can you make a screen shot or link us to some video and tell us where in it you see fighting?
2. To what video are you referring that records a shot ringing out? Again, I have not heard such a thing on any of the videos, most of which are silent.
Show us. Prove it.
UPDATE: Joe Killian says he agrees that the videos shown on TV do not show people fighting.
"Video of young black people fighting and running as a shot rang out was played repeatedly on local TV stations."Questions for Mr. Killian:
1. To what video are you referring that shows people fighting? I have seen multiple videos of the evening in question and none show anybody fighting. What video Mr. Killian? Can you make a screen shot or link us to some video and tell us where in it you see fighting?
2. To what video are you referring that records a shot ringing out? Again, I have not heard such a thing on any of the videos, most of which are silent.
Show us. Prove it.
UPDATE: Joe Killian says he agrees that the videos shown on TV do not show people fighting.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Under cover brother
GREENSBORO, NC --
"Only two people are certified to work at this location and one of them is a man. I was given the choice of three different ladies."The Troublemaker is at it again, exposing Greensboro's accommodation of the sex trade.
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Blowing in the wind
How many nights must someone live in servitude before the authorities come to their aid?
Monday, July 08, 2013
Guarino's dishonesty
GREENSBORO, NC -- How does Dr. Joe Guarino respond to getting the facts wrong about the City cutting the police budget? (Writing at Triad Conservative, Guarino had mistakenly said the City cut $1 million from police funding, when there was actually a small increase.)
Scrub the record.
Without acknowledgement of his previous error, Guarino just changes his post, replacing his error with another un-sourced assertion.
The original:
The surreptitiously changed current version:
Scrub the record.
Without acknowledgement of his previous error, Guarino just changes his post, replacing his error with another un-sourced assertion.
The original:
The surreptitiously changed current version:
Say it ain't so, Joe. Oh, wait, it's not.
It doesn't matter whether you are trying to make an argument from the left or the right, if you do not follow the basic constructs of logic, you will fail to persuade. It amazes me how often certain locals fail to understand that a premise must be valid for a conclusion to be sustainable.
Take Dr. Joe Guarino's argument today that because, in the most recent City of Greensboro budget, "the police department was cut by approximately $1 million" the result will therefore be "to divert police resources toward downtown, and away from other parts of the city."
This looks like logic: "Because of A, then B."
But what if A is false? Try to make that argument without A and all one has left is an unfounded, "B! B! B!" Which is nothing more than a tantrum.
In this case, the fact is that Guarino is wrong about the City of Greensboro cutting the police budget. The city actually increases the budget for the police department in its most recent budget by $115,737. This according to documents readily available on the web.
Guarino doesn't cite a source for his misinformation, often a good clue that something is amiss, but the demonstrably verifiable fact that police spending actually increased means that Guarino's premise is a canard—fake—so what he offers as built on his broken premise is nothing more than an unfounded opinion—again.
Maybe next time.
Take Dr. Joe Guarino's argument today that because, in the most recent City of Greensboro budget, "the police department was cut by approximately $1 million" the result will therefore be "to divert police resources toward downtown, and away from other parts of the city."
This looks like logic: "Because of A, then B."
But what if A is false? Try to make that argument without A and all one has left is an unfounded, "B! B! B!" Which is nothing more than a tantrum.
In this case, the fact is that Guarino is wrong about the City of Greensboro cutting the police budget. The city actually increases the budget for the police department in its most recent budget by $115,737. This according to documents readily available on the web.
Guarino doesn't cite a source for his misinformation, often a good clue that something is amiss, but the demonstrably verifiable fact that police spending actually increased means that Guarino's premise is a canard—fake—so what he offers as built on his broken premise is nothing more than an unfounded opinion—again.
Maybe next time.
Friday, July 05, 2013
I missed something important
GREENSBORO, NC -- Earlier this week, I wrote a post faulting some unsubstantiated and incorrect information in a report News & Record reporter Joe Gamm wrote about the fights that occurred downtown last weekend.
I missed something important though. In a sea of hyperbole and what appears more and more to be fabricated stories of hundreds of teens brawling downtown—as reported by WGHP and WFMY (and unchallenged by Mayor Robbie Perkins)—Gamm got the central fact of the size and scope of the fights correct. Gamm did not hyperventilate the story beyond or in contradiction to available evidence and into the type of falsehoods reported by WGHP and WFMY of hundreds of teens fighting in a massive brawl. Gamm correctly reported, "a series of small fights" for which 11 people were arrested.
In my focus on the mile-wide holes in the local media reports of the events (and Gamm's quick pass at previous downtown violence), I missed Gamm's simple but exceptional oasis of accuracy amid the sea of panicked untruths. He got the core facts right. As remarkable as it might seem, he deserves credit for that.
[This post originally had "Gamm did hyperventilate..." That is not what I mean to write. It has been corrected: "Gamm did not hyperventilate..."]
I missed something important though. In a sea of hyperbole and what appears more and more to be fabricated stories of hundreds of teens brawling downtown—as reported by WGHP and WFMY (and unchallenged by Mayor Robbie Perkins)—Gamm got the central fact of the size and scope of the fights correct. Gamm did not hyperventilate the story beyond or in contradiction to available evidence and into the type of falsehoods reported by WGHP and WFMY of hundreds of teens fighting in a massive brawl. Gamm correctly reported, "a series of small fights" for which 11 people were arrested.
In my focus on the mile-wide holes in the local media reports of the events (and Gamm's quick pass at previous downtown violence), I missed Gamm's simple but exceptional oasis of accuracy amid the sea of panicked untruths. He got the core facts right. As remarkable as it might seem, he deserves credit for that.
[This post originally had "Gamm did hyperventilate..." That is not what I mean to write. It has been corrected: "Gamm did not hyperventilate..."]
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
The damage done, thank you local media and Mr. Mayor
GREENSBORO, NC -- What has the local media's hyperbolic and inaccurate reporting of "hundred of kids brawling in downtown Greensboro" and the Mayor's refusal to correct the hyperbole wraught for Greensboro?
Here is a sampling from around the world:
Drudge report:
WTAM Radio, Cleveland, OH:
Anonymous, United Kingdom:
Here is a sampling from around the world:
Drudge report:
400 teens in street brawl in Greensboro.Altaris, Round Rock, TX:
Well that is great news to hear, since I'll be visiting my cousins there in 3 weeks. :(JackMac, TX:
Do I need to come ready to --->?
Google...Jerry Bledsoe and Greensboro Police controversy. Crooked department ...not trusted by other agencies. Officers involved in drugs and prostitution and more. Google it and read for yourself. Don't trust them to protect you. Prepare to defend yourself if you live there, is the word.
WTAM Radio, Cleveland, OH:
WATCH: Nearly 400 Teens Brawl In Greensboro; Time For Teen Curfew?
Anonymous, United Kingdom:
i wish i was in the usa airfocre fully loaded , i wouldnt have a problem fucking air striking everyone of the fucking animalsABC News Politics Message Forum:
stupid fucking baboons
Judging by the video.....planet of the apes.Breitbart:
400 Teens Brawl in North CarolinaDaily Pundit:
One word missing: 400 Black teens in street brawl….
Mayor Perkins declines to substantiate his remarks on downtown fights, leaves Drudge "brawl' report unchallenged
GREENSBORO, NC -- I received a reply from Mayor Robbie Perkins in response to my email where I asked whether he had any information to back up his statement that there were "fights breaking out among 300, 400 or 500
people breaking out in our downtown" [sic]. Here is his reply in its entirety:
Here's my next email:
"Plenty of press coverage on the Incident. Not going to engage in a back and forth on this issue."What a stand up guy, huh?
Here's my next email:
Dear Mr. Mayor,
As you may be aware, national media has picked up the story reporting it as "400 teens in street brawl in Greensboro." I'm not one to tell you how to do your job, but it seems to me, especially in light of your claims to be a booster of downtown, that you would not want to let something like that stand if it is untrue as the resulting negative publicity could be very harmful to years of efforts to boost the center city.
So I am compelled to ask one more time, were there fights downtown among 300, 400 or 500 people last Saturday? Does the Drudge report have that right or do you, as mayor, need to correct the record in support of our city?
Yours,
Roch
A question for Mayor Robbie Perkins
Emailed to Greensboro Mayor Robbie Perkins:
UPDATE: The mayor answers here.
UPDATE: The mayor answers here.
Dear Mayor Perkins,
WFMY reported the following:
"'We can't have fights breaking out among 300, 400 or 500 people breaking out in our downtown. That's not acceptable. We're going to do what we have to do to keep that from occurring'" Perkins said."
Do you have information that there were 300, 400 or 500 people fighting downtown on Saturday or was that a hypothetical statement?
Yours,
Roch
WGHP's Cindy Farmer & Brad Jones just lied to their viewers
GREENSBORO, NC -- This has to stop. WGHP's Cindy Farmer just reported on air that "hundreds of students got into several fights" in downtown Greensboro on Saturday. Her co-anchor, Brad Jones called it a "massive brawl."
Absolutely zero evidence has been provided to substantiate the claim that hundreds of students were involved in fighting and WGHP's insistence on fact-free hyperbole in describing what happened is downright irresponsible. It is bringing undeserved national attention to Greensboro and it has now made liars of Jones and Farmer.
WGHP needs to provide substance to back up their claims or correct themselves. If hundreds of people were fighting, prove it. If not, stop saying so.
Absolutely zero evidence has been provided to substantiate the claim that hundreds of students were involved in fighting and WGHP's insistence on fact-free hyperbole in describing what happened is downright irresponsible. It is bringing undeserved national attention to Greensboro and it has now made liars of Jones and Farmer.
WGHP needs to provide substance to back up their claims or correct themselves. If hundreds of people were fighting, prove it. If not, stop saying so.
Well, that settles it then. Our media are schmucks edition.
GREENSBORO, NC -- Could the city sponsored teen movie night with free admission for teens from ages 13 to 18 have had something to do with the reason there was a bunch of teenagers downtown Saturday night?
From the News & Record:
Schmucks.
From the News & Record:
"Police spokeswoman Susan Danielsen said today that the movie had 'absolutely no correlation' to the fights that broke out Saturday and the subsequent arrests."Okee dokie.
Schmucks.
Tuesday, July 02, 2013
Mayor: “The root problem is, why are these large groups of young people congregating downtown?”
GREENSBORO, NC -- From the News & Record:
(Hat tip Billy Jones.)
“'The root problem is, why are these large groups of young people congregating downtown?’ [Mayor Robbie] Perkins said."From WGHP MyFox8:
"Greensboro Police are still trying to figure out why the teens were downtown."Wasn't it because of the City-sponsored movie night downtown that night for youths 13 - 18?
"The Summer Night Lights (SNL) program for youth, ages 13-18, continues this week with Movie Night on Saturday, June 29 from 7-11 pm at Festival Park, 200 N. Davie St., in Downtown Greensboro. Admission is free of charge!"Don't worry though:
"Perkins said the city has its best talent working on a resolution to the downtown problem."Yes, the best talent—who will no doubt regrettably recommend a curfew.
(Hat tip Billy Jones.)
Greensboro on Drudge report
GREENSBORO, NC -- Thanks to WGHP, Greensboro is on the front page of the Drudge Report:
The original on MyFox8.com:
(Hat tip to commenter Don Moore)
Local media cranks up the Fourth of July hysteria machine
GREENSBORO, NC -- Here we go! It's Fourth of July time and we know what that means in Greensboro—hysterical fact free reporting of hundreds of kids fighting downtown.
First up, MyFox8 WGHP. Without attribution or citation, Lindsey Eaton reports of last Saturday night:
Eaton continues:
Eaton introduces her unsubstantiated story by telling us that the "massive fight" has "some city leaders taking a hard look at bringing back the teen curfew."
What city leaders? Eaton doesn't say. I emailed the news department at WGHP this morning to ask just who are these city leader for whom the "massive fight" has them reconsidering a downtown curfew. They have not yet replied, although a "Notice of emergency meeting" of the Greensboro City Council called by Mayor Robbie Perkins to reconsider reinstatement of a teen curfew reached my inbox a little while ago.
Next up, Joe Gamm of the News & Record. Gamm offers this single paragraph so full of unsourced and undocumented claims it's worthy of the National Enquirer.
Hmm.
Reports of the kind one can actually read for themselves (whoohoo a hyperlink!) told of one fight resulting in two arrests, one for disturbing the peace, the other for disorderly conduct. This contradicts Gamm but corresponds to the public record.
Gamm also "reports" of last year's use of tear gas that:
I think Gamm is being played by a manipulative or sloppy source. While he writes that police deployed tear gas to enforce an 11:00 p.m. closing time for the park his own paper reported that tear gas was deployed at 10:45 p.m..
Buckle up Greensboro, a media fueled panic is underway. Have at it Mr. Gamm and Ms. Eaton.
[How about a post script kudos to WFMY for, atypically, not jumping on the hysteria bandwagon?]
First up, MyFox8 WGHP. Without attribution or citation, Lindsey Eaton reports of last Saturday night:
"Nearly 400 people were involved in the several fights that happened along Elm Street."Wow! That's a lot of people to be fighting in downtown Greensboro. Hard to believe, actually, which might explain the lack of attribution. Come on, Lindesy, were 400 people really fighting in downtown Greensboro on Saturday night? Are you sure you don't have Greensboro confused with, oh, I don't know, Cairo, maybe?
Eaton continues:
"Greensboro police arrested 11 people ranging in age from 16 to 20-years-old."Again, there is no source or attribution, but the claim is at odds with the public record which shows that, from 4:00 p.m Saturday to 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning, there were five arrests for fighting in what appear to be three different fights. Three fights over 12 hours; five arrests. Not 400 people and 11 arrests.
Eaton introduces her unsubstantiated story by telling us that the "massive fight" has "some city leaders taking a hard look at bringing back the teen curfew."
What city leaders? Eaton doesn't say. I emailed the news department at WGHP this morning to ask just who are these city leader for whom the "massive fight" has them reconsidering a downtown curfew. They have not yet replied, although a "Notice of emergency meeting" of the Greensboro City Council called by Mayor Robbie Perkins to reconsider reinstatement of a teen curfew reached my inbox a little while ago.
Next up, Joe Gamm of the News & Record. Gamm offers this single paragraph so full of unsourced and undocumented claims it's worthy of the National Enquirer.
"The incident, for some [who?], brings to mind something that happened in Center City Park several hours after the downtown Fun Fourth Festival ended last year. Reports [where?] said 22 officers on duty after the event had to use tear gas to control a defiant crowd. Witnesses [who?] said some in the crowd taunted police and provoked dozens of fights."Dozens of fights?
Hmm.
Reports of the kind one can actually read for themselves (whoohoo a hyperlink!) told of one fight resulting in two arrests, one for disturbing the peace, the other for disorderly conduct. This contradicts Gamm but corresponds to the public record.
Gamm also "reports" of last year's use of tear gas that:
"Police were trying to enforce a curfew, which requires visitors to leave the park by 11 p.m."That is also at odd with reports, the kind we can actually read (whoohoo another hyperlink!) that tear gas was used to disperse a crowd in the Jimmy Johns restaurant, three blocks from the park.
I think Gamm is being played by a manipulative or sloppy source. While he writes that police deployed tear gas to enforce an 11:00 p.m. closing time for the park his own paper reported that tear gas was deployed at 10:45 p.m..
Buckle up Greensboro, a media fueled panic is underway. Have at it Mr. Gamm and Ms. Eaton.
[How about a post script kudos to WFMY for, atypically, not jumping on the hysteria bandwagon?]
Monday, July 01, 2013
"Why, I never." N&R editor dissembles his way to fake indignation
[CORRECTION: Allen Johnson did not write the editorial in question. It was written by John Newsome. The original below remains intact.]
GREENSBORO, NC -- Allen Johnson, opinion editor of the News & Record, is at it again: wagging his scolding finger at the bad manners of a citizen speaker at city council meetings while giving cover to a council unable to tackle hard problems. It's so typical and so tired: this practice so well honed here in Greensboro—and the N&R is a master at it—back of a hand to the head, swooning with the vapors, incensed at some perceived violation of polite manners as an excuse to avoid the inconvenient hard truths about the status quo.
Former Greensboro Police Captain Charles Cherry has been a regular speaker from the floor at Greensboro council meetings for about a year. A few weeks ago he insulted Mayor Robbie Perkins by saying that Perkins' daughter deserved a better father. Instead of taking a real look at the issues Cherry has been hammering on for months, Johnson uses the occasion of Cherry's frustration boiling over to jump on Cherry for not remaining polite in the face of months of council's inaction. Johnson even goes so far as to equate ignoring perturbed speakers with "doing a good job."
Johnson runs interference for an inept council by taking aim at Cherry's coarseness by concealing and ignoring some important facts:
As his screed on Cherry demonstrates, when it suits him Johnson is perfectly willing to intentionally deceive his readers. He got the central facts wrong on the matter of prayer before Rockingham County School Board meetings, then quietly changed his writings with no acknowledgement or apology. He also, laughably, blamed would-be performing arts center supporters for misleading the public about their fundraising while completely ignoring his own complicity* in spreading the lies. Sometimes, he just makes things up out of thin air.
So when Johnson posits that an "obvious solution" to the Charles Cherry problem is "to ban him from the Melvin Municipal Office Building during City Council meetings," that's the conclusion of a mind avoiding the facts. It not only lets council off the hook for their inability to handle tough questions, it is a dangerous proposition from a newspaper in a democracy.
"Well, I declare, I never..." is the Southerner's way of avoiding a question and the N&R deploys it with mastery: Take offense at the tone of the question as an excuse to avoid answering the question. This city is never going to be better than the backwater of mediocrity it is as long as those with influence over public opinion deploy their mock indignation to marginalize those who dare speak truth to power.
There is a lot that is wrong with Greensboro. It is not a place where the genuine thrives. It is a place where the protection of power cliques is more important than excellence and truth; where fakery and misdirection rule; where incompetents and cheats have each others' backs; where "bad manners" are an excuse to avoid hard questions—and the News & Record, news and editorial, are instrumental in protecting and fertilizing this insidious way of life.
Charles Cherry was rude and shocking. He has become impatient. He is a symptom, though—a symptom of city leadership that is too timid, too insecure, too incompetent or just too unconcerned to take on troublesome complaints. That's the real lesson of Charles Cherry, his bad manners are a but a sideshow.
* Not available online since the N&R has three times obliterated their archives in the past five years.
POST SCRIPT:
Another thing an inquisitive writer might question, if he was not just carrying water for the status quo, is why was Cherry steered by a police officer through the council chambers as he tried to leave the speakers podium? Cherry, like at least one other speaker that night, had made his way to the speaker's podium by crossing the chambers in front of the council dais. When he was finished, he attempted to leave the way he came. He was met midway by a Greensboro police officer. The reason for that is not clear. What followed is even less understandable. Instead of escorting Cherry back to his seat or to the exit, the officer steered Cherry up the central isle of the chambers, through the seats and towards the back of the room where there is no exit.
"Where am I going?" Cherry asked repeatedly. At one point, the officer backed Cherry into an umbrella on the floor, causing Cherry to trip and stumble. From there, the officer continued to escort Cherry on the now circuitous route to the exit, with Cherry loudly asking, "What have I done?"
Why was Cherry intercepted by a police officer when leaving the podium? Why was he steered closer to the city manager he had just criticized, into the heart of the assembled crowd and away from his seat and the exits? Was the officer trying to provoke Cherry into an altercation?
These are the questions the News & Record should be asking instead of the tsk, tsk tsk it aims at Cherry.
GREENSBORO, NC -- Allen Johnson, opinion editor of the News & Record, is at it again: wagging his scolding finger at the bad manners of a citizen speaker at city council meetings while giving cover to a council unable to tackle hard problems. It's so typical and so tired: this practice so well honed here in Greensboro—and the N&R is a master at it—back of a hand to the head, swooning with the vapors, incensed at some perceived violation of polite manners as an excuse to avoid the inconvenient hard truths about the status quo.
Former Greensboro Police Captain Charles Cherry has been a regular speaker from the floor at Greensboro council meetings for about a year. A few weeks ago he insulted Mayor Robbie Perkins by saying that Perkins' daughter deserved a better father. Instead of taking a real look at the issues Cherry has been hammering on for months, Johnson uses the occasion of Cherry's frustration boiling over to jump on Cherry for not remaining polite in the face of months of council's inaction. Johnson even goes so far as to equate ignoring perturbed speakers with "doing a good job."
Johnson runs interference for an inept council by taking aim at Cherry's coarseness by concealing and ignoring some important facts:
- Charles Cherry had been asking for months what is the procedure for investigating allegations of misconduct by the city manager. There wasn't one. Finally, the city manager came up with one: compaints would go to council. Cherry did just that: filed a complaint with council. To date, council has not given any public indication of whether or not it undertook an investigation of Cherry's complaints against the city manager, much less any finding of the validity of Cherry's accusations. But, for the N&R's Johnson, that is not important, the manifestations of Cherry's frustration are what he'd rather us focus on.
- Johnson's description of Cherry talking "repeatedly about oral sex," is intentionally deceptive. The important detail Johnson keeps from his sheep, I mean, readers, is that Cherry was describing the on-duty misconduct of police personnel. That is a huge difference. Is the speaker just "talking about oral sex," as the dissembling Johnson would have you believe or is he talking about police engaging in oral sex while on duty? Again, Johnson would rather ignore the trouble and focus on the messenger. A writer who creates such a gross distortion is not to be trusted.
- Cherry's attack on the mayor, by referencing the mayor's child, was mean... and not unprecedented. The mayor himself, at a council meeting in April of last year, attempted to shame a civic activist by saying, from the dais, "Please don't do this to your children" (Here, at the 1:01:00 mark) There was one huge difference between Cherry's comments and Perkins', however: Perkins made his comments in the presence of the speaker's children. The mayor's comments even made the speaker's daughter cry, as can be seen on the video at the 1:02:40 mark as a friend escorts the children from the chambers.
From Johnson's perspective, a citizen long-ignored and outside the bounds of power goes "too far" when he says the mayor is a bad parent but, even though Johnson wrote about the other meeting where the mayor's conduct deserved the same condemnation,* Johnson had nothing to say about the mayor, during a live meeting, with microphone on and cameras rolling, attempting to embarrass a citizen in front of, and by referencing, his children.
Hypocrite, I believe, applies; both to Johnson's selective outrage and to the Mayor who found Cherry's conduct "disgusting" but never apologized or expressed regret for his similar, if not worse, conduct.
- The mayor was not, as Johnson writes, "defending his children." Cherry did not attack the mayor's child. Cherry insinuated that Perkins was a bad father. He said Perkins daughter (he named her) "deserves a better father." This in the context of the mayor having been recently sued for back child support. Johnson deflects that criticism though and recast it as a contemptible, but untrue, attack on the mayor's child.
- What Johnson describes as Cherry "getting into it" with Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson also looks a lot different when the facts are applied. Cherry has taken to asking Yvonne Johnson if all of the police officers, all black, in the infamous "black book" were on duty at the time of the alleged offense for which the black book was created—a fact crucial to the legitimacy of the line-up book as a proper investigative tool. Yvonne Johnson was mayor then. She saw the black book in a closed council session. It's a good question. she should answer it.
This is precisely the kind of clear and concise question Allen Johnson says speakers should ask.Yet, he ignores months upon months of council inaction on Cherry's issues and only pipes up when things get testy—and then only to misassign blame to a possible victim of city employee misconduct.
[That Johnson would steer clear of the black book question is unsurprising. He has buried his head in the sand on the issue. Although he once insisted in a published editorial that we must get to the bottom of the black book,* when the facts surrounding the black book started to reveal themselves to be in contradiction to the false narrative constructed by his paper, Johnson's oh so sincere concern for the truth disappeared and he never wrote another word about it.]
As his screed on Cherry demonstrates, when it suits him Johnson is perfectly willing to intentionally deceive his readers. He got the central facts wrong on the matter of prayer before Rockingham County School Board meetings, then quietly changed his writings with no acknowledgement or apology. He also, laughably, blamed would-be performing arts center supporters for misleading the public about their fundraising while completely ignoring his own complicity* in spreading the lies. Sometimes, he just makes things up out of thin air.
So when Johnson posits that an "obvious solution" to the Charles Cherry problem is "to ban him from the Melvin Municipal Office Building during City Council meetings," that's the conclusion of a mind avoiding the facts. It not only lets council off the hook for their inability to handle tough questions, it is a dangerous proposition from a newspaper in a democracy.
"Well, I declare, I never..." is the Southerner's way of avoiding a question and the N&R deploys it with mastery: Take offense at the tone of the question as an excuse to avoid answering the question. This city is never going to be better than the backwater of mediocrity it is as long as those with influence over public opinion deploy their mock indignation to marginalize those who dare speak truth to power.
There is a lot that is wrong with Greensboro. It is not a place where the genuine thrives. It is a place where the protection of power cliques is more important than excellence and truth; where fakery and misdirection rule; where incompetents and cheats have each others' backs; where "bad manners" are an excuse to avoid hard questions—and the News & Record, news and editorial, are instrumental in protecting and fertilizing this insidious way of life.
Charles Cherry was rude and shocking. He has become impatient. He is a symptom, though—a symptom of city leadership that is too timid, too insecure, too incompetent or just too unconcerned to take on troublesome complaints. That's the real lesson of Charles Cherry, his bad manners are a but a sideshow.
* Not available online since the N&R has three times obliterated their archives in the past five years.
POST SCRIPT:
Another thing an inquisitive writer might question, if he was not just carrying water for the status quo, is why was Cherry steered by a police officer through the council chambers as he tried to leave the speakers podium? Cherry, like at least one other speaker that night, had made his way to the speaker's podium by crossing the chambers in front of the council dais. When he was finished, he attempted to leave the way he came. He was met midway by a Greensboro police officer. The reason for that is not clear. What followed is even less understandable. Instead of escorting Cherry back to his seat or to the exit, the officer steered Cherry up the central isle of the chambers, through the seats and towards the back of the room where there is no exit.
"Where am I going?" Cherry asked repeatedly. At one point, the officer backed Cherry into an umbrella on the floor, causing Cherry to trip and stumble. From there, the officer continued to escort Cherry on the now circuitous route to the exit, with Cherry loudly asking, "What have I done?"
Why was Cherry intercepted by a police officer when leaving the podium? Why was he steered closer to the city manager he had just criticized, into the heart of the assembled crowd and away from his seat and the exits? Was the officer trying to provoke Cherry into an altercation?
These are the questions the News & Record should be asking instead of the tsk, tsk tsk it aims at Cherry.
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