ETHICS ETHICS ETHICS Greensboro City Council Candidates Speak Up! Who Else Will Step Up?

Greensboro City Council At Large Candidate Nancy Vaughan has offered a "ETHICS Challenge" CLICKHERE to all the candidates in the upcoming 2009 Greensboro North Carolina Municipal election.

It seems like Greensboro mayoral candidate Bill Knight has posted on his own blog Knight At Large CLICKHERE that he has accepted the ETHICS challenge and will post on his campaign site as soon as the commission receives a copy.

The blogosphere has been talking about this issue today and TRIADWATCH is a little late to the party but if you have been following this blog you will know that this is a huge issue to me and to the citizens of all of Guilford County just check out the 40 plus post on ethics CLICKHERE. Here is a few of the post that have been out today on this Ethics Challenge from

ROCH 101 CLICKHERE to Ed Cone CLICKHERE to My Good Friend Tony Wilkins CLICKHERE and FEC with his xtranormal video CLICKHERE

Where did this ETHICS challenge come from?

Below is the minutes from the March 17, 2009 Greensboro City Council meeting and if you want to see the video CLICKHERE and proceed to the video for March 17, 2009

Mayor Johnson introduced a second addendum item, a resolution in support of House Bill #287 to extend state government ethics act to county and municipal officials. Attorney Wood explained that the resolution was designed to prevent public officials’ conflicts of interest. Brief discussion was held by Council regarding the limitations of the ethics bill. To avoid conflicts with the bill, Attorney Wood recommended that city officials not accept any items at all.
Discussion indicated that the state ethics bill was written in response to abuse; and the ratification of the ethics legislation would be applicable to elected officials and their spouses.

Councilmember Wade moved adoption of the resolution. Councilmember Rakestraw seconded the motion; the motion was adopted on the following roll-call vote: Ayes: Barber, Groat, Johnson, Perkins, Rakestraw, Wade, and
Wells. Noes: Bellamy-Small.

87-09 RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF HB 287 TO EXTEND STATE GOVERNMENT ETHICS ACT TO COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS
WHEREAS, House Bill 287 has been introduced during the 2009 Legislative Session of the North Carolina General Assembly;

WHEREAS, the Bill would extend the state ethics act to include, apply to and cover certain local government officials, including city council and county commissioner members;

WHEREAS, local government officials should be subject to the same high standards of conduct and reporting requirements that apply to state government officials;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Greensboro City Council supports House Bill 287 and City staff is directed to pursue passage of the bill during the 2009 Session of the General Assembly as part of the Legislative
Agenda of the City of Greensboro.

(Signed) Trudy Wade

________________________________________________________

It will be great to see the answers from the candidates as to if they will also step up to the challenge and fill out the ethics form. Will Greensboro City Council member Robbie Perkins who has plenty of vested interest all over the place and all you need to do is see this post titled "Greensboro City Council Member Robbie Perkins Getting Sued by Former Partner in Yes! Weekly" CLICKHERE

Then we have Greensboro City Council member Zack Matheny who also will not disclose his ties to the development industry with a post on September 17, 2008 with a title"Highway 68 North+ Anonymous Investors + Zack and Robbie = Ethical Problems" CLICKHERE

Then we have Greensboro City Council member Sandra Anderson Groat who should fill out the form and put a negative number because she owes around $250,000 to Pegram West according to this post from FEC with a title "SAG is Stupid" CLICKHERE but as the late billy mays would say "but wait there's more", then we find out that not only does the council women live out in the lake jeanette area of Greensboro she also is renovating a house near cone hospital here is that post from FEC with a title "Anderson Groat's New Digs" CLICKHERE , with a comment on the post saying this"I bet by the time she is finished, she will have close to $2mil in this property." Nice to know that you can renovate this home but won't pay your personal guarantee to pegram west.

Then we have the Mayor of Greensboro Yvonne Johnson where we also know that filling out the ethics form means you need to have your spouse as well fill out the form also. Let's not forget that on 7-31-2008 the rhino times has a article titled "Mayor named in Tax Lien Lawsuit" CLICKHERE with a quote from the article,

"When asked about her husband being so far behind on paying his city taxes, Yvonne Johnson, who has been a city councilmember since 1993, said, "I wish he had paid it. I didn't know it." She added, "I was not aware that he owed city taxes."

Nice quote there Mayor.

If any of the candiates wants to fill out the form to turn in to the ethics commission you can get the form CLICKHERE . It is time for ethics to play a more prominent role in our local elected officials because it is obvious that they don't have a clue and all you need to do is ask the mayor about a plane ride to D.C.