Guilford County Commissioner Paul Gibson with a Letter from N.C. Board of Elections on Campaign Amending

Guilford County Commissioner Paul Gibson (D) was turned in to the North Carolina Board of Elections for his pathetic campaign contribution forms back on November 3, 2008 and the North Carolina Board of Elections finally has sent out a letter dated May 21, 2009 in regards to this issue.If you want something to not be investigated in a timely matter please don't send it to the North Carolina Board of Elections.

To see the official letter please click on the title above.

In regards to Paul Gibson and his campaign returns all you need to do is look at his 2008 third quarter returns CLICKHERE , then click on Paul Gibson.

Paul Gibson had a total of 42 indvidual contributions with 32 forms incomplete and where state law mandates that you have both employer name and job profession and in those 21 of them were left completely blank.

Let's move on to where Paul Gibson had to amend his third quarter campaign contribution forms on November 13, 2008 and where the North Carolina State Board of Elections has stated that he has complied with most of the occupation and employer discrepencies on his original report.

Here is my return letter back to the North Carolina Board of Elections in regards to this inquiry:

Dear Adam Ragan,

Thanks for the response in to the campaign forms or non campaign forms filled out by Guilford County Commissioner Paul Gibson which you sent in the mail with the attachment included. I am trying to figure out how you can say that his amended forms were properly amended . The reason I say this is because NCGS 173-278.11 states and I quote

"
(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."

As you can see the principal occupation of the contributor consists of both Job Title or profession and also Employers name or specific field of business activity. As you can see it wants both fields filled out on the form. So in the 2008 third quarter Mr. Gibson had a total of 42 individual contributions with 32 incomplete forms with 21 of those having both areas incomplete where the job title is needed and where his employer is needed as well.

Let's move on to his amended forms where there are a total of 39 individual forms. Where did Rich Winslow, and Richard Jennings go to ? Also if you think that going from 32 forms incomplete down to 20 forms incomplete is best efforts then I would like to see what criteria you give to best efforts.

While we are on the subject of best efforts when it relates to candidates you might want to make sure you send out a updated form on best efforts because the one you sent me in the mail still has the $100 threshold. Is this the correct form to send out? Did Mr, Gibson comply with best efforts and if so then please explain.

This reporting of Guilford County Commissioner Paul Gibson is only the beginning. There has been a complete lax reporting from a lot of candidates dating back years and needs to be cleaned up and with the cooperation of you and the Guilford County Board of Elections we can make a difference in the transparency of local elections here in Guilford County

To have these campaign treasurers hide under the umbrella of "Best Efforts", is a total cop out and a joke. . They need to show under state law what was stated above employer's name and job title or profession. Not one or the other but both.

Paul Gibson is his own treasurer and to see him only put job title as restaurant for Ken Conrad when everyone knows he owns Libby Hill Restaurants or Arthur Winstead Jr. and all you say is accountant come on Paul Gibson I think you know who Arthur Winstead works for DMJ. or Tom Terrell Jr. can anyone say the most connected law firm in town in Smith Moore or the funniest one is labeling Steve Showfety as a real estate manager , Koury Corporation can be inserted in to the name of the employer if you wish. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to fill in the blanks but it seems like no one wants to do it correctly. It might be time for Guilford County Commissioner to hire a treasurer because using himself doesn't work.

All American Tripp Welborne Nominated for Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame for 2009

It is with great honor that Keith Brown a Grimsley Alumni Class of 1987 has nominated Sullivan Anthony Welborne III otherwise known as Tripp Welborne Page Alumni Class of 1987 to the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame.

It is time that people really know about one of the greatest all around athletes to ever lace up shoes in Guilford County get the recognition he deserves. This will be a short bio of his high school days but will show you just how impressive he was as an athlete.

During his 3 years at Page High School the football team in 85 and 86 won the state football championship, and Tripp Welborne had a combined record in 3 years of football at 41-1-1 . He was selected to be a east west all star athlete in both football and basketball. He chose to play in the basketball all star game because it would be his last hurrah at playing the sport on a competitive level.

Now on to the big leagues of Tripp Welborne's football career. His college choice was the Michigan Wolverines where during his time in college he was awarded 2-time All American in 1989 and 1990. Sports Illustrated had a cover called "Greatest Wolverines of All Time" CLICKHERE , and guess who was one of the defensive backs picked as one of the greatest in wolverine's storied football history none other than Tripp Welborne.

Even going back to his high school days Tripp Welborne was a great punt returner as well. How do I know that it is because I was the one on the other side of ball punting to Tripp Welborne going back to our days at junior high school at Aycock and Kiser then on to our days of playing against each other at one of the best high school rivalries in the state of North Carolina in Grimsley Whirlies and Page Pirates.

Here is a quick bio of college days at Michigan from the Bentley Historical Library on Michigan Athletics CLICKHERE, and here is the bio:

Hard-hitting defensive back who also handled punt returns for the Wolverines. The Greensboro, NC., native was a two-time consensus All-American selection. Welborne recorded 238 tackles in his three years in the defensive secondary and returned 67 punts for 773 yards. During his senior year (1990), Welborne set a single-season record for punt return yardage with 455. Welborne moved from wide receiver to defensive back after his freshman year and intercepted nine passes during his career. Played on three Big Ten championship teams. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings.

Now that the nomination is turned in to the Greensboro Sports Commission we will see what happens next but this nomination should get a resounding 100% yes vote because I will go on record as saying that Tripp Welborne was probably one of the greatest all around athletes to ever play sports in Guilford County History.

WHAT CONSTITUTION?

ALG Editor’s Note: William Warren’s award-winning cartoons published at GetLiberty.org are a free service of ALG News Bureau. They may be reused and redistributed free of charge.

Americans for Limited Government CLICKHERE

ACCESS DENIED to Randleman Lake, Local Politician Speaks Out

ACCESS DENIED

Imagine the frustration to know that you have paid over a $150,000,000.00 for something. It’s ready for you to use and enjoy, but someone tells you, ACCESS DENIED. Welcome to the weird world of Randleman Lake and Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority CLICKHERE or click on the title above. That’s what they said at their last meeting. All recreational ACCESS DENIED until next March of 2010.

PTRWA board members and its Director John Kime feel that the public has no rights of access to enjoy the fishing, paddling and natural beauty of the lake until they say the time is right. Certainly, the North Carolina Fish and Wildlife agents who tested the water and evaluated the fish feel they are big enough to catch. They shared their results with the PTRWA board at their last meeting, just prior to the board’s ruling, ACCESS DENIED.

The lake is at or near full pool and the water is settling out and clearing up very nicely. I visited with Executive Director John Kime recently and he said that the water quality tests were all exceeding everyone’s expectations. The only reason for delay Mr. Kime could share with me was in getting Duke Power to extend electric service to the recently completed public boat access and restrooms. According to Director Kime, that service should be in place by mid July of this year.

So the question is, ACCESS DENIED? Certainly an electric generator could be provided for electricity until Duke Power can extend the line for a more permanent connection. The weather’s perfect, the waters fine and we have spent more than $150,000,000.00 for a water source and recreational asset. ACCESS DENIED!

Latimer Alexander
High Point City Council Member

The City of High Point has invested $31,409,002.00 to date and has a 19% share in the Lake and water plant. Greensboro, Randolph County, Jamestown, Archdale and Randleman have invested the balance of the $150,000,000.00

________________________________________________________

If you would like to let the PTRWA know how you feel then please contact them here:

PTRWA

2216 W. Meadowview Rd.Wilmington Building, Suite 204

Greensboro, NC 27407

Phone: (336) 547-8437

Fax: (336) 851-0720

Email: ptrwa@ptrwa.org

MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE, IN A MOTHER'S EYES

Newsbusted is New for 5-22-09 with President Obama Continues Bush Military Tribunals

***NewsBusted will be off next week, fear not we will be back the week after that***

Topics in today's show: President Obama continues Bush military tribunals, President Obama says the deficit is unsustainable, the number of illegal immigrants from Mexico has dropped by 25%, and Mia Farrow has ended her hunger strike.

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Starring: Jodi Miller
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Executive Producer: Matthew Sheffield

North Carolina Redistricting Experts Ask: Is There A Better Way

NORTH CAROLINA REDISTRICTING EXPERTS ASK: IS THERE A BETTER WAY

Recent rulings by the North Carolina and U.S. Supreme Courts that knocked out a House redistricting plan in Pender County probably won’t lead state lawmakers to unravel other legislative districts, a panel convened by the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law said this week. Instead, the ruling – which told legislators they were wrong to split the rural southeastern county into two House districts – will influence the redrawing of districts after the 2010 Census, panelists said.

Justice Bob Orr (retired), who directs the N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law, convened the panel in light of North Carolina’s long history of contentious litigation over redistricting. During the discussion, the first in a series dubbed “Constitutional Conversations,” panelists explored the recent court rulings striking down aspects of the current redistricting plan and discussed whether a better redistricting process was possible.

The U.S. Supreme Court in March affirmed a previous North Carolina Supreme Court decision that sided with the Pender County plaintiffs, who challenged the plan dividing the county. The 5-4 decision was the latest in a number of critical rulings on the federal Voting Rights Act, which prohibits lawmakers from diluting the voting power of minorities when they draw election districts.

Legislators are likely to vote next week on a plan to redraw the Pender districts, Gerry Cohen, the General Assembly’s director of legislative drafting, told those gathered for the panel discussion Thursday.

Both Supreme Courts said lawmakers stretched beyond the requirements of the Voting Rights Act by dividing the county to create a majority-minority district with 39 percent African-American voters. The Voting Rights Act, the courts said, doesn’t require lawmakers to set up “majority-minority” districts in which minorities are less than a true “majority” of the electorate in that district.

Since the state divided Pender County without a legal need to do so, lawmakers were ruled to have violated a previous N.C. Supreme Court mandate which stated that the North Carolina constitution prohibited the General Assembly from drawing legislative districts that crossed county lines unless required by federal law.

Some legislators have suggested that the ruling means the General Assembly should redraw other districts in addition to district 18, as well. The N.C. Supreme Court specifically ruled that “other districts” should also be re-drawn to comply with the North Carolina Constitution.

But Pender County Attorney Trey Thurman, who successfully argued his county’s case before the Supreme Court, said lawmakers are not likely to go that far; the next round of redistricting is only two years away.

But as the 2011 redistricting approaches, a crucial issue will be whether the U.S. Supreme Court upholds a part of the Voting Rights Act known as Section 5, said Anita Earls, director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. The section requires states that practiced discrimination in the past to get federal preclearance when they alter voting rules, to make sure the changes don’t weaken minority voting rights.

If the Supreme Court strikes down Section 5, she said, state lawmakers could pass North Carolina’s own version of the requirement and ban legislative districts that lead to “retrogression” of minority voting strength. But such a new law wouldn’t likely allow lawmakers the district-drawing flexibility they enjoyed under previous federal law; unlike federal laws, state laws do not trump conflicting provisions in the state constitution. District lines would have to follow county lines more closely.

Meanwhile, the Pender decision could affect local elections by giving local officials a freer hand in drawing districts for county commissioners and school boards, said Bob Joyce, a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Government.

Hanging over the panel discussion was frustration over the highly politicized process of redistricting, which allows lawmakers to manipulate district lines to ensure their own re-election. As Thurman put it, the Pender case was about “voters choosing legislators instead of legislators choosing voters.”

Redistricting expert Thomas Farr, an attorney with Ogletree Deakins, said the redistricting process fuels partisanship. “There’s an inherent conflict in allowing people running for election to draw up their own districts,” he said.

In a keynote speech, Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina, called for an independent citizens’ commission to take charge of election districts and end a system in which “politics trumps everything.”

Phillips argued that the redistricting process has made elections less competitive. The current system “is not healthy for our democracy,” he said. “When an elected official, year in and year out, has no viable opposition, the people lose out.”

Having districts drawn by an independent commission, he said, would mean fewer lawsuits over redistricting and more voter confidence in the political system. Phillips conceded that legislators aren’t eager to relinquish their redistricting power, but he urged advocacy groups in favor of reform to build coalitions and press forward.

“None of us should quit talking about it,” he said.

Written by Jason Kay

May 12, 2009

from the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law CLICKHERE

with permission to post

photos above are of the new house map and the second picture is the map of the senate in North Carolina

___________________________________________________________________

There will be a lot of talk about redistricting in the next few years in the state of North Carolina and TRIADWATCH will try to be on top of this issue for the residents of the Triad.

Newsbusted for 5-19-2009 President Obama Gets Heckled at Notre Dame

Topics in today's show for 5-19-2009: President Obama gets heckled at Notre Dame, a new poll shows a majority of Americans consider themselves pro-life, Chrysler will close 1000 dealerships, and Vanessa Hudgens is upset that Zac Efron wont propose to her.

To see the video click on the video above or click on the title above.

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Starring: Jodi Miller
Director: Bruce Roundtower
Executive Producer: Matthew Sheffield

Campaign Financing in North Carolina Will Get More Transparent With House Bill #388

North Carolina General Assembly - House Bill 388 Information/History (2009-2010 Session)

Courtesy of State House Representative Pricey Harrison from Guilford County in her weekly e-blast. There is a new law that will bring more accountability in the campaign disclosure of elections all over the state of North Carolina. Click on the title above to see House Bill #388 and here is what was in the e-blast

"The threshold for reporting campaign contributions would be lowered to $500 under a bill that passed the House this week (HB 388)*. Existing law exempts candidates who raise less than $3,000 from having to submit detailed reports of contributions, loans, and expenditures. The intent of lowering that amount to $500 is to keep political candidates more honest about their contributions and expenditures. The bill is now in the Senate."

This bill is now on to the Senate side of our State House and will need to let our local representatives know that this bill needs your support to show more transparency on campaign finance. It would be great to get this threshold down to showing everything down to the penny but hopefully this new bill is a huge step in the right direction.Great bill that needs to be passed.

To contact your representative

State Senator Don Vaughan CLICKHERE

State Senator Katie Dorsett CLICKHERE

State Senator Phil Berger CLICKHERE

State Senator Stan Bingham CLICKHERE

NEWSBUSTED on TRIADWATCH for 5/12/2009 Unemployment at 25 year high

Topics in today's show: Unemployment at 25 year high, Michael Savage has been banned from the UK, Manny Ramirez has been suspended, and the new Star Trek strikes gold. Click on the video above.

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Starring: Jodi Miller
Director: Bruce Roundtower
Executive Producer: Matthew Sheffield

The New Nickname for Greensboro is Steensboro Get Your T-shirt

It was fitting that Greensboro has a new nickname after the Boss played here being called "STEENSBORO". Now you can own a t-shirt with the logo "STEENSBORO" . This will make a great gift and a good conversation piece to explain what STEENSBORO is.

Here is the link to the women's t-shirt CLICKHERE
and the men's t-shirt CLICKHERE

photo from backstreets.com

NEWSBUSTED on TRIADWATCH for 5/8/2009 Keith Olbermann Gets A Big Pay Off

Topics in today's show:

Only 42% of Americans believe we are winning the war on terror, the Pakistanis believe that Osama Bin Laden is dead, the FDA says Botox might be dangerous, and Keith Olbermann gets a big pay off.
Love the show?

To see the video click on the embedded video above or CLICKHERE

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Starring: Jodi Miller
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Executive Producer: Matthew Sheffield

NCDOT + Greensboro City Council + Project Homestead=Government Waste

Triad Citizens Against Government Waste with the honor going to NCDOT with help from the Greensboro City Council and a posthumous recognition to Project Homestead with help from Michael King who had the Greensboro CIty Council wrapped around his finger .

Great article on the front page of the Greensboro News & Record by Taft Wireback CLICKHERE or click on the title above.

This is also a warning to all residents of Northern Greensboro if you can see the map it shows the interchanges that will take out a lot of land and houses for the loop to meet with Bryan Boulevard. There will be major interchanges at yanceyville street,elm street, lawndale dr. and battleground avenue.

This map also has it saying," North Carolina Department of Transportation finalized the location for all sections of the loop in 1996. Detailed plans and schedules are available at the NCDOT Division 7 office and GDOT Administrative office." As you can see from the picture above

If you take the above statement and the map above with the interchanges then why in the hell did quail oaks subdivision ever get built. The reason I say this is because in article it states that Project Homestead bought the land in 2000 but as the map states the loop interchanges were finalized in 1996 which is 4 years earlier.


There are a lot of questions that need to be answered and hope Taft Wireback will also follow up on this issue.