Greensboro Chamber of Commerce Top 3 Salaries total $674,435

Here is a picture of the top 3 salaries at the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce 990 report with total compensation for Patrick Danahy, Deborah Hooper and Dan Lynch= $674,435. Shake your head on this one.

From what George Hartzman just posted at Ed Cone's, with some email conversations over the last couple of days

look at the last page.

-----Original Message-----

From: George Hartzman

Sent: Jul 13, 2012 3:44 PM

To: George Hartzman

Subject: boom

.
.
.
cannot open with my version of pdf reader, security issue

efcone@ Jul 13 (1 day ago)
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case sensitive password wF479ptQ

I talked to both gentlemen in the last 48 hours...

From: George Hartzman

Date: Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 4:21 PM

Subject: Re: boom

To: efcone@

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.
.
"I met with Jeff Gauger for a couple of hours last night."

from: George Hartzman hartzmancpe@
to: efcone@

bcc: Jeff Horwitz Matthew Evans

date: Sat, Jul 14, 2012 at 10:04 AM
subject: Re: boom
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.
.

"If I ask Gauger for you to do the Wells story,

would you be interested?"

From: George Hartzman

Sent: Jul 14, 2012 11:27 AM

To: efcone

Subject: Gauger

.
.
.
"I find George's constant innuendo and blind allegations
to be ethically suspect
and also to undermine the credibility of his whistleblower case.


..Also, the people who run the Carolina
have no pretense that the facility could become the PAC, so, no."

Posted by: Ed Cone | Jul 14, 2012 at 12:02 PM
.
.
.
I've never heard of the N&R using freelancers for news stories.


Also, I'm not a newspaper writer.


Or a freelancer.


So, probably a non-starter.

efcone@
5:03 PM (4 hours ago)
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"Obviously."

George Hartzman 5:10 PM (4 hours ago) to efcone@

http://edcone.typepad.com/wordup/2012/07/the-holliday-plan.html?cid=6a00d8341cc33e53ef017616775f6c970c#comment-6a00d8341cc33e53ef017616775f6c970c
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"I'm not a newspaper writer.


Or a freelancer."

Ed Cone
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.

Really?

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Details for Edward Cone

Email Address: efcone

Bio: Senior Writer and author...

Ed Cone has worked as a contributing editor at Wired;
a staff writer at Forbes;
a senior writer for Ziff Davis with Baseline and Interactive Week;
and as a freelancer based in Paris and then North Carolina
for a wide variety of magazines and papers including the International Herald Tribune,
Texas Monthly, and Playboy.

He writes an opinion column in his hometown paper, the Greensboro News & Record,
and publishes the semi-popular EdCone.com weblog.

http://www.cioinsight.com/cp/bio/Edward-Cone/

Does Ed Cone have a problem with Jeff Gauger?

WTF?

From an email sent to xxxyyy

http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2012/07/from-email-sent-to-xxxyyy.html

The potential enormity of George Hartzman's Wells Fargo Whistleblower filing
on Envision Investment Plans and 4front

http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2012/07/potential-enormity-of-george-hartzmans.html

FINRA, SEC, DOL, CFPB, FTC, FRB, and PCAOB Wells Fargo Whistleblower Filing

http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2012/06/finra-sec-dol-cfpb-ftc-frb-and-pcaob.html

Some answers to questions asked by an independent investigator
answered by George Hartzman on his Wells Fargo Whistleblower filing

http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2012/07/some-answers-to-questions-asked-by.html

Forwarded to Michael Mashburn, SEC and Daniel Stefek, FINRA
- both of whom recieved NC Securities Division File No. 12 SEC 84, in late June, 2012

http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2012/07/forwarded-to-michael-mashburn-sec-and.html

Noise Problems in Other Cities from Norfolk Virginia

HAT TIP: Pilotonline.com

With all this talk lately about noise in downtown Greensboro it was interesting to see a article in the Virginian Pilot titled "Residents Say Norfolk Pub is Already Noisy", CLICKHERE


This from the article:
"Decker said he believes the problems stem partly from the burgeoning residential and commercial areas of downtown still learning to peacefully coexist.
"It's tough in any urban setting, Norfolk included, when you're trying to have a thriving downtown with restaurants and night life and places that people want to come visit, and you also want to have a residential community," Decker said. "There's a balance you want to try to meet."
Kevin Murphy, president of the Downtown Civic League, said downtowners are willing to accept a certain amount of noise. But they also expect the restaurants to make an effort to be considerate"


Nice to see other cities like Norfolk with some of the same problems as Greensboro.

A few notable Guilford County property revaluation assessments

Mike Winstead

Old - $168,500
New - $134,800

About 20% less

Yvonne Johnson

Old - $127,300

New - $119,700

About 6% less

From Janus Theatres to This Behemoth Monstrosity of a Building off of Battleground Avenue in Greensboro

HAT TIP : Cinema Treasures for the picture
This picture is a blast from the past where plenty of us in Greensboro grew up having our first dates and plenty of hang out time at the Janus Theatres during the 80's and 90's which is off of battleground avenue on northwood street.

Now we see a total transformation of the property to becoming a complete behemoth and a total out of character building for the neighborhood and surrounding area where no other buildings in the area  is more than two stories but this building is a total of 4 stories and a top that makes it look even bigger and completely doesn't blend in at all. Thanks to First Citizens Bank for getting the 2012  award for non conforming monstrosity to the area in regards to rezoning of this property.

As we see from the triad business journal

"And the site has one of the highest elevations in Greensboro, giving Burns the visibility he hoped for.
“It’s like a billboard 24/7,” Burns says"

Below is a picture taken on 2-26-2012 of this new addition to the  Irving Park  neighborhood.

PINBALL is Back In The Triad with New Place Called Lost Ark Video

Bob Buckley from Fox 8 WGHP with a report above titled Pinball comeback in the Triad interviewed me for this report. It was great talking to him about my passion for pinball. Growing up in Greensboro in the 70's and 80's and 90's there was plenty of places to play pinball and video games from Sears at Friendly Center to the bowling alley at Friendly Center to the 7- elevens around town and to the 2 biggest places in Greensboro to play that are no longer here in the PUTT PUTT on High Point Road and Battleground Avenue.

Now we have a great place located off of Spring Garden Street in Greensboro N.C. called Lost Ark Video  which has over 14 pinball machines from the greatest pinball machine ever made in Twilight Zone to a personal favorite machine of mine in Road Show. These are just a few of the well kept pinball machines available to play.

This Saturday night at 7:30pm. on 1-21-2012 they will have their monthly PINBALL TOURNAMENT come on out for the tournament it only cost $5 to enter.

Come and become a Pinball Wizard at the Lost Ark Video in Greensboro N.C. it is a great place to relax and play some PINBALL

Ex-Greensboro City Manager Rashad Young Speaks with Alexandria Mayor William Euille

From youtube we have ex Greensboro City Manager Rashad Young speaking with his new boss in Alexandria Mayor William Euille during a government program called  "Mayor Euille Today". What a novel idea in having the mayor have his own public access program on local government.

Diving Championship will Bring a Whole $8 Dollars for Greensboro

Press release from the Greensboro Coliseum had this to say:

"The Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates the AT&T National Diving Championships and Junior National and Age Group Championships will generate more than $8 in economic impact."

Wow, a whole $8 will be made from the diving championship. I know Henri Fourrier forgot to put a M  by the 8 to mean million but seeing this is pretty funny. Hopefully there will be a correction on this.

I, George Hartzman, challenge two members of the leadership opposed to reopening the White Street Landfill to a public debate

I, George Hartzman, challenge two members of the leadership

opposed to reopening the White Street Landfill

to a public debate

in a venue of their choice,

with a moderator and debate rules of their choosing,

and on any other subject of their choice.

Two on one, time divided equally between three,
meaning George Hartzman will speak one third of the time
advocating for the landfill to be reopened,
while those who support the landfill remaining closed
will control the majority of the time,
the subject matter and the sequencing of rhetoric.

Second Opinion from Law Firm in Regards to Conflict of Interest for Greensboro Councilman Perkins and Matheny

Where is the public disclosure "on the record of the Council"?

Why would the city attorney provide such a small snapshot
of the financial relationship between Perkins, Carrison and Griffin?


Doesn't it seem bizarre that the total benefit of all the potential and prior sales
isn't included?


Could Robbie "be personally at risk financially if his vote displeases his" employee
if Mr. Carrison has "multiple signs for D.H. Griffin"?


Is this why Rita Danish left?


If not, why?


How much could Mr. Carrison make on the listed properties?


Where are "all material facts"
disclosed by Robbie Perkins on the landfill contract?


How many properties does Mr. Carrison have listed for D.H. Griffin?


If Zack "might reasonably be concerned" about a vote against D.H. Griffin,
why wouldn't Robbie be concerned for the same reasons,
if Mr. Carrison could easily walk with all the D.H. Griffin listings?


Could Robbie "be personally at risk financially if his vote displeases his" employee
if Mr. Carrison has "multiple signs for D.H. Griffin"?


How much future income does Robbie stand to lose,
if Mr. Carrison were to become upset with Robbie's vote
and leave the company?

Opinion Letter on Greensboro Councilman Zack Matheny and Robbie Perkins


The above scribd document is the second opinion along with the one she received from the UNC School of Government in regards to the conflicts of interest for the white street landfill request for proposal to councilman Robbie Perkins and Zack Matheny. If this is the case and this second opinion is there for all to see then Councilman Zack Matheny needs to start voting on this issue and not play cards with Councilwomen Nancy Vaughan out in the lobby.

The City of Greensboro, City Council and Robbie Perkins'
very serious conflict of interest issue: Is this why Rita Danish left?

Fec - "some mind-warping logic" on Robbie Perkins and the White Street Landfill

Greensboro News & Record Editorial:
Going, going, gone: On firing city attorney Rita Danish

Rita Danish Linkfest

An unanswered Information Request
and the ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE GOVERNING BODY
OF THE CITY OF GREENSBORO

Rhino Times Annual Salary Reports for Guilford County, High Point , Greensboro and School Board

The yearly salary reports for Guilford County are out from the Rhino Times here is a complete link to the pdf versions along with the actual article in the Rhino Times.

-Some Change in Salary List  CLICKHERE
 
Greensboro Salary PDF CLICKHERE

-County Salaries High at the Top CLICKHERE

Guilford County Salary PDF CLICKHERE

-High Point Pays High Salaries CLICKHERE

High Point Salary PDF CLICKHERE

-No Cuts in the School Salaries CLICKHERE

Guilford County School Board Salary PDF CLICKHERE

Tripp Welborne for Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame, Next Week WIll Be The Announcement,Will He Be Denied for Third Time?

Last year for the second year in a row the selection committee for the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame have denied one of the greatest athletes to ever lace up their shoes in the triad area be nominated in 2 time football All American Tripp Welborne.

It was with great honor that Keith Brown a Grimsley Alumni Class of 1987 had 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 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 his senior year in 1987. 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.He also was nominated to play in the North-South All Star football game between North Carolina and South Carolina which was a huge honor back in the 80's.

picture shows Tripp on the right #3

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.

Now we are on to year 3 in the nomination process and we can see that the 2010 nomination class has been done and here is a post over at greensborosports.com CLICKHERE to see who was headed to the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame. You can see that they left off Tripp Welborne for the second year in a row. Will he be denied this year in 2011?


UPDATE
Here is a complete bio of Tripp Welborne's High School Career at Page High School from the years of 1985 to 1987 with football being a fall sport in his senior year of 1986

-NC vs SC All-Star football (1986 Shrine Bowl)

-NC Football State Champs '84 & '85

-1st team All-State '85 & '86 ('86...selected in 2 positions WR & DB - only one other player in state history had accomplished this... "Choo Choo Justice")

-1986 NC Player of the Year (Football)

-1986 Guilford County Player of the Year (Football)

-1986 Parade All American (ranked #1 WR in nation)

-1986 Shrine Bowl (NC vs SC All-Star football)

-1987 East -West All-Star Football game (selected but did not participate)

-1987 1st team All-State (Basketball)

-1987 Guilford County Player of the Year (Basketball)

-1987 McDonalds All American basketball nominee

-1987 East-West Basketball All-Star game

We will see what happens next week at the Greensboro Grasshoppers game where they will announce the Class of 2011  and hopefully we will see Tripp Welborne in this class .

Bailout for North Carolina Cities from the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Virginia Does It N.C. Needs To Start

Reading other newspapers all over the area and also in other states like Virginia.Triadwatch came across this article from the Roanoke Times titled "Roanoke Seeks Bailout from Voting Rights Act" CLICKHERE . In the article it talks about how plenty of cities and counties all over Virginia are hiring a lawyer to plead their case that they do not need to be a part of the watch list from the justice department.. Has anyone around the triad area ever heard of a bailout of the voting rights act of 1965?

Here is a few quotes from the article in the roanoke times:

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 -- signed into law 45 years ago Friday -- was put in place to outlaw discriminatory electoral practices such as poll taxes and literacy tests that prevented blacks and other minorities from voting.



It established federal oversight of elections, particularly in Southern states with a history of discrimination. Over the past 15 years, though, many city and county governments -- seeking ways to cut costs and save time by streamlining a lengthy federal process -- have applied to receive a "bailout" from certain sections.


Those parts require localities to receive approval from the Justice Department before taking any actions that affect voting, including moving precincts.


Seventeen counties and cities in Virginia have already received that bailout, including Salem, Botetourt County and Roanoke County. Bedford and Bedford County also are in the process of seeking a bailout from the Voting Rights Act.

then later in article there is this:

Congress renewed the Voting Rights Act for another 25 years in 2006, and last year the Supreme Court broadened the bailout provision to apply not just to cities and counties, but to other government jurisdictions as well. Those decisions, along with the pending need to redraw precincts for redistricting, has prompted an increasing number of bailout applications in recent years.



Alexandria lawyer Gerald Hebert has represented all of the Virginia localities seeking bailouts, starting with Fairfax in 1997.


"There's a list of things in the law that you have to prove, and they're fairly straightforward," Hebert said. "A jurisdiction that's not discriminating in its voting procedures normally has very little difficulty meeting them."


Hebert said the cost of a bailout -- about $5,000, mostly in lawyers' fees -- is quickly recouped when considering the expense to get preliminary clearance from the Justice Department to move a precinct.


"Even without lawyers, just in staff time, preclearance runs about $500," Hebert said. "If lawyers are involved, and it's a controversial or complicated one, then it can run into the thousands of dollars."


Obtaining a bailout would first require the council to take a vote in favor of pursuing the action. The city must then present data to the Justice Department demonstrating that it's eliminated any actions or devices that would discriminate against certain voters.


A three-judge panel ultimately makes a final decision on whether a locality has reached that point and is therefore entitled to be bailed out from the Voting Rights Act.


Why is this so important to cities all over North Carolina is because last year we had the Justice Department reverse the wishes of the citizens of Kinston N.C. to become a non partisan election . Here is a link to the whole situation with a post titled "U.S. Justice Department Spurns Kinston Decision on Elections" from the Carolina Journal online CLICKHERE . In the article here is a few quotes:

Sixty-four percent of Kinston voters said “yes” to a November ballot initiative that would have switched city elections from partisan to nonpartisan. The measure passed by a 4,977 to 2,819 margin, with seven of nine precincts approving the change. The DOJ decision leaves the city as one of five municipalities in North Carolina to hold partisan elections, and the only one east of Charlotte.



King, in a letter overturning the election, said the city did not meet its burden of proof that the change “has neither a discriminatory purpose nor a discriminatory effect.” King’s letter went on to declare, “Removing the partisan cue in municipal elections will, in all likelihood, eliminate the single factor that allows black candidates to be elected to office. In Kinston elections, voters base their choice more on the race of a candidate than his or her political affiliation, and without either the appeal to party loyalty or the ability to vote a straight ticket, the limited support from white voters for a black Democratic candidate will diminish even more. And given that the city’s electorate is overwhelmingly Democratic, while the motivating factor for this change may be partisan, the effect will be strictly racial."

This type of ruling against a city who wanted to have non partisan elections like plenty of other cities all over the state is assinine to hear but hopefully we will see more municipalities look at what is going on across the border in Virginia and start bailing out of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

As you can see from the above photo it seems like only Guilford and Rockingham County are on the watch list from the Justice Department  in regards to the voting rights act in this area while surrounding counties do not have to follow. Triadwatch has been trying to find a complete list of cities and counties that have to follow this act but cannot find it online. If there is someone who can provide this information please do .

Hope the 2 articles enlighten everyone on this issue and understand what our Justice Department is doing lately.

$449,511.19 Wasteful Spending of Our Tax Dollars on Public Notices in Paid Print Media, and RHINO TIMES CHIMES IN.

Triadwatch did a public records request for information on just how much taxpayers money goes to our local paid print media due to the fact that we have a state law that allows only the paid print media to have a monopoly on how the state, county and local municipalities  can show public notices to their constituents.

$449,511.19 is the total amount as of today that we have gotten from the records request from Guilford County, City of Greensboro and City of High Point . Let it be known that we also have other municipalities in this county who also have to abide by this law in places like Jamestown, Pleasant Garden, Summerfield, Stokesdale, Gibsonville, Oak Ridge, Sedalia and Whitsett. Triadwatch will try to get in touch with these municipalities in due time.We can also add that the Guilford County Schools are also under this law as well and see plenty of request for bids in the Greensboro News and Record on a weekly basis.

Here are a few links to  post in regards to public notices in paid print media from the past few months on TRIADWATCH.

-$218,775.13 is Amount Guilford County Taxpayers Waste on Public Notices in Greensboro News and Record
CLICKHERE

-$49,347 City of High Point Wasteful Spending on Public Notices in High Point Enterprise
CLICKHERE

-$96,288.47 City of Greensboro Wasteful Spending on Public Notices in Greensboro News and Record
CLICKHERE

-$31,665.96 City of Greensboro Wasteful Spending on Public Notices in Carolina Peacemaker
CLICKHERE 

-$86,740.29 is the Amount Guilford County Taxpayers Paid For Tax Delinquency in Greensboro News and Record on March 23, 2011
CLICKHERE


 We also heard from our local conservative weekly paper in Guilford County called the Rhino Times  here is what John Hammer had to say in a article titled "Numbers Do Lie: City Budget Really is Smaller" CLICKHERE

"The council also discussed several bills before the North Carolina state legislature, including one that would allow cities and counties to place public notices on their own websites, instead of being forced by law to advertise public notices in newspapers with over 50 percent paid circulation.

Assistant City Manager Denise Turner said this would save Greensboro about $120,000 a year, but she was corrected by Wade who said the figure was closer to $300,000. Turner later agreed the figure was probably higher.

Imagine there are 50 tire stores in Greensboro and there is a state law that says the city has to buy all the tires for police cars from a tire store with a 100,000-square-foot showroom on a six-lane highway. Does anyone think that would be fair? It's similar to what the current law does.

There are many effective ways to advertise – paid circulation newspapers are one, so are free circulation conservative weekly papers, direct mail, radio, television, outdoor advertising, robo-calls and sandwich signs, to name a few. According to state law, there is only one way to advertise a public notice and that is in a paid circulation newspaper, even if there is not a paid circulation newspaper in the entire county.

It is a law that provides millions of dollars worth of noncompetitive advertising to paid circulation newspapers across the state, and a law that in these economic times the state can certainly do without."

It is good to hear from a weekly paper  but we also have a situation in Guilford County where our other weekly newspaper in Yes!Weekly is propping up the ads from the North Carolina Press Association, here is a link to their main web site and look in bottom right corner CLICKHERE . On the Yes! Weekly web site you will see the ad saying "would you let a fox quard your hen house?" The only reason i see Yes! Weekly doing this is because their main company is Womack Publishing who has papers from caswell county to orange county to also having a local paper in Jamestown News.Triadwatch will try to do a public records request to see how much taxpayers money is going to the Jamestown News or let's see if Ogi Overman the editor will tell me if i ask him.

The North Carolina Press Association has been on an all out war in regards to these bills on the state level , check out what the association had to say in this newsletter from their web site on May 19, 2011 CLICKHERE 
NCPA goes to battle again over public notices

The public notices battle, which played out in NCPA’s favor last week in the House Government Committee, rages on. The same committee had scheduled a hearing for today on a local bill aimed at allowing Wake County governments in Cary, Clayton, Wendell and Zebulon to put notices on their web sites. NCPA and member publishers from around Wake County have teamed up to tackle this bill. NCPA beat back a similar local bill, aimed at Currituck County, a few weeks ago. Watch ncpress.com for updates. NCPA papers won a major skirmish last week when a squad of 15 publishers and top editors gathered to lobby and appear en masse before the House Government Committee on May 12. Despite more than a dozen speakers and legislators taking the floor to testify for HB472 (and a team of the bill’s backers staring down committee members as the vote began), the committee voted 21-10 to kill this bad bill and keep the public informed. Efforts are under way now to kill the Senate version of that statewide notices bill, SB773. Contact your local senators and ask them to vote against this bill if it comes up in committee.

This North Carolina bill either needs to be retooled or simply redone because to me it would make more sense if we are going to allow more people to see the public notices  then the weekly free papers like the rhino times and yes weekly should also have the opportunity to has a shot at these public notices. I see plenty more opportunities to get a copy of these weekly papers then i ever had a chance of getting a paid copy of the Carolina Peacemaker which only is in the african american community.

The North Carolina House and Senate bills in regards to electronic notices if they do go down in defeat need to come back with some alternatives . For example I for one could care less about the $86,000 bill to Guilford County citizens in regards to tax delinquency that was a 20 page part of the Greensboro News and Record. It would be great if we could get some assistance from our county officials along with our Guilford County delegation to bring up a local bill that would alow the county to not have to put this public notice in paper but could offer it online for any citizen to see the tax delinquency  and if anyone wants to request a copy please inform the county clerk and they can mail you out a copy or if you have a computer then they can e mail a copy. This one thing could save the taxpayers of Guilford County $86,000 and also they said that it was also published in High Point Enterprise but with the invoices that were sent i could not decipher which bill it was. Let's be conservative and say that if we did away with just the tax delinquency as a part of public records in paid newspapers then we could save close to over $100,000  just in Guilford County.

More to come on public notices and what is happening in North Carolina in regards to the bills that were filed. Hopefully we will see the state representatives understand how technology is there to help this process and save taxpayers money all over this state.

$31,665.96 City of Greensboro Wasteful Spending on Public Notices in Carolina Peacemaker

The above pdf files were done with a public records request to the City of Greensboro and also Guilford County in regards to our local print media outlets and their use of taxpayers money for public notices in their paper.

Since the 1940's public notices in local papers consists of a variety of issues from foreclosure notice, general legal notice, notice of creditors, notice of hearing, notice of meeting, notice of sale, and request for bids.

This post consist of only the City of Greensboro and a local print media paper called Carolina Peacemaker. Since 2-18-2010 the City of Greensboro has spent $31,665.96 to advertise public notices in their weekly paper. The break down is as follows:

Part #1 = $5,872
Part #2 = $4,502.25
Part #3 = $5,952
Part #4 = $8,604.71
Part #5 = $2,141.50
Part #6 = $4,593.50
TOTAL = $31,665.96

We have been hearing a lot of talk from the North Carolina Press Association in regards to a bill that has been filed to do away with these public notices and save the taxpayers plenty of money because a few days ago TRIADWATCH posted about how it cost the taxpayers of Guilford County over $86,000 to publish the tax delinquency of Guilford County in their paper here is a link to that post CLICKHERE .

Here is what the NC Press Association is saying about keeping their taxpayer money pit flowing:

"As with any of these bills that take public notices out of newspapers, where people will actually notice them, NCPA strongly opposes this bill. The concept of "public notices" has always been to make sure as many people as possible in a community are aware of actions being considered or taken by their governing bodies. Few people visit their town or county website on anything approaching a regular basis. Newspapers, on the other hand, through their printed products and digital products, are accessed by large numbers on a daily basis. Publishing public notices through the newspaper ensures they will be in a place that citizens go to for information already. Newspapers also provide an independent verification of publication that meets the requirements of the law"

In regards to this post and this paper Carolina Peacemaker if only the African American Community gets the public notice does that mean that the whole city was able to see the public notice .  As stated above by the NC Press, newspapers are assessed in large numbers on a daily basis. Do many people read the Carolina Peacemaker in large numbers?   Check out page #40 in the Part #1 PDF where Mary Lou Anderson writes that they did use the Greensboro News and Record for their public notice but wanted to go with the Carolina Peacemaker because they were cheaper. Thanks Mary Lou Anderson for looking out for the taxpayer to go cheaper but in reality it is not needed to begin with because each municipality and city can house this information on their web site saving thousands of taxpayers dollars.

In a future post this week we will show the invoices of the Greensboro News and Record in regards to taxpayers money wasted on a grander scale than the Carolina Peacemaker in regards to public notices in our local paid newspapers.

If you would like to make a difference in regards to this issue and save the Guilford County taxpayers plenty of money on a yearly basis it is time to let your state representatives know how you feel and say to them pass  House BIll #473 and the Senate Bill #773 here is a link to the North Carolina General Assembly and a section called find your representative CLICKHERE

$86,740.29 is the Amount Guilford County Taxpayers Paid For Tax Delinquency in Greensboro News and Record on March 23, 2011

Triadwatch did a public records request with the Guilford County Legal Department in regards to public notices in local pay newspapers. One of the questions asked to the Guilford County legal department was this;

On March 23, 2011 in section C of the Greensboro News and Record there was a tax delinquent part of the paper that consisted of over 20 pages of tax liens from the Guilford County Tax Department . I would like to know specifically how much this 20 page part of the paper cost the taxpayers of Guilford County

Robin Keller Paralegal with Guilford County got in touch with the finance department  and this is what she e-mailed me back with;

"Regarding your question concerning the cost to run the delinquent tax listing on March 23, 2011, in the Greensboro News and Record, the amount was $86,740.29. I was also informed by our finance department that some or all of this cost is reimbursed when paid through an advertising fee that is added to the delinquent bills."

The finance department says that some or all of this cost is reimbursed but to me this is a wasteful use of taxpayers money. Does anyone really care about the tax delinquency in Guilford County? Should the county have a up to date database online for all to see on a daily basis for tax delinquency? I also found out that not only was this $86,000 invoice in the Greensboro News and Record but it was also in the High Point Enterprise as well and will update as to that amount as well and if the 2 papers are similar in costs  than this bill could be doubled to $172,000.

Public notices in local papers consists of a variety of issues from  foreclosure notice, general legal notice, notice of creditors, notice of hearing, notice of meeting, notice of sale, and request for bids. The public notices request was also sent to the City of Greensboro which has provided me with a lot of information in regards to the Carolina Peacemaker and the Greensboro News and Record. In future post this week i will show you just how much  money it is costing the taxpayers of this county and the city of Greensboro to advertise in the local papers of choice which is Carolina Peacemaker and Greensboro News and Record.

One of the main reasons to bring up this issue of public notices and the wasteful spending of taxpayers money  on a weekly basis is because there are some bills in the North Carolina Legislature who want to keep up with the technology age and do away with this expense. One of the bills wants  public notices shown electronically online this bill is called CITY/COUNTY ELECTRONIC NOTICE #472 CLICKHERE and there is also the same bill on the Senate side of the North Carolina Legislature Senate Bill #773 CLICKHERE

We have seen all over this state the local newspapers write editorials to keep this taxpayer funded money pit flowing to the local newspapers. We also had the Greensboro News and Record with help from the N.C. Press Association display a full and half page ad titled "Would you let a fox guard your hen house" CLICKHERE and it is the middle ads opposing house bill #472.

We also see a few more bills that are being considered at the state level for example

House Bill #307 Local Electronic Notice ,
 An act to allow the county of Wake and the towns of Cary, Clayton, Wendell, and Zebulon to use electronic means to provide public notice in lieu of publication.

House Bill #361 Currituck Electronic Notice,
An act to allow Currituck County to provide electronic notice of public hearings

The reason for this post was because as we see from the Greensboro News and Record Editorial titled "Help Public See Notices" CLICKHERE . They never once said how much this information is costing the taxpayers of Guilford County . After that editorial it was apparent that a public records request was in order and in the coming week we will post the pdf files on the invoices for the past year and a half in regards to the Carolina Peacemaker and the Greensboro News and Record .

As we see with the tax delinquency bill of $86,720.49 this is just one of many public notices that are costing us plenty over a years time and this could be handled in a manner on city and county web sites all over this state with parameters in place that will make the hen house more transparent and not costing us money to put in local newspapers .

Below is Part #1 of 6 documents that will be discussed this week in triadwatch in regards to this issue because it is time the local newspapers get off the government trough .

Public Notices 1 Carolina Peacemaker

Triad Food Review , Darryl's Wood Fired Grill

Had a chance to eat with the family for Easter Weekend and wanted to share with you the food at a establishment that has been resurrected from the abyss to a delighfully great place to eat and to see the nostalgic of the past from a person who remembers back in the day when Greensboro N.C. had 2 of these restaurants, one in the location now on High Point Road and the other on Church Street down below Moses Cone Hospital.This place is called Darryl's Wood Fired Grill web site CLICKHERE

Upon arriving to our table walking pass the jail cell and seeing all the mug shots of the famous people was fun to see. The menu from the waitress was huge but what caught my eye was the massive menu for the BEER on tap and a huge selection to choose from. below is a picture of the beer menu.

There was something that i have never done before but having worked in the beer industry for awhile it was interesting to hear about having a BEER FLIGHT. A Beer flight is when you can sample multiple draft beers on tap without breaking the bank paying for a full glass they come in small glasses to your table and you get to pick the beers you would like to sample with out breaking the bank paying for a full glass. My beverage of choice was these 4 beers carolina copperline, new belgium seasonal, highland gaelic and a local favorite in Red Oak from right outside greensboro with a brewery off of I40 going towards Burlington N.C. . My favorite was Highland Gaelic from Asheville N.C. very good amber beer just to my tasting.

While i was sampling the beer flight the family wanted a appetizer and we had to have the famous Darryl's Original Crackers with ranch dressing.

These crackers hit the spot waiting on the main course to come. Having these crackers brought back plenty of memories from the past especially alll the time we spent as a family going to the Darryl's on Church Street in Greensboro.

My wife and daughter wanted to share a meal and decided on this one below

this is the rib and rib combo which is a combo of beef ribs and baby back pork ribs and seeing my daughter devour the whole plate of beef ribs with the great sauce on the beef was a sight to see all she could say was yummy. My wife like the meat on the pork ribs and it fell off the bone which is a great sign for a good meal.

I decided to try the reserve burger i am a burger nut and this burger was real good. I like my burger well done with no red in it and this burger was made to perfection. No complaining from me on this burger and one of the best parts of having this signature burger was having a beverage to help me out in this process. I like to have a beer before the meal but want a non alcoholic beverage during my meal. This is one of the few places who likes to stick to their roots in North Carolina and what a better way to drink to the Tar Heel roots is to down the reserve burger with a glass of CHEERWINE. Having a burger with a glass of Cheerwine made for a great Easter weekend.

Now onto the dessert for the day and the kids wanted to have this

Smores was a great topping to a great meal and if you want to experience a great restaurant please check out Darryl's Wood Fired Grill. The only thing that they might want to change is to add a grilled cheese on the kids menu or even on the main menu because if there are kids like my son he loves a grilled cheese sandwich and would have gotten one but got the chicken tenders instead.

80% in Triadwatch Poll Agree That Greensboro City Council Did Not Need To Hire A Federal Lobbyist

Triadwatch had a poll question from this past week in regards to the City of Greensboro was voting on if they wanted to hire a federal lobbyist . With a overwhelming 80% of the vote for NO to a federal lobbyist for Greensboro it is determined that the CIty of Greensboro made the right decision in not voting for wasting taxpayers money going after taxpayers money. Here is a link to what was talked about before the vote CLICKHERE

 than after the vote here is a break down on who voted yes and no for the federal lobbyist CLICKHERE

Let the NORTH CAROLINA REDISTRICTING GAMES BEGIN , Census Data out Next Week

_________________________________________________________________________________
From: Coats, Bob [mailto: bob.coats@osbm.nc.gov ]


Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2011 4:13 PM

To: ncdata@lists.ncmail.net

Subject: [NCDATA] 2010 Census Data

Hi Folks –

The US Census Bureau has announced that it will ship the 2010 Census data for North Carolina next week.

The data will be shipped to state leadership on Monday – Wednesday. Receipt must be verified by one member of each party on the distribution list. Following verification the data will be posted on the US Census Bureau’s new American FactFinder at the end of the week.


Bob Coats
(919) 807-4781
Governor’s Census Liaison

Strategic Management
North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management
20320 Mail Service Center
Raleigh , NC 27699-0320
_________________________________________________________________________________



As we see from above e mail on ncdata list serve let the REDISTRICTING GAMES in North Carolina begin. It will be very interesting to see if the Republicans will have a open and transparent process in regards to the redistricting of this whole state. There was a meeting on 2-3-11 called take it to raleigh that met at the Greensboro N.C. chambers here is a clip of  the host of this blog talking about redistricting. One note in that the title says 3-3-11 but should say 2-3-11 sorry for that in title.




Let the redistricting games begin and hopefully we will see more compact and non gerrymandered districts for the citizens of North Carolina.

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SIT-IN MOVEMENT INC [56-1856093] GuideStar Report





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