Friday, November 4, 2011

Matheny and Ovittore: The News & Record Editorial Board sells out to Greensboro's Real Estate Industry without mentioning massive conflicts of interest?

"Jay Ovittore ...has been a constant source of irritation for the incumbent...since.

Ovittore, 38,...a decided underdog,
he’s a fierce competitor who has clearly gotten under Matheny’s skin.

“I’m not owned and operated by real estate interests,” Ovittore said...

I find it hard to believe that very many businesses downtown
– which it is the businesses that told me to create the curfew in the first place...

Zack Matheny

Matheny, 38, shot back: “I’m honest.
You may disagree with what I say but I’m honest.”

At the 9/10/2007 Zoning Commission Meeting,
Zack voted for attorneys Derek Allen's
Henry Issaacson, Charlie Melvin requests,
including a rezoning for Alliance Commercial,
after receiving $2,000 from principals
of Alliance Management on 6/21/2007, and 6/26/07.

ES Melvin cut Zack a check for $250 on 7/30/07.

Derek Allen of Brooks Peirce
that makes a lot of money off Greensboro's taxpayers
cut Zack a check for $250 on 6/12/07.

Charles Melvin Jr. of Smith Moore,
paid $250 on 7/6/2007.

Henry Isaacson paid $100 on 8/3/07,
the same day his son Marc gave $100.

All while Zack voted for these people's stuff
while he worked for taxpayers on the Zoning Commission.

If nothing else, Ovittore has kept Matheny on his toes...

On June 11, 2007,
Zack Matheny voted for a rezoning for Carroll Capital Investments, LLC,
represented by Robbie Perkins, for Roy Carroll.

Zack received $1,000 from Mr. Carroll's PAC on 10/30/07.

Mr. Carroll also gave $1,000 checks to Robbie, etc...,
as he garnered about $4 million in tax breaks for Center Point.

As for where Matheny stands on RUCO,
he says he believed it needed tweaking — “a RUCO 2.0,” as he describes it.

But he does not make a convincing case
that the policy needed to be gutted by the Raleigh bill,
which ultimately passed with little City Council opposition.

The RUCO policy had been effective
and Matheny’s lukewarm support (at best) for it was disappointing.

In a more dubious case,
Matheny volunteered to be council’s liaison with city staff
in drawing new district maps,
then saw the process go awry while he was out of town.

...it was bad idea to put a sitting council member in that role in the first place.

Similarly, Matheny’s advocacy for a teen curfew downtown
was ill-conceived and unfair.

Matheny says he likes to see himself as occupying the middle ground
on an often fractious council.

But sometimes he strives too hard for compromise
and appears excruciatingly vague on issues such as RUCO.

Greensboro News & Record Editorial Board

On October 8, 2007,
Zack voted for a rezoning for Wendover South Associates Limited Partnership.

Derek Allen of Brooks Peirce represented the applicant
whose firm makes a lot of money off Greensboro's taxpayers
who cut Zack a check for $250 on 6/12/07.

Who owns Wendover South?

Why Mega Builders?

Why doesn't any of the minutes from the meetings
identify most of the LLCs getting rezoning
one might ask.

Mike Winstead gave Zack $1,000 on 8/3/07
a little more than two months before.

Mike's partner Joe paid Zack $1,000 on 8/3/07.

We need to look at partnering with somebody.


I don’t care who that somebody is,
whoever has the land so that we can have a ready-made site.

Why don't you care who the somebody is,
if you are actually talking about Roy Carroll?

If all these consultants from businesses are saying,
‘The way you get jobs is to have a flat surface ready to go,’
then the city of Greensboro should do it.

All the "consultants" paid for by those who wish to receive
taxpayer dollars?

If it’s [local developer] Roy Carroll — I don’t care who it is.


Roy, fortunately or unfortunately for him, has a bunch of land.

And has bought the most likely City Council winners
with campaign cash?

And he can’t do what he wanted to do,
so maybe we can partner with him.

Why?

I want to help [local developer John] Lomax.

Of the 1%?

My opponent said he’s not for any tax incentives
and would never incentivize real estate.

And then after I was asked I said,
‘You know, we’ve got a deal potentially for Lomax Properties
that would take the North State Chevrolet property,
go vertical with some heads in beds that could be great for our tax base,
great for the aesthetics of our downtown.

Is Zack suggesting Greensboro taxpayers give John Lomax money
that has not been asked for?

Is Mr. Lomax's project next to the privately funded stadium
dependent on a taxpayer subsidy?

...I would incentivize how to make those deals happen..


...Let’s clean ’em up and make it more aesthetically pleasing
and do that in conjunction with getting more heads in beds.


More heads on the beds of the 1%?

Zack Matheny

No comments:

NEWSBUSTED at NEWSBUSTERS.ORG 2-18-2015