Bribes or Kickbacks Greensboro City Council Member Zack Matheny Talks Trash in Paper

In today's Greensboro News and Record Amanda Lehmert Killian has a below the fold front page article titled"Council may meet with trash companies" CLICKHERE 

In the article we learn something that looks like a time bomb that will probably explode in front of the Greensboro City Council if and when this process for what to do with Greensboro's trash proceeds.

Greensboro City Council member Zack Matheny was quoted in the article and here is what was said.

 Matheny he would like to explore the technology too. But he doesn’t like the fact that some of the companies have offered rewards to the community if they are chosen to run the operation.


“We want companies that are financially stable and offer the best technology, the cleanest. And I don’t want them cutting deals with the neighborhood,” Matheny said.


It looks like the councilman says that there are rewards to the neighborhood but everyone can play with the words but in reality it is a bribe or a kickback either one will do in this instance. The councilman is correct in pointing this out and if any company does sign a contract for a long term deal with the city then there should not be any contract in regards to any neighborhood association or any concerned citizens group who will benefit from this process. Hopefully we won't be seeing some shell non profit company formed to get a reward from this whole process. Good for the councilman to say this in the article and to state the obvious even though he states it as a reward but in reality it is a bribe and in some cases a kickback take your pick.

Let's see if the Concerned Citizens of Northeast Greensboro  will be receiving a reward from one these companies who are trying to win the bid for trash removal in Greensboro because as we know CLICKHERE in first term Greensboro City Council Member Jim Kee is either president or past president of this organization along with Ralph Johnson . This organization is also on the East Market Street Development Coproration(EMSDC) web site and we do know that ex city council member Goldie Wells is a board member of  EMSDC and also is on a board that Jim Kee set up to called the landfill advisory committee CLICKHERE . This landfill committee also has another EMSDC board member on the committee in George Durham. Ralph Johnson is also a part of the landfill committee. Here is a list of all the committee members thanks to amanda lehmert on a comment at inside scoop,

The committee members were Goldie Wells, Kay Brandon, Bob Davis, Melvin DuBose, George Durham, Ralph Johnson, Yvonne Johnson, Gayland Oliver, Roger Pitney and Linda Waddell. I do not know how they paid for the travel, but I will ask. Kee's travel would be covered by his council allotment, but I don't believe that can be used for other people.

We will see what happens for the future of the landfill debate in Greensboro but as we see in the article and the post with plenty of connecting the dots in regards to this issue , it was great to see a councilmember call out the reward to the community but it can be called a bribe or kickback take your pick and all 3 words stink of ethical issues in regards to this landfill process.