It is great to see Amanda Lehmert Killian or Amanda Killian from the Greensboro News & Record finally report on the latest happenings with local developer Roy "North Carolinians for Leadership in Government Political Action Committee" Carroll and his unethical use of his private plane for local elected officials to travel to D.C. .
This all started when ed cone had this to post at his blog CLICKHERE
then a little bit later in day this was posted at Triadwatch CLICKHERE
then my good friend Dr. Guarino has this post as well CLICKHERE
all of this happened on June 30, 2009.
Later in the week on July 4, 2009 Triadwatch had this post with a title"Developer Roy Carroll's Plane Will Sit on Tarmac While the Mayor and Chairman Ponder Ethical Standards." CLICKHERE
News 2 and reporter Justin Quesinberry on July 6, 2009 did a complete puff piece on this whole affair , CLICKHERE but one of the interesting apsects of this puff piece was that the city and county attorneys were the city staff who had problems with this local developer who has and still does business with the City of Greensboro.
Now on July 10, 2009 the Greensboro News & Record has a article with a title "City Attorney Advised Against Trip Over Ethical Concerns." CLICKHERE .
Here is a few excerpts from the article
"Johnson said she was comfortable with making the trip after she learned that Carroll has no financial stake in the project.
"I guess that’s why you have lawyers. You try to listen to them,” she said. “You don’t want people to have any question in their minds whether you are doing what is right or ethical.”
Wood said he discussed the issue with the county attorney and the University of North Carolina School of Government.
Although legal opinions about whether the trip would violate the law vary, Wood said it was his opinion that City Council members and county commissioners, as government representatives with contracting authority, should not go on the flight.
To hear the Mayor of Greensboro Yvonne Johnson say that since local developer Roy Carroll had no financial interest in this property she was comfortable being on his personal plane to D.C. is a complete ethical lapse of judgement . As we all know there is a fall election coming up and she has some real competition in Bill Knight and to hear a sitting Mayor not understand the ethical aspects of this trip and why local elected officials should not be on this trip on a major donor to the mayor's campaign who has gotten tax incentives from both the city and the county as well. This is a good example of what is wrong with these local elected officials and some Community Foundation members like Walker Sanders and Lynn Wooten who don't understand the ethical apsects of this trip.
It is also interesting to note that there hasn't been one quote from the chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners in Skip Alston about the postponing of this trip.
The Community Foundation of Greensboro had this to say in article
"The foundation is baffled as to how the flight could have been construed as a gift, spokeswoman Lynn Wooten said.
Carroll offered to let the foundation use the plane before it was clear who might travel to Washington on the trip, Wooten said."
It is fine and dandy for local developer Roy Carroll to offer the plane to take as many people as you want on this plane trip to D.C. like Uma Avva, David M. Ball ,Jon Bell, Louise F. Brady Chair-elect ,Chester H. “Trip” Brown, Jr. ,Kent J. Chabotar ,Sue Cole ,Elizabeth Cone ,Mona Edwards Chuck Flynt, ,William Geter ,Patrice A. Hinnant ,Kathy Hinshaw ,Tomasita Jacubowitz ,Joyce Johnson ,C.C. Lamberth ,Robert E. Long Jr. ,Kathy Manning ,Ken Miller ,Norman G. Samet ,Mable Scott ,Linda E. Sloan ,Andrew Spainhour Dennis G. Stearns ,Stuart A. Taylor ,Jerry Tolley ,Jonathan Wall ,Ed Whitfield ,James T. Williams, Chair ,Lea E. Williams ,Otis L. Wilson, Sr. ,David M. Worth andAnn B. Zuraw . These are all the names of the Board of Directors at Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.
But don't take any local elected officials because it is completely unethical to have a local developer who has business in front of the Greensboro City Council and the Guilford County Board of Commissioners plenty of times in the past and I am sure plenty of times in the future on a unfettered access plane trip to D.C. to meet with the federal officials in D.C..
3 comments:
Missing from your time line is the July 3rd article from the N&R.
Roch,
It was in the post on the July 4th post.
Keep swinging. Chips are starting to fly.
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