Greensboro District #3 Candidate Jay Ovittore Will Not Bow To The TREBIC CARTEL

Ovittore Will Not Bow to Real Estate

Greensboro, NC 8/28/11 – In a move to show his fellow District 3 neighbors and constituents his commitment to a change in how local government works, Jay Ovittore today announced he will not seek the endorsement of TREBIC’s joint election committee or the Greensboro Landlords Association.

Ovittore says, “For far too long, our local real estate developers have had a monetary stranglehold on our City Council giving them an unfair advantage over average citizens. I see serving as a Councilman as a job beholden to serve the citizens of my district. I have no problem sitting and listening to the real estate community, but they will not get any special treatment compared to my next door neighbor or the family that lives down the street. I am fully aware that our developers have a role in how our city grows, but their ability to usurp power via campaign donations has got to stop so we can fix our local problems and serve our citizens, not just a select few. I have heard from the public repeatedly that they want representation that wasn’t purchased by real estate developers. I will be that representation. Being true to myself and those I hope to represent, I will not seek the endorsement of TREBIC’s joint election committee or the Greensboro Landlord’s Association.”

“I do see real problems in our local real estate market. The very people I am not going to be a pawn for, lobbied our state house to repeal our RUCO (Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy) program and others like it successfully. RUCO eliminated 80% of our sub-standard rental housing in Greensboro in 5 short years, all the while being fought by TREBIC and the Greensboro Landlords Association. RUCO didn’t only force rental property owners to keep their houses up to a minimum standard to live in, but ensured every Greensboro citizen that when they rented in our city they would be in a safe and habitable home. RUCO also kept property values in neighborhoods in a better position, which in turn kept tax revenue in a better position. Run down housing will bring down property values for houses that surround them, the same way foreclosures hurt entire neighborhoods.”

On skipping the questionnaires for TREBIC and GLA, Ovittore says, “There will be plenty of opportunities to answer questions for the public at local forums and in most local media. I look forward to debating my opponent in the coming months, giving the public a better option for Council and holding him accountable on issues I know my fellow constituents are upset about.”


For more information please e-mail Jay Ovittore at voteovittore@gmail.com or contact Jay through his Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/voteovittore

CONTACT: Jay Ovittore
336-790-6411
voteovittore@gmail.com

Carolina Peacemaker & " The Conspiracy to Steal The 2012 Election": Rebuttal from Wes King

With permission from Wes King at PortCity Conservatives CLICKHERE

Carolina Peacemaker & " The Conspiracy to Steal the 2012 Election": A Rebuttal

Today I was in the process of putting together a video for the site and was finding more sources when I came across an editorial I wanted to look into. I read through the editorial "The Conspiracy to Steal the 2012 Election" written by Julianne Malveaux of Carolina Peacemaker. The editorial has been posted all across the country, stretching to Seattle and being hosted in prominent publications such as . Of course the piece is toted across Black News outlets and Rainbow Coalition websites, directly referring to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in the first paragraph.


The piece is addressing the issue of Voted ID which is strongly supported by 75% of the North Carolina population.

The entire editorial is full of misinformation that is intended to raise angst among those who are opponents of Voter ID. One amount of misinformation is that

The article also argues that Americans have a mobility rate of 14% (which according to the Census Bureau is generous by almost 2%) and that the black community has a mobility rate of 18%. The argument then ensues that "many do not return to the Department of Motor Vehicles to change the address on their driver’s license." Well, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles website, it is the law that you "must notify DMV within 10 days of changing your address" and that "there is no charge to change your address." So Malveaux's argument is for the benefit of those who are essentially breaking the law. Also, the DMV provides a service where they will notify the Secretary of State regarding voter registration.

The editorial continues to argue that in most cases the only forms of identification that are allowed are driver's licenses and passports. This is where Julianne clearly shows that she hasn't researched the bill but is just regurgitating information from other people who don't know what they are talking about. The North Carolina Bill would allow the use of North Car­olina driver’s license, a spe­cial DMV ID card, an iden­ti­fi­ca­tion card issued by a state or fed­eral agency, a U.S. pass­port, a gov­ern­ment employee ID card, a U.S. mil­i­tary card or a tribal iden­ti­fi­ca­tion card. If an individual couldn't afford the $20 that it costs to receive a DMV ID card, then the state would issue a Voter Identification Card, which would allow them to vote.

She continues on to argue that the implementation of Voter ID would cost millions of dollars. Regardless of the current debt to the system, in my opinion, it is 100% more valuable to reassure the American people and the North Carolina voters that the voting system is effective and credible. Any argument against Voter ID is an argument against securing the credibility of that which Thomas Paine referred to, saying "The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected."

I challenge Ms. Malveaux to have a conversation with me whereby we will address the issues of Voter ID addressing the facts rather than liberal talking points that are intended to fear-monger people into voting for the left. We can leave partisan politics out of the equation and specifically discuss this issue.

Wes King

                                            WesTKing@PortCityConservatives.com | @Kingwt

Guest Column: Marcus Kindley Response to Editorial on Guilford County Redistricting

Guest Column from Marcus Kindley

My response to the Greensboro News and Record editorial concerning the redistricting of the Guilford County Commissioners.

Link to the Greensboro News and Record Editorial: Let Commissioners Do It CLICKHERE
________________________________________________________________________________

To Begin I quote,
“In a partisan power play 20 years ago, Democratic legislators created the current
11-member county board, with nine districts and only two commissioners elected at large. Now
Republicans have enough legislative muscle to change that configuration, but
what was state meddling two decades ago would be state meddling today.”

I venture to say that at that time the News and Record probably thought that this, to quote, “Partisan POWER Play” 20 years was just fine. I also venture to say they would have pointed out how wonderful it was.

Now, they think this was bad and that the duly elected House of Representatives should butt out. Yes, they, being the mouthpiece of the Democratic Party of NC, now believe that what the Dems did
while in power was ok, but with the GOP in charge we should let the DEMOCRAT
CONTROLLED county commissioners do the redistricting.

Does any intelligent person really believe that the DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED County Commissioners will redo their gerrymandering?

Will they open the door to lose control of their majority, to allow fair
representation for the citizens of Guilford County?

 Of course not! Are they that stupid, and yes I mean that!
No they are not. They are just showing the biased reporting and opinion of
their “ Paper”!

Now we will see the left in Guilford County start crying racism! Led by Commissioner Skip Austin, Count on it! I give it less than 24 hours. One thing about the Democrats they never deviate form their
playbook. The News and Record will provide all of the usual coverage. We as citizens must now stand against the onslaught of biased coverage and hateful rhetoric and make it possible for the Citizens of Guilford County to have the privilege of deciding who has OUR best interest at heart.

This bill is fair and levels the playing field. It was not, as the Democrat plan was and has been, stacked in favor of one group or another. The citizens of Guilford County now have the opportunity of true representation.

I thank Rep. John Blust for giving the citizens of Guilford County their right of representation back after being denied so long!

NC Press Association Needs to Read Post from Common Sense Journalism on Public Notices and Legal Ads in Newspapers

HAT TIP and permission to post from Doug Fisher and his blog called Common Sense Journalism CLICKHERE . Below the fold is a post about legal ads and public notices and the press associations fighting to keep taxpayers dollars flowing into their bank account. Doug Fisher is a Senior instructor at the University of South Carolina journalism school and executive editor of the Convergence Newsletter. __________________________________________________________________________________
As for the legal ads
Newspapers, fearful yet another revenue source will melt away to online, have been fighting a rear-guard action to keep the right to publish -- and charge generously for -- legal ads, those arcane, legalese things buried in the paper that, if you really read them, could be a source of decent story leads (not to mention a heaping dose of voyeurism over who's getting sued, kicked out of their place, going bankrupt, etc.)

A Pennsylvania Patch opinion writer throws down the gauntlet over legal ads (we'll run 'em for free to attract audiences) in response to yet another newspaper column trying to block a possible shift of the ads online by the Keystone State's legislature. (Another recent newspaper meme: Link rot could make such online ads useless.)
As to that last point first: So how many of us have been to our - supposedly on paper? - newspaper morgues lately to look at some old, yellowed legal ad? (Uh huh, thought so.) In fact, try finding that morgue at your local oracle's offices. It's all been digitized, folks. And have you ever checked out the link rot on newspaper sites, what with paywalls and archives and all that? (Gimme a break.)

As to newspaper editor Stan Huskey's first set of points, which pretty much parallel the industry line:

• News flash. Not everyone has a computer. Nope, and lots of people don't read newspapers, either. It's standard rhetorical bluster to cite a figure for newspapers - actually to imply a figure for newspapers by saying more people read them than watched the Super Bowl (111 million) - and leave out any comparisons with online (where, unlike newspapers, you can precisely track how many people look at the ads).
• Public notices cost municipalities very little money, and in a lot of cases, nothing at all. Well, not quite true. Huskey has a point that some ad costs are baked in to what the government charges people like developers. But the Patch commentator has posted PDFs of his local county's ledger (provided through an open-records request), that shows it paid $200,000 for such ads last year. Who pays for all those ads from "voter services" for instance?
• And do we really want to take jobs out of the private sector and put them in the public sector? Isn’t government big enough as it is? Putting aside the tea party-type argument about big government for a second (guess you'll be willing to give up any tax breaks on paper, ink, etc., Mr. Huskey?), the nub of this whole conflict is in the first sentence. Huskey elaborates on it later: Let’s peel away yet another layer of the onion in an attempt to find out why our state legislature would continue to present bills that would harm the newspaper industry.
  

  And, technically, another layer of the onion would be the jobs that would be lost if legal notices were taken out of newspaper.
  
  So, why would some state legislators feel the need to harm, perhaps retaliate against, newspapers?
  
  Could it be because we hold them accountable?

Uh, yes, it probably is. And one of the reasons the industry is vulnerable on this is because journalists are largely inconsequential to politicians unless they think the journalist has the suasion of public opinion/outrage behind him or her. The newspaper biz - actually, the journalism biz in general - has lost a lot of that in the past decade, the result of numerous scandals, consolidations that made clear to the public that in most cases this is a business first and a public service second, etc. Nothing wrong with its being a business, but it makes trading on the "public service" argument just a teensy-weensy bit harder.

This isn't going to make me a lot of friends among the press associations I know and love, but they and their members have got to stop trying to play this card game with half a deck of truth.

Yes, there are good public service arguments to be made - and there are good counter-arguments on the digital side. Personally, I think the ads should be in both places because it's a multimedia world. Digital gives me easy access and the ability to search. Papers give me portability and a sense of semi-permanence.

But the real issue is money. Publishers don't want to give up what is as close to an annuity in this business as you can get. You don't have to go out and sell these things - the law mandates that the governments bring them to you - and because of the legally enforced stranglehold, you can charge a decent dollar.

Go ahead, frame it as a "save good journalism" and good journalism jobs argument, but acknowledge it for what it is - you need the money to help prop up a troubled business.

Just don't try to show half a hand and bluff the public. In the game of public opinion, the stakes are high. Eventually, they'll discover it (I think they're actually pretty cognizant of the truth so far), and you'll be labeled a cheater. That's a PR hole you don't want to be trying to dig out of.

GUEST COLUMN: Redistricting – Let’s follow North Carolina Constitution in setting state Senate districts

Thanks High Point Enterprise for letting me be a part of your paper today
.
 GUEST COLUMN: Redistricting – Let’s follow North Carolina Constitution in setting state Senate districts:

CLICKHERE

"By Keith Brown I am writing as a resident of Guilford County who would like to see a change in the makeup of our state senators who represent Guilford County in the N.C. Senate. Right now, our ..."

Open Letter To Greensboro City Council on RUCO from Donna Newton and Greensboro Neighborhood Congress

The focus of the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress is the preservation and improvements of our neighborhoods in terms of quality of life, property values and safety. As we all know, sub-standard housing undermines surrounding property values - even one substandard property can undermine the property values of an entire neighborhood. Also, we know that sub-standard properties invite crime into our communities.


Other organizations that are partnering in support of the pro-active aspects of RUCO,such as the Greensboro Housing Coalition and the Human Relations Commission, are focused on the human rights issues of improving sub-standard rental properties, in that renters have a right to live in safe housing and that many of them won't complain about substandard housing out of fear of retaliation from their landlords.

Key information and talking points:
RUCO is a sucessful program

Since RUCO was implemented, known sub-standard housing in Greensboro has been reduced from 1679 units in 2003 to 705 in 2010.;

Since RUCO was implemented, complaints about sub-standard housing have been decreased 77%;

Since RUCO was implemented, inspections staff have been reduced by 22%.

Since RUCO was implemented, inspections staff have been more successful in getting deteriorated housing to the Minimum Housing Commission more quickly and the number to go has steadily increased from 17 in 2003 to 105 in 2010.

RUCO is reasonable

Once inspected and a certificate is issued, the RUCO is good for the life of the property unless there is a complaint on the property or violations are found during the sampling inspections and not repaired within the prescribed time frame.

The time frame in which a violation must be repaired is 45 days from the written notice of the violation and can be extended as long as in the judgment of the inspector, progress is being on the repairs.

The sampling inspection process applies only to a random 2% of rental properties.

Rental properties that have not yet been inspected that come on the rental market are required to pass inspection and be issued a RUCO before they can be rented.

Opponents of RUCO plan to propose an elimination of the pro-active portions of RUCO, and as they couch it: "target problem properties". Their proposal will in effect eliminate RUCO. We agree that problem properties should be targeted. However, the Housing Code already provides the means to address the obvious problem properties and the City staff have already done 100% exterior inspections at least once. Moreover, where the staff find indications of violations from the external inspections, they are pursuing internal inspections. However, staff will tell you that you can not know what violations may be present inside a residence solely from an external inspection. It is doubtful that you will see electrical problems from the exterior; or rotting floors, or problems with the heating or air conditioning, etc. The question is: do you want to wait until the problems are apparent in the exterior where they negatively impact your entire community? That's what the opponents of RUCO are proposing we do.

You can go to the City website CLICKHERE and email all Council members at one time at their City email. You can also link to the Council directory which provides their home addresses and phone numbers CLICKHERE

Moreover, you can write a letter to the editor at the News and Record at this link CLICKHERE

The Greensboro Housing Coalition also supports keeping RUCO in tact and they state the following reasons:

1. RUCO has achieved tremendous improvement in housing safety for problem properties, reducing substandard housing from 1679 units in 2003 to 705 in 2010.

2. Substandard housing conditions impact health; health care and disability costs for NC children hurt by unsafe housing conditions totaled $108,000,000 in 2007.

3. Proactive inspections prevent conditions from sliding below standard, beyond the focus on problem properties. Analogy: waiting for conditions to become big enough problems for people to complain (or inspectors to see from the street) is like waiting for restaurant kitchens to get so dirty that people see rats before the Health Dept sanitarian comes. Wouldn’t you rather have proactive inspections so that restaurants keep kitchens sanitary all the time and that rental properties stay at or above minimum standards?

The Neighborhood Congress and the Housing Coalition are, however, interested in improving the administration of the inspections programs and we have offered to assist City management and staff in identifying areas that need improvement and finding procedural and other solutions. However, such administrative improvements do not require that we remove the certification requirements within RUCO.

Three of the Congress participants who are willing to assist you with your questions about RUCO and/or drafting your comments include the following:

Laura Jackson ; Michael Pendergraft ; David Wharton .

Again, you can go to the City website CLICKHERE

You can also write a letter to the editor at the News and Record at this link: CLICKHERE

Thank you.

Donna

Response To This Morning's Greensboro News & Record Article on RUCO Guest Column by Donna Newton

First let me say that I think Amanda Lehmert is one of the most objective and usually accurate N&R reporters. However, we all make mistakes - as I think Amanda did in her front page article this morning about RUCO CLICKHERE. According to a report delivered by City staff at the RUCO Board meeting last Thursday, the cost of RUCO for this year will be $547,454 - NOT $980,000, so I'm trying to find out where Amanda got her number. I think staff gave a detailed budget to the Board that I didn't come away with in my packet. I'll be checking this out on Monday.


I will also say that RUCO has been wrought with administrative error since the beginning, primarily because of a very poor records keeping system. It's old and and it's cumbersome and it just doesn't work in some instances. However, despite all those hurdles, RUCO is accomplishing its purpose.

Second, the Inspections Dept. has reduced numbers of staff over the years since RUCO was put in place. They used to spend their time on the hoard of complaints - more than 2000 complaints in 2003 - down to 459 last year. Also, the number of properties they are now able to take to the minimum housing commission and actually get remedied has increased from 17 in 2003 to 105 this year. They used to spend their time chasing their tales trying to get the houses before the commission.

Third, much of the rental housing stock has been RUCO certified and we revised the ordinance some time ago so that a RUCO is for the life of the property unless there is a complaint. New rentals and those not yet inspected do, of course, have to be inspected. Plus, there is a sampling requirement of 2% of the rental stock as a sentinel effect program. Only 10% of those sampling inspections have violations. That's because they get plenty of notice that they are going to be inspected. The long notice is a good thing because after all, what we want to happen is that they fix their units. We are not out to have people fined. I think the "only 10%" is a good thing.

Finally, sub-standard units have decreased from 1,679 in 2003 to 705 last year.

This program is working in so many ways. We should not let it be undermined and we should fix the administrative problems.

I was appointed to the committee that is going to bring a recommendation to the RUCO board to take to Council. I will say that one thing I will push for is a change in the makeup of the RUCO board. It is currently almost all landlords with only one housing representative. Landlords need to be on that board, but so do more of us who know the rental housing stock in Greensboro, but do not profit from it.


Donna Newton
Greensboro Neighborhood Congress

North Carolina Needs More Ethics Reform and Transparency on Statewide Authorities , Guest Column by Cathy Poole

The State Government Ethics Act does not cover NC General Assembly Chartered Authority members, such as the Global Transpark Authority, yet these officials may have personal development interests, hold positions on multiple decision-making boards, and exercise great authority over private and public development, including the use of eminent domain to seize private property; and have access to state and federal funds without accountability to the taxpayer.


Another example of the need for a code of ethical conduct is the formation of a Regional Transportation Authority in the Triad. In 1997, the NC General Assembly passed Article 27, GS160A authorizing formation of a Regional Transportation Authority. The Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) and the Piedmont International Airport Authority (PTIA) that began as an oversight group for the airport, have both evolved into facilitators for land-use and economic development. PTIA is promoting the “Aerotropolis” concept, described as “a powerful engine of economic development” and PART has come under scrutiny for coordinating the “Heart of the Triad” effort as a result of corporate appeal. Significantly, both Authorities have used eminent domain, yet they are not subject to an ethical code.

In another example, Session Law 2008-164 H-2318 authorizes the NC Department of Transportation to enter into private partnership agreements for construction of transportation infrastructure but it does not define an ethical standard for the development and implementation of these agreements.

The undue influence of property developers, corporate interests and a lack of transparency and accountability in land-use and transportation planning is not representative of the population at large and diminishes the public trust and threatens private property rights, agricultural vitality and environmental stability of North Carolina .

Financial systems and democratic government are ultimately based on trust of the administrators, and clearly can and will collapse when administered by avaricious, unethical individuals.

The North Carolina Alliance for Transportation Reform (NCATR) has urged the Executive and Legislative branches of state government to modify the State Government Ethics Act to cover all appointed officials, as well as Authority boards, committees and entities with authority over land-use and transportation planning decisions. Alternatively, we have urged the Executive and Legislative branches to enact a statute to require all such local officials and organizations to create local codes of ethical conduct that address conflict of interest issues and include rigorous enforcement provisions.

This ethical policy should include planners for roads or transportation projects constructed through any public/private partnership arrangement (such as under provisions of H-2318), or through any arrangement where public funds are used.

I have repeatedly requested itemized financial records of funding and expenditures for the "Heart of the Triad" project from Brent McKinney, Executive Director of the Piedmont Authority for Transportation (PART), but he has refused my request. PART was the facilitator of the project. They received an NC DOT grant for an air quality study, but he will not provide the study report or funding amount and they received $50,000 each, from BB&T, Time Warner, and Wachovia which bought seats on the Steering Committee in addition to other private funds. I want to know who the other private donors were and how much they paid to participate. Residents of the 53,000 acre area to be condemned for roads and development were refused a seat on the original steering committee. Three residents stopped their request for $2.25 millon in a Senate Bill, but many questions from numerous taxpayers remain unanswered.

Respectfully,
Cathy M. Poole, Ethics Committee Chair
NC Alliance for Transportation Reform

Winston-Salem N.C. Northern Beltway Nightmare , Guest Column by Cathy Poole

Winston-Salem N.C. Beltway Map from NCDOT




Winston-Salem Northern Beltway: Project# R-2247, U-2579, U2579-A


The North Carolina Department of Transportation insists on employing the discredited 1950s approach of condemn, bulldoze, destroy, and pave as clearly referenced in the plans for the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway. This makes no sense in the 21st Century. Consider the following facts:

Existing infrastructure is falling down around us. Local headlines remind commuters of 800 Triad bridges listed as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Citizens will be forced to drive over crumbling bridges to reach new multi-million dollar stadiums. Board of Transportation member, Nancy Dunn commented that she hopes the bridge disaster in Minneapolis helps galvanize the attention of state leaders. Davidson County Commissioner Max Walser laments, “We don’t have enough money in the state to fix potholes, much less build a new Yadkin River Bridge”. 5,602 of North Carolina’s 18,042 bridges are listed as substandard yet NC DOT wants to build the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway with 188 crossings of streams and wetlands requiring 18 new bridges and 37 major culverts.

Warnings to protect and conserve water due to the exceptional drought and state funding of $100 million for the Clean Water Management Trust Fund are futile if DOT is allowed to proceed with the beltway plans that impact 41,854 linear feet of streams, 32 acres of wetlands and 25 acres of ponds. Over 6,000 linear feet of streams will be drained and relocated.

NC farmland and open spaces are destroyed at a rate of over 100,000 acres per year. The beltway will destroy another 1,380 acres of prime statewide and locally important farmland.

NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, “One NC Naturally” implemented a state-wide effort to conserve forests and cropland having the capacity of absorbing and sequestering carbon dioxide to help offset emissions, yet the beltway will decimate 2,233 acres of forestland. Warnings of poor air quality days are frequent in the Triad. Twenty-four NC counties (including the Triad) do not meet air quality standards for either ozone or particulate matter (non-attainment). Burning one gallon of gasoline creates nineteen pounds of carbon dioxide. The greatest sources of ground level ozone are cars and trucks.

It is clear that those who stand to profit financially are the same people who most influence decisions made by NC DOT. Why else would busy land developers constitute such a large percentage of appointed “advisory” panels?

The American Planning Association’s Policy on Climate Change prescribes re-use and upgrades to existing infrastructure. The NC Climate Action Plan Advisory Group and the NC Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change have a series of strategies in place, including provisions for increased public transport to reduce the number of miles driven in personal vehicles across the state. PART, the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation just announced plans to spend $787,000 for property to house a permanent bus and rail mass transit terminal expected to cost more than $17 million. Rail would be the efficient and safe way to promote regional connectivity.

North Carolina Department of Transportation’s daunting financial challenges, rising fuel costs and the devastating environmental consequences of building new roads are all compelling reasons to oppose the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway.

NC DOT leadership and planners must no longer ignore the “No-Build Alternative” in Environmental Impact Statements and should immediately adopt a “Fix-It-First Policy” for North Carolina Department of Transportation.

We must demand that our public employees start making more enlightened decisions in the public’s interest, with environmental sensitivity and accountability to the public.

Cathy M. Poole

Member of: NC Alliance for Transportation Reform

Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League

Call for Racial Unity in Greensboro N.C. by Mickey Atkinson, Video Embedded and Transcript

The embedded video above is from the June 1, 2010 meeting where during the speakers from the floor segment some citizens  made a call for racial unity in Greensboro N.C. .  Below is the transcript of the embedded video. After Mickey Atkinson spoke you will also see that Marcus Brandon spoke as well here is the link to that post CLICKHERE.


Mickey Atkinson, 4028 Bluebonnet Drive , Greensboro


Maya Angelou wrote, “We are more alike than different.” I am not a politician. I despise the polarizing of our country, and of our city. I am a retired HS teacher who every day for the last 8 years of my career had these words on my board: “Love, forgive, and be a blessing.” It frustrates me that some of my students continue to see a few adults try to polarize our citizens, especially racially.

I am one small voice, but I am compelled to speak out. We are tired of the racial and political polarizing, and of the one percent being the loudest voice in race matters. Those who would hold press conferences to demand an investigation of an over-investigated police department, those who would coach others to declare that the city council is not doing its job, you are self-serving in your perpetual rants. You are feeding off the fear, paranoia, and bitterness that you create. It’s your M.O.

The solutions to our polarized race relations? Leaders, black and white, need to lead in speaking out, as Zack Matheny did recently. We must dialogue. People of all races need to drop the paranoia. Just because a few hold a press conference, or just because one voice on the school board is always harping about race, we cannot believe that all of a certain race feel that way.

Likewise, just because some anonymous beeps in the Rhino say white supremacist things, quit believing that the vast majority of white people feel that way. Well over 99% of us want an end to the racial polarization. Sadly, that 1% will always be among us, black and white.

The enemy of the black community is not the city council; it’s the absence of strong mentors in education. It’s not the police department; it’s the preaching of discord instead of the gospel in some churches. It’s not our prison system; it’s the self-imposed prison of the high school dropout. It’s not inequality at society’s hands; it’s inequality from the crippling effects of fatherless homes. It’s not that fraction of a percent of white extremists; it’s those voices that perpetually deflate with a paranoid attitude of blame. To those of you who say we have a culture of corruption, no, we have a culture of self-serving discord by a few.

Likewise, the enemy of the white community is not the extremist voice of self-serving black “leaders”, it’s not affirmative action, and it’s not taxes. It’s the greed of Wall St and Main St that’s destroying the moral fabric of our values system. It’s the paranoia fueled by false prophet white extremists. It is the mentality that “we” are doing all of the giving and “they” are doing all of the taking.

Let’s quit listening to these divisive voices and recognize Greensboro for its positive leadership and growth. Let’s quit publicly vilifying a police department filled with modestly paid public servants who protect and serve daily. Let’s bury the race-related paranoia by recognizing that the outspoken 1% does not speak for the rest of a group, black or white. I do believe that 99% of us live in a city where we are not judged by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character. Let’s all move forward. I call on Greensboro ’s leaders to create more open dialogue on unity.

Governor Perdue Time For A Little Ethics Cleansing, Open Letter from Concerned Citizen

Below is a open letter for North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue from Joe Sinsheimer who is a campaign finance reformer and was awarded by the N.C. Press Association back in 2007 with the William C. Lassiter First Amendment Award, which is given annually to a non-journalist who has worked for open government and free speech.


With permission from Joe Sinsheimer here is his open letter to the Governor of North Carolina Beverly Perdue.


November 18, 2009
Governor Bev Perdue
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301

Dear Governor Perdue,

The recent State Board of Election hearings on Governor Easley and his alleged
campaign activities, as well as the Verizon contracting scandal, have once again shaken confidence in our state government. These repeated scandals are damaging our state’s reputation for honest government and demand executive leadership. While we all hope the General Assembly will take on the call of reform in the 2010 session, there are a number of positive and immediate steps you could take as governor to help restore confidence in state government:

First, ask Ruffin Poole to resign from the Board of Directors of the Golden
LEAF foundation. Mr. Poole’s decision to refuse/fight a subpoena by the State Board of Elections demands this action. While Mr. Poole has a constitutional right against selfincrimination, it is disgraceful that a state appointee to a board as important as Golden LEAF would refuse to answer questions from another state board. Having already spent close to $400 million of state money and with another half a billion in its accounts, Golden LEAF should play a forceful role in the state’s economic future without North Carolinians worrying about unseemly corruptive influence. Golden LEAF’s work should be held to the highest ethical standards. Recent testimony from the State Board of Elections indicates that Mr. Poole does not meet those standards. While you may lack
legal grounds to demand Mr. Poole’s resignation, the governor does command a bully pulpit and you would send a strong message of your expectations of those servings in state government if you asked Mr. Poole to resign immediately.

Second, release all the investigative reports on the missing 2005 State
Highway patrol records including those from the special investigative panel you
formed in August and the patrol’s internal affairs unit. In May 2009, the News and Observer first reported Capt. Melvin’s February 2009 visit to the Easley personal residence to deliver what Capt. Melvin has since described as a “personal” hard drive. Six months later, we still do not have answers to what Capt. Melvin delivered, nor do we have answers to the important question of whether the Highway Patrol has been engaged in a political cover-up. To date, the only report that has been issued from your administration is a four-page document which could be generously described as “amateurish.” On August 26, 2009, N.C. Crime Control Secretary Reuben Young told reporters: “Governor Perdue and I are determined to do everything in our power to find
the answers regarding the 2005 records.” It is now time for you to honor that commitment and release all of the investigative reports in this matter including those produced by the patrol’s internal affairs unit.

Third, impose a 90-day freeze on the environmental permitting process for
Titan Cement and ask Attorney General Roy Cooper to conduct an investigation
into whether any undue political pressure has been involved in the permitting
process to date. The Attorney General’s investigation should focus on actions taken by the Easley Administration to exempt Titan from the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) as well as the state senate’s abrupt decision to kill legislation on this matter this year without a vote. Three recent events have diminished public confidence in the state’s
environmental permitting process. These events include 1) the federal bribery convictions of a NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) official and two corporate executives in the Agri-Ethanol case; 2) testimony during the State Board of Elections hearings that top Easley administration officials were helping a coastal developer with a permitting issue at the same time they were soliciting a $50,000 contribution from that same developer; and 3) federal officials recently serving DENR with a half dozen subpoenas that indicate that they are probing whether anyone made payoffs or offered gratuities to state officials during the permitting process. The people of
North Carolina, especially those living in southeast North Carolina near the proposed plant, have to know with 100% certainty that the Titan case has been handled fairly. Given recent events, that can’t be said right now. That is why I am asking you take this extraordinary extra step in this controversial case.

Three years ago, just months before Jim Black pled guilty to three separate
felonies, I sent Governor Easley a similar letter that included this paragraph: “Too many North Carolinians still believe that government service is an opportunity to enrich themselves or protect their industry’s economic interests. Gubernatorial leadership, as well as further changes to our state’s campaign finance laws, will help alleviate this problem.” Governor Easley never responded to the letter, an action I believe spoke volumes about his interest in honest government. I hope and trust you will choose a different path.

Sincerely,


Joe Sinsheimer

Resolution on Ethical Principles in Land Use and Transportation Planning in N.C.

RESOLUTION ON ETHICAL PRINCIPLES IN LAND-USE AND TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IN NORTH CAROLINA


WHEREAS, the intent of the State Government Ethics Act is to “further the public, not private or personal interest and to maintain the public trust of the citizens of North Carolina, and it is essential that government function honestly and fairly, free from all forms of impropriety and undue influence; and acceptance of authority granted by the people to elected and appointed officials imposes a commitment of fidelity to the public interest and such power cannot be used to advance narrow interest for oneself, other persons or groups; and self interest, partiality, and prejudice have no place in decision making for the public”. And “officials must be prepared to remove themselves immediately from decisions, votes or processes where even the appearance of a conflict of interest exists”; and

WHEREAS, the State Government Ethics Act does not cover local elected and appointed officials, yet these officials may have personal development interests, hold positions on multiple decision-making boards, and exercise great authority over private and public development, including the use of eminent domain to seize private property; and

WHEREAS, most county and municipal governments do not have ethics or conflicts of interest policies for elected and appointed officials; and

WHEREAS, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs), planning and zoning boards and committees, Transportation Advisory Committees (TACs) and Technical Coordinating Committees (TCCs) and other entities involved in transportation and land-use planning are not subject to ethical principles and do not function with transparency and accountability to the people or abide by a set of ethical guidelines (e.g. Ethical Principles of the American Planning Association); and

WHEREAS, as an example of the need for local codes of ethical conduct is the formation of a Regional Transportation Authority in the Triad. In 1997, the NC General Assembly passed Article 27, GS160A authorizing formation of a Regional Transportation Authority. The Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) and the Piedmont International Airport Authority (PTIA) that began as an oversight group for the airport, have both evolved into facilitators for land-use and economic development. PTIA is promoting the “Aerotropolis” concept, described as “a powerful engine of economic development” and PART has come under scrutiny for coordinating the “Heart of the Triad” effort as a result of corporate appeal. Significantly, both Authorities have used eminent domain, yet they are not subject to an ethical code; and

WHEREAS, in another example, Session Law 2008-164 H-2318 authorizes the NC Department of Transportation to enter into private partnership agreements for construction of transportation infrastructure but it does not define an ethical standard for the development and implementation of these agreements; and

WHEREAS, the undue influence of property developers, corporate interests and a lack of transparency and accountability in land-use and transportation planning is not representative of the population at large and diminishes the public trust and threatens private property rights, agricultural vitality and environmental stability of North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, financial systems and democratic government are ultimately based on trust of the administrators, and clearly can and will collapse when administered by avaricious, unethical individuals.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the North Carolina Alliance for Transportation Reform (NCATR) meeting on January 19, 2009 urges the Executive and Legislative branches of state government to modify the State Government Ethics Act to cover all local elected and appointed officials, as well as all boards, committees and entities with authority over land-use and transportation planning decisions. Alternatively, we urge the Executive and Legislative branches to enact a statute to require all such local officials and organizations to create local codes of ethical conduct that address conflict of interest issues and include rigorous enforcement provisions.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this ethical policy includes planners for roads or transportation projects constructed through any public/private partnership arrangement (such as under provisions of H-2318), or through any arrangement where public funds are used.


SIGNATURE______ON_FILE___________________________________________________

PRINTED NAME___Cathy_M._Poole____________________________________________________

TITLE_Chairperson_Ethics_Committee_NC_Alliance_for_Transportation_Reform

DATE_February_11, 2009____________________________________________________

Sent To:
Governor Beverly Perdue
Secretary, North Carolina Department of Transportation
NC General Assembly

Letter to Governor Perdue for Ethical Reforms on the local level especially Guilford County

Cathy M. Poole, Chairperson
NC Alliance for Transportation Reform - Ethics Committee
1607A Squire Davis Road
Kernersville, N.C. 27284
Telephone: 336-869-0256
Email: CathyPoole@northstate.net


February 11, 2009



The Honorable Beverly E. Perdue
Office of the Governor
State of North Carolina
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, N.C. 27699-0301

Dear Governor Perdue:

It is evident from your first days as our Governor, that your Oath of Office is synonymous with the truths you hold dear. NC citizens across the state thank you and welcome your wise leadership promoting open and fair government processes.
Executive Order Number 2 “Reforming Department of Transportation” is excellent; however, unless ethical reform in transportation planning reaches local levels of elected and appointed officials as well, it will be undermined and inefficient. We cannot allow undue influence by property developers and corporate interests who have no accountability to the people and are subject to no ethical policies to control any level of the planning process.
Sam Hunt, former Secretary of North Carolina Department of Transportation said that the “Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) is the policy body guiding the transportation planning process”. When I recently questioned the ability of the TAC to over-rule the unanimous vote of the Guilford County Commissioners, my elected representatives, I was told that the “TAC is self-governed”.
Integration of transportation and land-use planning, supported by the Federal Highway Administration calls for Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Rural Planning Organizations, and transit agencies to maximize the effectiveness of public investments by collaboration, and (provisions of H-2318) provides for public/private partnerships, but these agencies and persons do not function with transparency and accountability or abide by enforceable ethical standards.
We believe the attached Resolution on Ethical Principles in Transportation Planning and Land-use in North Carolina, proposed by NC Alliance for Transportation Reform (NCATR), would greatly strengthen Executive Order Number 2 in accordance with Article XIV, Section 3 of our North Carolina Constitution. “General laws uniformly applicable throughout the State shall be made applicable without classification or exception in every unit of local government of like kind, such as every county, or every city and town”…
Very simply, our request is for modification of the State Government Ethics Act to specifically cover all elected officials, appointees, planning boards and individuals involved in transportation and land-use planning uniformly and throughout North Carolina.
Once again, I commend your efforts to reform the processes, efficiencies and priorities of the North Carolina Department of Transportation.


Respectfully,



Cathy M. Poole, Chairperson
NCATR - Ethics Committee






NC Alliance for Transportation Reform (NCATR) is a statewide grassroots organization involved in transportation reform issues across the state since 1992.

2009 Should Bring New Focus on Greensboro Politicians-Guest Column

Many of you here on Triad Watch know me from covering public education in Guilford County for the last two years as part of Guilford School Watch (and my unsuccessful 2008 Guilford School Board at-large campaign). But honestly, we can't talk about reforming public education until we deal with the issues in our community that provide barriers to a solid public education.

For a brief period of time this past year, I did a small blog called Triad Job Watch, at the beginning of this summer's economic spiral. But alas, we can't even talk about bringing jobs to our area until we deal with the issues in our community that provide barriers to solid economic development.

And rather than me wax poetic on Guilford School Watch, I wanted to join my friend Keith Brown, who has quickly become an ally in the ongoing struggle against local corruption in our city and county halls, in dropping some thoughts on our fair city, Greensboro, in 2009.

You see, maybe it's me, but we have a lot of problems in our town and none of them are being addressed properly by our so-called elected leadership.
Jobs (or the lack of jobs) are just one aspect of what's killing Greensboro. For the last several days, in rapid succession, we have seen announcements in the News & Record on company shutdowns and layoffs. And our elected leadership is incredibly silent. Our soon-to-be-major employer, FedEx, just announced a delay in their mammoth hub at PTI Airport. You would think that there would have been a statement from someone down at City Hall...you think? Of course not.

And our jobs problem has permeated this city long before the economic downturn of 2008. Greensboro (and the larger Triad, for that matter) has been suffering a major economic downturn for the past 10 years. And our local officials continue to wonder why this area continues playing third fiddle to Charlotte and the Triangle. They continue to wonder why the brain-drain in this area is unbelievably high.

The silence from our so-called elected officials is deafening.
We have a brain-drain because we don't seem to have any real economic development activities going on in our city right now. Recruitment of companies to our area is an absolute joke, and just as many people in this area are underemployed as they are unemployed. You cannot sustain an economy on $9/hour service jobs while continuing to make this area relevant.
A recent Business Week article touting "Grey Skies over Greensboro" CLICKHERE was a damning spectacle on all things wrong with our city. Did anyone from City Hall come out in defense? Did anyone say anything at all?

The silence from our so-called elected officials is deafening.

The record unemployment/underemployment problem we're having is stretching into our schools (record numbers of free/reduced lunch applications at Guilford County Schools), our healthcare facilities (record numbers of ER visits from citizens lacking health insurance), and it may be spilling over into a crime problem that is now out of control.

There seem to be no less than five robberies in Greensboro reported...DAILY, in the News & Record. Burglaries are on the rise all over town. The shootings and killings...even in broad daylight, are astronomical.
And yet...any reaction from downtown?

The silence from our so-called elected officials is deafening.

The irresponsible development with no regard of citizens and neighbors with respect to sensitive zoning cases is crazy. Taxes are high. Infrastructure needs are growing and are not being properly addressed.

Where's our mayor, Yvonne Johnson? She seems to be absent from what's going on in our city. Our City Council...ditto. My councilman, Trudy Wade, rolled into City Council a couple of years ago fresh from a stinging loss of her long-time seat on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. Since then, she hasn't shown me much at all.

I expect my City Councilmen to be visible in the community, to set up community meetings and town halls, to circulate among school events...where is Wade? Where is Mayor Johnson? Where is Police Chief Bellamy on our crime emergency?

Where is the elected leadership of our city?

Oh...I'm sorry...they're busy giving city manager Mitch Johnson another chance to do a job that he's failed miserably in.

The silence from our so-called elected officials is deafening.

Greensboro...take notice. City Council...take notice. Mayor Johnson, take notice. 2009 is at hand and the municipal elections of 2010 are at hand. We'll be watching you just a tad bit closer this year. Because frankly, Greensboro is headed down the wrong track. And this train will derail unless urgent changes are made...and fast.

Who's with me?

-- Erik "E.C." HueyEditor, "Guilford School Watch"

e-mail: guilfordschoolwatch@gmail.com

http://guilfordschoolwatch.blogspot.com/

Member of the Coalition of the Concerned Citizens of the Triad