Questions for Tony Wilkins: Should Elected City Council Members Take Free Anything From "Journalists" Who Profit From Political Campaigns?

Could some believe accepting free passes to a publicly owned venue,
as opposed to elected or the municipally employed paying for entry
be considered to be stealing from taxpayers?

I received that same e-mail with "Tony" in the heading
and I have to assume this is a personalized mass e-mailing
from previous Schmoozefest visitors.

Tony Wilkins

Should owner/employees of a "news" source
with a trade/barter agreement with a publicly owned venue
(The Greensboro Coliseum),
offer local candidates or elected officials free anything
if the "news" source intends to solicit political candidate advertising dollars
and publishes "endorsements" before local elections?

Should local elected leaders be prohibited
from accepting free anything to publicly owned venues
and/or anything from entities soliciting campaign donations
who also endorse candidates?

If local elected leaders should be prohibited
from taking what many believe could be bribes,
why isn't accepting some gifts against Greensboro and Guilford County's Ethics Rules?
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Should candidates for elected office
accept perquisites from entities who receive campaign contributions
and endorse "favorites"?
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This issue is not about any individual candidate or elected politician.

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This is about transparency in local government.

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This is about free and fair elections.

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This is about removing what some consider to the appearance of collusion

between the press and an entrenched establishment in Greensboro and Guilford County.

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This is about what some in the Middle East are dying for.

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This is about making our community a better place to live.

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This is about bringing good paying jobs to the Triad,

by showing how ethical our local government is,

and that new businesses can come to Greensboro

and can play on a level playing field with those already here.

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This is about keeping our taxes and debt levels low,

by preventing the opportunity to buy off our decision makers

to get them to vote to spend taxpayer money

to line the pockets of some private businesses.

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George Hartzman