Residents attempting to join in a collaborative planning process for the rural area dubbed “Heart of the Triad” (HOT) CLICKHERE , continue to be frustrated. The HOT Strategic Planning Committee (elected officials) refused to accept the Ethical Principles of the American Planning Association and common bylaws for all committees. Willingness to ensure consistent meaningful public involvement in the planning process is threatened. The Technical Committee has already held a closed, unannounced meeting. Kernersville planner, Jeff Hatling has made it clear that the Technical Committee does not plan to follow the rules of open government as Greensboro Attorney Becky Peterson-Buie indicated were appropriate for Heart of the Triad actions.
Just yesterday, a PART bus was used in a tour of the Heart of the Triad area, but empty seats were favored over interested landowners. That’s right! My neighbors and I requested a seat on the PART bus, paid for with our tax dollars, fueled by tax our dollars, but we were refused. Landowners on the Stakeholders Committee were not allowed to have alternates, even though many of us must use vacation days to attend the HOT meetings usually held at 8:30am. HOT advocates have made it as difficult as possible for us to be involved in planning to save our heritage and a community we cherish.
County clerks for Guilford and Forsyth indicate there are no ethical policies for our commissioners. None of the municipalities involved in HOT are on the list of covered entities by the NC State Ethics Commission.
Mark McDonald, Transportation planner for High Point, confirmed that the North-South Connector, aka Heart of the Triad Parkway is planned to accommodate the plans of developers interested in the HOT area. Speculative growth indicated in the Heart of the Triad plans will forever be viewed with skepticism due to the conflicts of interests by many of the players still seated at the planning table. According to former President of the American Planning Association, Gregory Dale, “The most sensitive ethical area involves a perception that a planning board member is acting in a way to advance his own interests. A planner’s greatest asset is credibility; once damaged, that credibility may be impossible to restore”.
We requested adherence to APA ethical principles that value public participation in the planning process, for an environmentally and fiscally responsible land-use and transportation plan for our area. Advocates of Heart of the Triad need a moral compass.
Cathy M. Poole
Coalition of Concerned Citizens of the Triad
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Eyeblast.tv - Remembering The 'Bridge To Nowhere'
THANK YOU TED STEVENS YOU WERE SUCH A GREAT REPUBLICAN
NOT, Maybe you and Duke Cunningham could swap earmarks stories in jail.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
TEAMSTERS LOCAL #391 GIVES TO THE AT- LARGE GUILFORD SCHOOL BOARD RACE
Local Teamsters #391 Carolina Drive Chapter 1 State Account of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters CLICKHERE , has started giving campaign contributions to local politicians vying for office in Guilford County.
With the second quarter ending 6-30-08 it was interesting to see that Local Teamsters #391 gave campaign contributions to only 7 people and 2 were to Guilford County School Board At-Large candidates for the fall.
Local Teamsters #391 gave
Guilford County At Large Candidate
Michael McKinney
4/25/08
$250.00
Guilford County At Large Candidate
Sandra Alexander
4/25/08
$250.00
Why would the Teamsters give money to the local school board race?
The last time they gave to a Guilford County School Board member was in 7/15/04 Amos Quick $510.00
10/18/04 Amos Quick $500.00
There is one major issue in which the Teamsters along with the N.C. Hope Coalition CLICKHERE are trying to restore house bill 1583. This would restore contract rights for state and local government workers.Hope stands for "Hear our Public Employees".
This will be interesting to see if the State Legislators will try to restore this bill in the Long Session starting in 2009 and to see how much campaign contributions were given by the local Teamsters #391 and if you would like to see their campaign contributions CLICKHERE and their name to look up the campaign contributions is carolina drive.
Below is a video from HOPE and the house bill 1583
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2007
H 2
HOUSE BILL 1583
Committee Substitute Favorable 7/9/07
Short Title: Restore Contract Rights to State/Local.
(Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
April 19, 2007
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to restore contract rights to state and local entities.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1. G.S. 95‑98 is repealed.
SECTION 2. G.S. 135‑18.8 reads as rewritten:
"§ 135‑18.8. Deduction for payments to certain employees' or retirees' associations allowed.
Any beneficiary who is a member of a domiciled employees' or retirees' association that has at least 2,000 members, the majority of whom are active or retired employees of the State or public school employees, may authorize, in writing, the periodic deduction from the beneficiary's retirement benefits a designated lump sum to be paid to the employees' or retirees' association. The authorization shall remain in effect until revoked by the beneficiary.
SECTION 3. G.S. 143B‑426.40A(g) reads as rewritten:
"(g) Payroll Deduction for Payments to Certain Employees' Associations Allowed. – An employee of the State or any of its political subdivisions, institutions, departments, bureaus, agencies or commissions, or any of its local boards of education or community colleges, who is a member of a domiciled employees' association that has at least 2,000 members, 500 of whom are employees of the State, a political subdivision of the State, or public school employees, may authorize, in writing, the periodic deduction each payroll period from the employee's salary or wages a designated lump sum to be paid to the employees' association. A political subdivision may also allow periodic deductions for a domiciled employees' association that does not otherwise meet the minimum membership requirements set forth in this paragraph.
An employee of any local board of education who is a member of a domiciled employees' association that has at least 40,000 members, the majority of whom are public school teachers, may authorize in writing the periodic deduction each payroll period from the employee's salary or wages a designated lump sum or sums to be paid for dues and voluntary contributions for the employees' association.
An authorization under this subsection shall remain in effect until revoked by the employee. This subsection does not apply to county or municipal governments or any local governmental unit, except for local boards of education."
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated to the Office of State Personnel in fiscal year 2007‑2008, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) shall be allocated to develop a proposal for an employee negotiation process and to designate a coordinator of employee negotiations for State employees. The Office of State Personnel in consultation with the Director of the Budget shall establish the criteria for certification of employee organizations to participate in the negotiation process and identify the appropriate employer representative. The Office of State Personnel shall report on its proposal for a State employee negotiation process to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations on or before April 1, 2008.
SECTION 4. Section 3 of this act is effective when it becomes law. The remainder of the act becomes effective July 1, 2008.
With the second quarter ending 6-30-08 it was interesting to see that Local Teamsters #391 gave campaign contributions to only 7 people and 2 were to Guilford County School Board At-Large candidates for the fall.
Local Teamsters #391 gave
Guilford County At Large Candidate
Michael McKinney
4/25/08
$250.00
Guilford County At Large Candidate
Sandra Alexander
4/25/08
$250.00
Why would the Teamsters give money to the local school board race?
The last time they gave to a Guilford County School Board member was in 7/15/04 Amos Quick $510.00
10/18/04 Amos Quick $500.00
There is one major issue in which the Teamsters along with the N.C. Hope Coalition CLICKHERE are trying to restore house bill 1583. This would restore contract rights for state and local government workers.Hope stands for "Hear our Public Employees".
This will be interesting to see if the State Legislators will try to restore this bill in the Long Session starting in 2009 and to see how much campaign contributions were given by the local Teamsters #391 and if you would like to see their campaign contributions CLICKHERE and their name to look up the campaign contributions is carolina drive.
Below is a video from HOPE and the house bill 1583
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2007
H 2
HOUSE BILL 1583
Committee Substitute Favorable 7/9/07
Short Title: Restore Contract Rights to State/Local.
(Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
April 19, 2007
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to restore contract rights to state and local entities.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1. G.S. 95‑98 is repealed.
SECTION 2. G.S. 135‑18.8 reads as rewritten:
"§ 135‑18.8. Deduction for payments to certain employees' or retirees' associations allowed.
Any beneficiary who is a member of a domiciled employees' or retirees' association that has at least 2,000 members, the majority of whom are active or retired employees of the State or public school employees, may authorize, in writing, the periodic deduction from the beneficiary's retirement benefits a designated lump sum to be paid to the employees' or retirees' association. The authorization shall remain in effect until revoked by the beneficiary.
SECTION 3. G.S. 143B‑426.40A(g) reads as rewritten:
"(g) Payroll Deduction for Payments to Certain Employees' Associations Allowed. – An employee of the State or any of its political subdivisions, institutions, departments, bureaus, agencies or commissions, or any of its local boards of education or community colleges, who is a member of a domiciled employees' association that has at least 2,000 members, 500 of whom are employees of the State, a political subdivision of the State, or public school employees, may authorize, in writing, the periodic deduction each payroll period from the employee's salary or wages a designated lump sum to be paid to the employees' association. A political subdivision may also allow periodic deductions for a domiciled employees' association that does not otherwise meet the minimum membership requirements set forth in this paragraph.
An employee of any local board of education who is a member of a domiciled employees' association that has at least 40,000 members, the majority of whom are public school teachers, may authorize in writing the periodic deduction each payroll period from the employee's salary or wages a designated lump sum or sums to be paid for dues and voluntary contributions for the employees' association.
An authorization under this subsection shall remain in effect until revoked by the employee. This subsection does not apply to county or municipal governments or any local governmental unit, except for local boards of education."
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated to the Office of State Personnel in fiscal year 2007‑2008, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) shall be allocated to develop a proposal for an employee negotiation process and to designate a coordinator of employee negotiations for State employees. The Office of State Personnel in consultation with the Director of the Budget shall establish the criteria for certification of employee organizations to participate in the negotiation process and identify the appropriate employer representative. The Office of State Personnel shall report on its proposal for a State employee negotiation process to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations on or before April 1, 2008.
SECTION 4. Section 3 of this act is effective when it becomes law. The remainder of the act becomes effective July 1, 2008.
PORKER OF THE MONTH GOES TO
Porker of the Month:
Rep. John Mica
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) Porker of the Month for his opposition to an earmark ban and defense of earmarks. According to the Orlando Sentinel, on July 8, Rep. Mica said, “There’s no way in hell I would support banning earmarks…That’s our job, getting elected and making decisions. Yes, there are bad earmarks, like there are bad members of Congress. And what you do is get rid of them.” Earmarking is not Congress’ “job,” as Rep. Mica claims. Before the 1980s, Congress would fund general grant programs and let federal and state agencies select individual recipients through a competitive process or formula. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees named specific projects only when they had been the subject of hearings and approved by authorizing committees. Members of Congress with local concerns would lobby the president and federal agencies for consideration. The normal budget process, which is aimed at preventing abuse and allocating resources on the basis of merit and need, has become a sideshow in the scramble by individual Appropriations Committee members to pick winners and losers based on seniority. For opposing an earmark ban or moratorium and defending the out-of-control earmarking process, CAGW names Rep. John Mica its July 2008 Porker of the Month.
Read more about the Porker of the Month CLICKHERE
Rep. John Mica
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) Porker of the Month for his opposition to an earmark ban and defense of earmarks. According to the Orlando Sentinel, on July 8, Rep. Mica said, “There’s no way in hell I would support banning earmarks…That’s our job, getting elected and making decisions. Yes, there are bad earmarks, like there are bad members of Congress. And what you do is get rid of them.” Earmarking is not Congress’ “job,” as Rep. Mica claims. Before the 1980s, Congress would fund general grant programs and let federal and state agencies select individual recipients through a competitive process or formula. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees named specific projects only when they had been the subject of hearings and approved by authorizing committees. Members of Congress with local concerns would lobby the president and federal agencies for consideration. The normal budget process, which is aimed at preventing abuse and allocating resources on the basis of merit and need, has become a sideshow in the scramble by individual Appropriations Committee members to pick winners and losers based on seniority. For opposing an earmark ban or moratorium and defending the out-of-control earmarking process, CAGW names Rep. John Mica its July 2008 Porker of the Month.
Read more about the Porker of the Month CLICKHERE
Monday, July 28, 2008
NEWSBUSTED is GREAT VIDEO COME CHECK IT OUT
Independent Voters of Guilford County here is your link to the Candidates from TRIADWATCH
This message is to all the independent voters of Guilford County who need a place to check out all the candidates who are on the ballot in November from Guilford County. On the side of TRIADWATCH there are links to each candidates web site from the President of the United States candidat
es,U.S. House candidates, North Carolina Governor candidates, all the way down to a very interesting local race in High Point between John Faircloth and Jim Corey.
If there are any websites that need to be updated please let TRIADWATCH know .
One of the most disturbing aspects of these districts is to see the high number of local politicians who have no opposition in this state some of this is due to the lovely word called gerrymandering.There is hope to change this process in the future one organization is trying to make a difference North Carolina Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform CLICKHERE , they also have a section called restoring voter choice and accountability CLICKHERE . When the U.S. Census comes out with their numbers in a few years the process of gerrymandering will play out for all to see and the Party in power will manipulate to their advantage. Also BlueNC has a great article on this issue CLICKHERE , there you can see U.S. House of Representatives Mel Watt's gerrymandered district or just look above.
es,U.S. House candidates, North Carolina Governor candidates, all the way down to a very interesting local race in High Point between John Faircloth and Jim Corey.If there are any websites that need to be updated please let TRIADWATCH know .
One of the most disturbing aspects of these districts is to see the high number of local politicians who have no opposition in this state some of this is due to the lovely word called gerrymandering.There is hope to change this process in the future one organization is trying to make a difference North Carolina Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform CLICKHERE , they also have a section called restoring voter choice and accountability CLICKHERE . When the U.S. Census comes out with their numbers in a few years the process of gerrymandering will play out for all to see and the Party in power will manipulate to their advantage. Also BlueNC has a great article on this issue CLICKHERE , there you can see U.S. House of Representatives Mel Watt's gerrymandered district or just look above.
For example, here is the list of all Guilford County Candidates with no opposition,
N.C. State Senate #26
Phil Berger, no opposition
N.C. State Senate #28
Katie Dorsett, no opposition
N.C. State Senate #33
Stan Bingham, no opposition
State House # 57
Pricey Harrison, no opposition
State House #60
Earl Jones, no opposition
State House#61
Laura Wiley, no opposition
State House#62
John Blust, no opposition
Register of Deeds
Jeff Thigpen, no opposition
Guilford County Commissioners
Billy Yow, no opposition
Mike Winstead, no opposition
Skip Alston, no opposition
Guilford County Board of Education
Amos Quick, no opposition
J.Carlvena Foster, no opposition
Paul Daniels, no opposition
Kris Cooke, no opposition
High Point Mayor
Becky Smothers, no opposition
High Point Ward #1
Bernita Sims, no opposition
High Point Ward#3
Mike Pugh, no opposition
High Point Ward#4
Bill Bencini, no opposition
High Point Ward#5
Christopher Whitley, no opposition
UPDATE
there is also another post on this subject where brenda bowers remembered from the past and here is the link CLICKHERE
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Local Bloggers Opining on the Greensboro Police Department Read This
To all local bloggers who are opining on the Greensboro Police Department. There is a situation in Memphis which might be a problem for people who use anonymous as their name in the blogosphere, click here
Your best bet might just be to send your letter in the mail to the Rhinoceros Times.
Your best bet might just be to send your letter in the mail to the Rhinoceros Times.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Greensboro Based North Carolina Association of Realtors Has Some Explaining To Do
Greensboro based North Carolina Association of Realtors click here will have to do some explaining to the North Carolina Board of Elections. As reported today by the News and Observer Under the Dome click here .
One of the points of contention is the Realtors PAC supporting ballot intiatives, but if you can see from their web site the Realtors PAC has this to say,
The North Carolina REALTORS® Political Action Committee (“NC RPAC”) is a non-partisan committee organized for the specific purpose of raising funds to support political candidates of all parties at the local, state and federal levels of government. We take great pride in the fact that NC RPAC consistently is the No. 1 business PAC in the state! It is essential that we are able to support the candidates that will fight for issues important to us when elected. Your RPAC contributions are the key to our being able to make a difference in the Legislature
As you can see there isn't one mention of supporting ballot intiatives for their PAC only candidates.
Also on Tuesday July 22, 2008, it seems like a mini upheavel with some of the realtors of this state because the N.C. Realtors are demanding more money for dues in part because their Issues Mobilization Fund was depleted down to $263,000 because of the land transfer tax ballots in 19 counties which was defeated all over this state, Greensboro News and Record AP story on this issue click here .
It will be interesting to see what the North Carolina Board of Elections has to say about this.
UPDATE :
There is a site dedicated to the overreaching power of the North Carolina Association of Realtors,
CLICKHERE
It is called Stop the N C Home Ticks
One of the points of contention is the Realtors PAC supporting ballot intiatives, but if you can see from their web site the Realtors PAC has this to say,
The North Carolina REALTORS® Political Action Committee (“NC RPAC”) is a non-partisan committee organized for the specific purpose of raising funds to support political candidates of all parties at the local, state and federal levels of government. We take great pride in the fact that NC RPAC consistently is the No. 1 business PAC in the state! It is essential that we are able to support the candidates that will fight for issues important to us when elected. Your RPAC contributions are the key to our being able to make a difference in the Legislature
As you can see there isn't one mention of supporting ballot intiatives for their PAC only candidates.
Also on Tuesday July 22, 2008, it seems like a mini upheavel with some of the realtors of this state because the N.C. Realtors are demanding more money for dues in part because their Issues Mobilization Fund was depleted down to $263,000 because of the land transfer tax ballots in 19 counties which was defeated all over this state, Greensboro News and Record AP story on this issue click here .
It will be interesting to see what the North Carolina Board of Elections has to say about this.
UPDATE :
There is a site dedicated to the overreaching power of the North Carolina Association of Realtors,
CLICKHERE
It is called Stop the N C Home Ticks
Guilford County Commissioner Skip Alston might need a new Treasurer, not himself.
The Guilford County Board of Elections has updated their site to include the new 2nd quarter candidate financial reports for 2008. CLICKHERE . Or you can click on the headline and it will show you Skip Alston's 2nd quarter returns.
Guilford County Commissioner Skip Alston campaign contribution forms for 2008 might need a complete overhaul or maybe a new treasurer . It might be tough to fire Mr. Alston's treasurer since it is none other than himself .
According to North Carolina General Statutes 163-278.11
§ 163‑278.11. Contents of treasurer's statement of receipts and expenditures.
(a) Statements filed pursuant to provisions of this Article shall set forth the following:
(1) Contributions. – Except as provided in subsection (a1) of this section, a list of all contributions received by or on behalf of a candidate, political committee, or referendum committee. The statement shall list the name and complete mailing address of each contributor, the amount contributed, the principal occupation of the contributor, and the date such contribution was received. The total sum of all contributions to date shall be plainly exhibited. Forms for required reports shall be prescribed by the Board. As used in this section, "principal occupation of the contributor" means the contributor's:
a. Job title or profession; and
b. Employer's name or employer's specific field of business activity.
The State Board of Elections shall prepare a schedule of specific fields of business activity, adapting or modifying as it deems suitable the business activity classifications of the Internal Revenue Code or other relevant classification schedules. In reporting a contributor's specific field of business activity, the treasurer shall use the classification schedule prepared by the State Board.
Let's take a closer look at Mr. Alston's campaign report for the first quarter that was reported on 4-23-08. Every single contributor that gave to his campaign which was a total of 10 people didn't have a single box filled in for their Job Title or Employers name. As you can see from above in the North Carolina General Statute these 2 important items need to be filled out by the treasurer before they are turned in to the Board of Elections.There are some notable campaign contributors who are well known in the political circles of Guilford County for example,
Marc Isaacson $100.00, no job title or employer name , Mr. Alston clickhere
Henry Isaacson $100.00, no job title or employer name, Mr. Alston clickhere
Jeff Thigpen, $150.00 , no job title or employer name, Mr. Alston clickhere
Desmond Sheridan $50.00, no job title or employer name, Mr. Alston clickhere
W.S. Morris , $500.00, no job title or employer name, Mr. Alston clickhere
This was from the first quarter where he ended up with $2,550 total which has some aggregated funds as well which are reported on a separate form.
Then on to the 2nd quarter reports where you are suppose to report your total from the first quarter it states $2,650 where did $100.00 come from?
The 2nd quarter report were even worse than the first quarter report for campaign contributions to Skip Alston's campaign for Guilford County Commissioner.Out of 11 campaign contributions only 1 person had a job title which was Rufus Farrior Attorney who gave $200.00. There were 10 contributors with no job title or employer and of those 10 campaign contributors 6 of them have no address just name and city. On top of that there was not one date on when the contributions were made to the campaign.Let me help the treasurer out a little bit on the information,
Bryan Nelson, $1,000, no job title or employer name, Mr. Alston clickhere
Here is a list of the contributors with only name and city
Stephanie K. Craft
Greensboro N.C.
Ashley K. Vanore
Greensboro N.C.
Kelly K. Harrill
Greensboro N.C.
Lisa K. Johnson
Greensboro N.C.
George Durham
Greensboro N.C.
Stephen Showfety
Greensboro N.C.
All you need to do to get 5 of these names off this list is either go to plenty of other people on the Guilford County Board of Elections web site click here then if you want click on Robbie Perkins 2007 campaign contributions or just click here which is the Koury Corporation and you could get Stephen Showfety, and Kelly Harrill address, occupation and job title.Ashley Vanore is the late Joseph Koury's daughter.Lisa Johnson and Stephanie Craft are also with Koury Corporation.
There is a part of the North Carolina General Statute called best efforts,
(c) Best Efforts. – When a treasurer shows that best efforts have been used to obtain, maintain, and submit the information required by this Article for the candidate or political committee, any report of that candidate or committee shall be considered in compliance with this Article and shall not be the basis for criminal prosecution or the imposition of civil penalties, other than forfeiture of a contribution improperly accepted under this Article. The State Board of Elections shall promulgate rules that specify what are "best efforts" for purposes of this Article, adapting as it deems suitable the provisions of 11 C.F.R. § 104.7. The rules shall include a provision that if the treasurer, after complying with this Article and the rules, does not know the occupation of the contributor, it shall suffice for the treasurer to report "unable to obtain". (1973, c. 1272, s. 1; 1977, c. 635, s. 2; 1979, c. 1073, s. 20; 1997‑515, ss. 2(a), (b), 3(a); 2006‑161, s. 4; 2006‑195, s. 5; 2007‑391, s. 35(a).)
In Mr. Alston's case it seems like best efforts was thrown out the door in reporting campaign contributions. This type of reporting for any candidate is sad to see and I hope the Guilford County Board of Elections can identify these lax reporting and hold them accountable. It is not very hard to get this information on these forms and it might be time for Mr. Alston to hire a treasurer or start reporting what is a part of the laws of this State of North Carolina.
UPDATE: Brenda Wallace from the Guilford County Board of Elections has informed me that Mr. Alston will complete the missing information and have an amended report.
Guilford County Commissioner Skip Alston campaign contribution forms for 2008 might need a complete overhaul or maybe a new treasurer . It might be tough to fire Mr. Alston's treasurer since it is none other than himself .
According to North Carolina General Statutes 163-278.11
§ 163‑278.11. Contents of treasurer's statement of receipts and expenditures.
(a) Statements filed pursuant to provisions of this Article shall set forth the following:
(1) Contributions. – Except as provided in subsection (a1) of this section, a list of all contributions received by or on behalf of a candidate, political committee, or referendum committee. The statement shall list the name and complete mailing address of each contributor, the amount contributed, the principal occupation of the contributor, and the date such contribution was received. The total sum of all contributions to date shall be plainly exhibited. Forms for required reports shall be prescribed by the Board. As used in this section, "principal occupation of the contributor" means the contributor's:
a. Job title or profession; and
b. Employer's name or employer's specific field of business activity.
The State Board of Elections shall prepare a schedule of specific fields of business activity, adapting or modifying as it deems suitable the business activity classifications of the Internal Revenue Code or other relevant classification schedules. In reporting a contributor's specific field of business activity, the treasurer shall use the classification schedule prepared by the State Board.
Let's take a closer look at Mr. Alston's campaign report for the first quarter that was reported on 4-23-08. Every single contributor that gave to his campaign which was a total of 10 people didn't have a single box filled in for their Job Title or Employers name. As you can see from above in the North Carolina General Statute these 2 important items need to be filled out by the treasurer before they are turned in to the Board of Elections.There are some notable campaign contributors who are well known in the political circles of Guilford County for example,
Marc Isaacson $100.00, no job title or employer name , Mr. Alston clickhere
Henry Isaacson $100.00, no job title or employer name, Mr. Alston clickhere
Jeff Thigpen, $150.00 , no job title or employer name, Mr. Alston clickhere
Desmond Sheridan $50.00, no job title or employer name, Mr. Alston clickhere
W.S. Morris , $500.00, no job title or employer name, Mr. Alston clickhere
This was from the first quarter where he ended up with $2,550 total which has some aggregated funds as well which are reported on a separate form.
Then on to the 2nd quarter reports where you are suppose to report your total from the first quarter it states $2,650 where did $100.00 come from?
The 2nd quarter report were even worse than the first quarter report for campaign contributions to Skip Alston's campaign for Guilford County Commissioner.Out of 11 campaign contributions only 1 person had a job title which was Rufus Farrior Attorney who gave $200.00. There were 10 contributors with no job title or employer and of those 10 campaign contributors 6 of them have no address just name and city. On top of that there was not one date on when the contributions were made to the campaign.Let me help the treasurer out a little bit on the information,
Bryan Nelson, $1,000, no job title or employer name, Mr. Alston clickhere
Here is a list of the contributors with only name and city
Stephanie K. Craft
Greensboro N.C.
Ashley K. Vanore
Greensboro N.C.
Kelly K. Harrill
Greensboro N.C.
Lisa K. Johnson
Greensboro N.C.
George Durham
Greensboro N.C.
Stephen Showfety
Greensboro N.C.
All you need to do to get 5 of these names off this list is either go to plenty of other people on the Guilford County Board of Elections web site click here then if you want click on Robbie Perkins 2007 campaign contributions or just click here which is the Koury Corporation and you could get Stephen Showfety, and Kelly Harrill address, occupation and job title.Ashley Vanore is the late Joseph Koury's daughter.Lisa Johnson and Stephanie Craft are also with Koury Corporation.
There is a part of the North Carolina General Statute called best efforts,
(c) Best Efforts. – When a treasurer shows that best efforts have been used to obtain, maintain, and submit the information required by this Article for the candidate or political committee, any report of that candidate or committee shall be considered in compliance with this Article and shall not be the basis for criminal prosecution or the imposition of civil penalties, other than forfeiture of a contribution improperly accepted under this Article. The State Board of Elections shall promulgate rules that specify what are "best efforts" for purposes of this Article, adapting as it deems suitable the provisions of 11 C.F.R. § 104.7. The rules shall include a provision that if the treasurer, after complying with this Article and the rules, does not know the occupation of the contributor, it shall suffice for the treasurer to report "unable to obtain". (1973, c. 1272, s. 1; 1977, c. 635, s. 2; 1979, c. 1073, s. 20; 1997‑515, ss. 2(a), (b), 3(a); 2006‑161, s. 4; 2006‑195, s. 5; 2007‑391, s. 35(a).)
In Mr. Alston's case it seems like best efforts was thrown out the door in reporting campaign contributions. This type of reporting for any candidate is sad to see and I hope the Guilford County Board of Elections can identify these lax reporting and hold them accountable. It is not very hard to get this information on these forms and it might be time for Mr. Alston to hire a treasurer or start reporting what is a part of the laws of this State of North Carolina.
UPDATE: Brenda Wallace from the Guilford County Board of Elections has informed me that Mr. Alston will complete the missing information and have an amended report.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Jeff Thigpen Register of Deeds in Guilford County claims insanity
Jeff Thigpen Chairman of the Register of Deeds for Guilford County has some explaining to do.
According to the Guilford County Board of Elections campaign donor site which can be accessed from the front page of TRIADWATCH. There seems to be a case for temporary insanity on behalf of Jeff Thigpen.
Why should Jeff Thigpen need to go to Butner because in his campaign filings he gave $100 on 5-2-08 to the Committee to Elect Billy Yow who is a Guilford County Commissioner. The interesting aspect of this is on the form needed to fill out there is a comment section and in the comment section Jeff Thigpen said the following:
MOMENT OF INSANITY....
According to the Guilford County Board of Elections campaign donor site which can be accessed from the front page of TRIADWATCH. There seems to be a case for temporary insanity on behalf of Jeff Thigpen.
Why should Jeff Thigpen need to go to Butner because in his campaign filings he gave $100 on 5-2-08 to the Committee to Elect Billy Yow who is a Guilford County Commissioner. The interesting aspect of this is on the form needed to fill out there is a comment section and in the comment section Jeff Thigpen said the following:
MOMENT OF INSANITY....
Roy Carroll + PAC = Greensboro City Council
Local Developer Roy Carroll has a Political Action Committee. If you weren't aware of this enclosed is their information .
North Carolinians for Leadership in Government (PAC)
404 North Eugene Street
Greensboro N.C. 27401
336-274-8531
Treasurer, Curtis Nichols
Date organized 10-12-07
The statement of organization was not sent to the State Board of Elections until 10-24-07 but the giving started on 10-16-08.
RECEIPTS
10/17/2007
ROY E CARROLL II
PRESIDENT/OWNEROLD SOUTH HOME COMPANY
3619 CAMDEN FALLS CIRCLE
GREENSBORO, NC 27410
Individual Contribution
Check
$4000.00
10/17/2007
VANESSA Y CARROLL
HOUSEWIFEHOUSEWIFE
3619 CAMDEN FALLS CIRCLE
GREENSBORO, NC 27410
Individual Contribution
Check
$4000.00
Total ALL Receipts:
$8,000.00
Expenditures
10/16/2007
DIANE BELLAMY-SMALL
GREENSBORO, NC
CONTRIBUTION
Check
$1000.00
10/16/2007
ROBBIE PERKINS
GREENSBORO, NC
CONTRIBUTION
Check
$1000.00
10/16/2007
SANDRA ANDERSON GROAT
GREENSBORO, NC
CONTRIBUTION
Check
$1000.00
10/16/2007
TRUDY WADE
GREENSBORO, NC
CONTRIBUTION
Check
$1000.00
10/16/2007
YVONNE JOHNSON
GREENSBORO, NC
CONTRIBUTIONS
Check
$1000.00
10/16/2007
ZACK METHENY
GREENSBORO, NC
CONTRIBUTION
Check
$1000.00
Total ALL Expenditures:
$6,000.00
This was there initial disclosure and as you can see it was a rush job to start this Political Action Committee to hand out money to the Greensboro City Council.Some of the general requirements state that in order for political action committees to support or oppose candidates in North Carolina, they must first register with the appropriate board of elections office. As you can see they sent their letter to the state on 10-24-07 well after they started giving out money to the candidates.
Another point is that for a political committee supporting or opposing candidates within a single county or municipality, organization would take place at the county board of elections office. For political committees (PAC's) supporting or opposing 1 candidates for statewide office or 2 candidates in more than one county or 3 a candidate in a district that has more than one county , organization would take place at the Campaign Finance Office of the State Board of Election.
As you can see North Carolinians for Leadership in Government has only given to local politicians so the registration should have been made at the Guilford County Board of Elections not the state.
Here are the results for the year end semi annual report
Receipts
11/05/2007
ROY E CARROLL SR3131 BROOKFOREST DRGREENSBORO, NC 27406
Individual Contribution
Check
$2200.00
Date
11/14/2007
SANDRA ANDERSON GROAT
Refund/Reimbursment to the Committee
CANDIDATE LOST ORIGINAL CHECK
NCGL1
Check
$1000.00
Total ALL Receipts:
$3,200.00
Note Sandra Anderson Groat lost original check for $1,000 and then got another check for $965 on 11/14-07
Expenditures Semi Annual Report ending 12-31-07
11/01/2007
GOLDIE WELLS
GREENSBORO, NC
Contribution to Candidate or Political Committee
Check
$1000.00
10/25/2007
KEVIN GREEN
GREENSBORO, NC
Contribution to Candidate or Political Committee
Check
$1000.00
First Quarter Report for 2008
Receipts
04/11/2008
ROY E. CARROLL IIPRESIDENT/OWNEROLD SOUTH HOME COMPANY3619 CAMDEN FALLS CIRCLEGREENSBORO, NC 27410
Individual Contribution
Check
$2000.00
Total Amount
Total ALL Receipts:
$2,000.00
As you can see that the only Greensboro City Council members who didn't get any money from this PAC were Mike Barber, and Mary Rakestraw.
They haven't filled out a second quarter form but the recipients from the second quarter of the North Carolinians for Leadership in Government are 2 at large Guilford County Commissioners .
Expenditures
Paul Gibson (D) 5-2-08 for $1,000
Kirk Perkins (D) 5-6-08 for $1,000
As you can see this PAC should only be registered in Guilford County not the state. There are plenty of other PAC's that will be getting a closer look at for example Triad Good Government PAC, SIMKINS PAC, and other groups and organizations in this area.This is just the start of looking into campaign contributions and Political Action Committee's of local politicians.If you would like to look at the different campaign contributions on the main page of TRIADWATCH there are links in the left hand side of site titled "Look up campaign contributions.Have a great day.
North Carolinians for Leadership in Government (PAC)
404 North Eugene Street
Greensboro N.C. 27401
336-274-8531
Treasurer, Curtis Nichols
Date organized 10-12-07
The statement of organization was not sent to the State Board of Elections until 10-24-07 but the giving started on 10-16-08.
RECEIPTS
10/17/2007
ROY E CARROLL II
PRESIDENT/OWNEROLD SOUTH HOME COMPANY
3619 CAMDEN FALLS CIRCLE
GREENSBORO, NC 27410
Individual Contribution
Check
$4000.00
10/17/2007
VANESSA Y CARROLL
HOUSEWIFEHOUSEWIFE
3619 CAMDEN FALLS CIRCLE
GREENSBORO, NC 27410
Individual Contribution
Check
$4000.00
Total ALL Receipts:
$8,000.00
Expenditures
10/16/2007
DIANE BELLAMY-SMALL
GREENSBORO, NC
CONTRIBUTION
Check
$1000.00
10/16/2007
ROBBIE PERKINS
GREENSBORO, NC
CONTRIBUTION
Check
$1000.00
10/16/2007
SANDRA ANDERSON GROAT
GREENSBORO, NC
CONTRIBUTION
Check
$1000.00
10/16/2007
TRUDY WADE
GREENSBORO, NC
CONTRIBUTION
Check
$1000.00
10/16/2007
YVONNE JOHNSON
GREENSBORO, NC
CONTRIBUTIONS
Check
$1000.00
10/16/2007
ZACK METHENY
GREENSBORO, NC
CONTRIBUTION
Check
$1000.00
Total ALL Expenditures:
$6,000.00
This was there initial disclosure and as you can see it was a rush job to start this Political Action Committee to hand out money to the Greensboro City Council.Some of the general requirements state that in order for political action committees to support or oppose candidates in North Carolina, they must first register with the appropriate board of elections office. As you can see they sent their letter to the state on 10-24-07 well after they started giving out money to the candidates.
Another point is that for a political committee supporting or opposing candidates within a single county or municipality, organization would take place at the county board of elections office. For political committees (PAC's) supporting or opposing 1 candidates for statewide office or 2 candidates in more than one county or 3 a candidate in a district that has more than one county , organization would take place at the Campaign Finance Office of the State Board of Election.
As you can see North Carolinians for Leadership in Government has only given to local politicians so the registration should have been made at the Guilford County Board of Elections not the state.
Here are the results for the year end semi annual report
Receipts
11/05/2007
ROY E CARROLL SR3131 BROOKFOREST DRGREENSBORO, NC 27406
Individual Contribution
Check
$2200.00
Date
11/14/2007
SANDRA ANDERSON GROAT
Refund/Reimbursment to the Committee
CANDIDATE LOST ORIGINAL CHECK
NCGL1
Check
$1000.00
Total ALL Receipts:
$3,200.00
Note Sandra Anderson Groat lost original check for $1,000 and then got another check for $965 on 11/14-07
Expenditures Semi Annual Report ending 12-31-07
11/01/2007
GOLDIE WELLS
GREENSBORO, NC
Contribution to Candidate or Political Committee
Check
$1000.00
10/25/2007
KEVIN GREEN
GREENSBORO, NC
Contribution to Candidate or Political Committee
Check
$1000.00
First Quarter Report for 2008
Receipts
04/11/2008
ROY E. CARROLL IIPRESIDENT/OWNEROLD SOUTH HOME COMPANY3619 CAMDEN FALLS CIRCLEGREENSBORO, NC 27410
Individual Contribution
Check
$2000.00
Total Amount
Total ALL Receipts:
$2,000.00
As you can see that the only Greensboro City Council members who didn't get any money from this PAC were Mike Barber, and Mary Rakestraw.
They haven't filled out a second quarter form but the recipients from the second quarter of the North Carolinians for Leadership in Government are 2 at large Guilford County Commissioners .
Expenditures
Paul Gibson (D) 5-2-08 for $1,000
Kirk Perkins (D) 5-6-08 for $1,000
As you can see this PAC should only be registered in Guilford County not the state. There are plenty of other PAC's that will be getting a closer look at for example Triad Good Government PAC, SIMKINS PAC, and other groups and organizations in this area.This is just the start of looking into campaign contributions and Political Action Committee's of local politicians.If you would like to look at the different campaign contributions on the main page of TRIADWATCH there are links in the left hand side of site titled "Look up campaign contributions.Have a great day.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Welcome to a New Site Dedicated to the Triad
It is my pleasure to introduce you to a new site dedicated to everything in the Triad area of North Carolina. Some of the items in this blog will inform and enlighten the citizens of the Triad on issues that might need to be addressed.
From ethics,transparency,and open government this site will try to get to the bottom of the issue for all to see.
Please bare with me as to the newness of this site and if you have any suggestions or would like to post something for all of the Triad to see please e-mail in my Profile.
Have a great day.
From ethics,transparency,and open government this site will try to get to the bottom of the issue for all to see.
Please bare with me as to the newness of this site and if you have any suggestions or would like to post something for all of the Triad to see please e-mail in my Profile.
Have a great day.
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