The Rhinoceros Times
®
Vol. XXII No. 18
© Copyright 2012 The Rhinoceros Times
Greensboro, North Carolina
www.rhinotimes.com
Thursday, May 3, 2012
County Steals City Parking For Jail by Scott D. Yost county editor
On Friday, April 27, Guilford County sent out letters to 30 state employees and 59 City of Greensboro employees informing them that the county is throwing (Continued on page 54)
Photo by Sandy Groover
A couple of the people who showed up at the Greensboro Coliseum on Tuesday, May 1 to audition for The X Factor. It would
Edwards Trial Trumps Voting by Scott D. Yost county editor
The idea behind opening up early voting at the Old Guilford County Court House in downtown Greensboro was to make it more convenient for people to cast their
votes and, hopefully, to increase voter turnout. However, voters who attempt to vote early at the Old Court House are finding it anything but convenient – thanks (Continued on page 54)
Inside this issue
High Point News.......... 10 Entertainment Guide.... 19 Uncle Orson Reviews... 20 Puzzles................... 21,57 Yost Column................ 22 Scott’s Night Out.......... 23 Rhino Real Estate........ 25 Letters to the Editor..... 41 Civilization Watch........ 50 under the hammer....... 63
Rhino Rumors From staff and wire reports
Photo by Elaine Hammer
Republican State House District 59 candidate Sharon Kasica, Amy McHenry and Newsweek/Daily Beast journalist Diane Dimond (from left) at The Rhino Times Schmoozefest at Cafe Europa on Thursday. More photos page 42
Schiffman’s Jewelers will host a Glass Half Full, a benefit for Wine to Water on Friday, May 4 at Schiffman’s at 225 S. Elm St. from 6 to 9 p.m. as part of the Friday at Five activities in downtown Greensboro. The event will feature a book (Continued on page 55)
appear that this area has quite a few great singers, or at least quite a few who think they are.
2012 Primary Endorsements by john hammer editor
What follows is a long look at the primary races with our endorsements. In the primary races most of the candidates have similar political beliefs, which makes it difficult to choose one, but that is what voters are asked to do and it is what we have done. We have been to candidate forums, interviewed candidates, read their campaign material and what others have written about them, and done the best we could to compare them to others in the race. There are an excess of good candidates this year, which is great for the area and for government, but tough on folks doing endorsements, and tough on candidates because in most races only one wins and what they win is the right to run against someone from the other
Vote for Experience
VOTE ENOCHS for Superior Court Judge Paid for by Committee to Elect Robert Enochs for Superior Court Judge
party in the fall. The main exceptions are the nonpartisan races, where the top two vote-getters will face each other in the fall. There are also some races where only one party fielded candidates and they get a free ride in the fall. Republican Primary President Up until a few weeks ago it looked like we’d at least have a couple of candidates to choose from in the Republican presidential primary, but everyone with the exception of Mitt Romney and Rep. Ron Paul has dropped out. Paul’s supporters are going to vote for him on May 8 no matter what, and unfortunately some will vote for him in November. The rest of the Republican (Continued on page 11)
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
The City Should Be Ashamed Of Itself by john hammer editor
Friday, April 27, there was a tour of World War Memorial Stadium on Yanceyville Street. Members of the Greensboro City Council, the city staff, several engineers from Sutton Kennerly & Associates and several from the North Carolina A&T State University engineering department, representatives of the A&T athletic department and others went on the tour. The purpose seemed to be to determine whether the stadium has deteriorated enough to justify tearing it down or if the city is going to have to wait another couple of years. The city simply refuses to spend a dime on the upkeep of the stadium and, as one might expect, it looks worse every year Sutton Kennerly has been recommending that the city tear down most of the stadium for years, but the engineering professors from A&T didn’t seem to think the situation was nearly so dire. Councilmembers Jim Kee, Nancy Vaughan and Marikay Abuzuaiter and interim City Manager Denise Turner Roth all went on the tour. Part of the tour was through the A&T baseball team’s locker room. Since A&T had a game that was being broadcast on ESPN, there were players and coaches around, but fortunately for Greensboro the cameras never focused on the locker rooms. Both the City of Greensboro and A&T should be ashamed of themselves for the condition of the A&T baseball locker room. It is simply not a facility that an athlete playing at any university should have to endure, much less an athlete at a Division I school. The locker room is an embarrassment to the city and the university. Vaughan agreed that the locker room was in deplorable condition and needed to be brought up to the standard of other city facilities. The City of Greensboro, which owns the facility, should not be renting something out that is in that condition. The walls at city hall are constantly repainted, and perfectly good windows are currently being replaced. I am in city facilities all the time – recreation centers, libraries, police stations, fire stations and offices. I’ve been on the roof of city hall and am frequently in the basement. I have never seen anything that even approaches the condition of the baseball locker room, including the transfer station where the city’s garbage is loaded on trucks to go to the landfill. That facility is actually very nice. It’s not just paint peeling, although that is all over the place, it looks like they have created a locker room in the bowels of an abandoned building in a slum. If it were anybody but the city renting out that facility it would be illegal because the city would rule that the locker room couldn’t pass inspection. But the city doesn’t condemn its own buildings and grants itself tremendous leeway on the condition of its buildings. The city has simply ignored the stadium since the Greensboro Bats minor league team left in 2004. The concession stands still have candy in them from eight years ago. The keg coolers are still there with some “Bats Last Stand at the Grand Stand” cups. The directions on how to properly draw a cup of beer are still taped to the wall. In a storage area Bats uniforms are strewn about in the midst of a huge pile of old duffle bags. Greensboro and A&T should be able to work out a deal on the long-term use of the (Continued on page 51)
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The Rhinoceros Times, an award-winning newspaper, is published weakly by Hammer Publications, 216 W. Market St., Greensboro, North Carolina. The Rhino Times is intended to entertain and inform its thousands of readers worldwide. Mailing address: P.O. Box 9421 Greensboro, NC 27429 News: (336) 273-0880 Advertising: (336) 273-0885 Fax: (336) 273-0821 Beep: (336) 273-0898 Website: www.rhinotimes.com Letters to the Editor: letters@rhinotimes.net
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The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Jer r y Alan
Branson Guilford County CommiSSioner diStriCt 4 • Common Sense • Strong Conservative Values • Working for All People
A Fresh Face 4 Guilford County thank you for your vote on tuesday, may 8th
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Don Wendelken
County Commissioner District 5
• Small Business Owner • U.S. Marine • The Conservative’s Voice www.electdonw.com donwendelken11@gmail.com (336) 202-0488
Paid for by Committee to Elect Don Wendelken
ConradNC.com WHY DID TRUDY WADE FALSELY ATTACK JUSTIN CONRAD? TRUDY WADE • Raised sales tax • Tried to raise property tax • 20-year career politician • Former Democrat, donated to liberal Mel Watt JUSTIN CONRAD • Fought the food tax • Never supported a tax increase • Small business owner, family man • Lifelong Republican It’s clear: the only conservative leader is Justin Conrad.
Conservative. Effective. Leader. Paid for by Committee to Elect Justin Conrad
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Henning, Wilkins, Williams Vie In District 6 by Scott D. Yost county editor
All of the District 6 Guilford County Board of Commissioners candidates this year have at least one thing in common: They only had a matter of weeks to decide whether or not they were going to run for that seat. That’s because, until late February, there wasn’t going to be a District 6 race at all. However, on Thursday, Feb. 23, a federal court judge ruled that there would be a race in the district, and three Republican candidates – Hank Henning, Tony Wilkins and Jeremy Williams – filed to run for the seat. Henning, 37, is a veteran of the Iraq war who works as an account manager for Brady Services – a company that provides heating and air-conditioning systems and consults on energy efficiency for commercial and industrial facilities across North Carolina. Henning’s accounts are largely in southwestern Guilford County, and he’s hoping that, since much of the commissioners’ District 6 overlaps with his business territory, being known there will help his cause when voters go to the polls. Wilkins, 53, owns and runs Furniture Connection and is known by some through his blogging efforts. He was born in High Point and has lived his whole life in Guilford County – making him the only lifelong resident of the county in the District 6 race.
Wilkins was also a firefighter for four years and has been active in the county’s Republican Party. He served for two years as the executive director of the Guilford County Republican Party. Jeremy Williams, 39, is a human resources director for Cincinnati-based Cintas Corp., a business services company. Williams is one of the leaders of the local Tea Party group, Conservatives for Guilford County (C4gc). Last spring, when the Guilford County Board of Commissioners was in the process of putting its 20112012 budget together, Williams co-led an effort by C4gc to find potential cuts and savings in Guilford County government, and Williams spent a lot of time combing through the county budget. District 6 covers much of the western part of Guilford County, including districts in northern High Point, western Greensboro, and Jamestown, as well as in more rural parts of the western and northwestern Guilford County. All three Republican primary candidates are married with children. Henning and his wife, Stormy, live in Jamestown and have two sons. Wilkins and his wife, Krista, live in Greensboro with their son and daughter. Krista is president of the Pilot Elementary School PTA. Williams lives in High Point with his wife, Donna, and their three children – two boys and a girl.
✓
JUDGE SUSAN BRAY
All three candidates in the District 6 primary have at least one message in common: Henning, Wilkins and Williams all say that their private-sector employment provides them with excellent skills for streamlining Guilford County government. Henning said he works week in and week out helping find efficiencies for the Brady Services clients he handles, and he argues that he’ll be able to use those same business skills in the public sector. “I’ve helped customers become more energy efficient and cut costs,” Henning said. “I can do the same for county government.” Wilkins also said his private sector experience could be used to help run county government effectively: He said his years of experience owning and operating a successful furniture company would prove very beneficial when it comes to forging a county budget each year. Wilkins also said that being in the furniture industry has uniquely qualified him to understand the value of the furniture market to High Point and Guilford County, and he added that his business experience has given him knowledge of what it takes to help the furniture market prosper. Williams, likewise, said his extensive human resources experience in a large company would be an asset when it came to crafting the county budget. Williams said that, when he researched the county’s budget last year, his work as a human resources director allowed him to identify a lot of accounting tricks that county officials like to use in the budget. For instance, Williams said, Guilford County has a habit of carrying vacant positions on the books each year and getting funding for those positions even though county administrators know that money will be used for some other purpose. “They have no intention of filling those positions,” Williams said. He also said the county needs to go “line by line” through the budget, rather than, as it does now, base every budget on the preceding one. Williams added that the
process needs to be more public, with more input from citizens and fewer backroom deals. All three candidates are critical of the way the Guilford County Board of Commissioners has been operating in recent years. Henning, Wilkins and Williams all said the current commissioners spend too freely and raise taxes too much. Williams said there’s a lot of “dysfunction” on the current Board of Commissioners, and Henning said that, whatever one says about county government, one thing is certain: There needs to be a change in the status quo. Henning said that the spending by the current board and current county administration is “out of control,” and he added the county has been racking up debt for years. “I’ve been going door to door and asking people, ‘What’s important to you?’” Henning said. He added that the answer almost always comes back the same: County residents are very concerned about rising property taxes and the increasing county debt. He said that pattern has to change. “We need to do more with less,” Henning said. Wilkins points out that he’s participated in local Republican politics for the past six years, which gives him a longer track record in county politics than any of the three candidates. Last year, Wilkins ended his two-year stint as executive director of the Guilford County Republican Party. Wilkins said that, during those two years as well as his previous years in local Republican politics, he was able to establish a good working relationship with many local elected officials and other leaders in the county, and Wilkins said those relationships could be beneficial when it comes to getting things done as a commissioner. Wilkins said he also sees as a strength the fact that he was born in High Point and has lived in Guilford County his whole life. (Continued on page 53)
EXPERIENCE
Seven years as a Guilford County Assistant District Attorney (1989-1996) Sixteen years as a Guilford County District Court Judge (1996-Present)
Susan Bray is the only candidate for the open Superior Court seat with any judicial experience. www.JudgeBray.com Paid for by Judge Bray’s Committee
Paid for by the Committee to Elect Linda L. Falls
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
MY STORY, MY DESIGN
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 5
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Cooke, Belton Walk Out on Daniels’ Remarks by paul C. clark Staff Writer
Meetings of the Guilford County Board of Education usually end, not with a bang, but a whimper. Not so on Thursday, April 26. The last things on each school board agenda are comments from the superintendent and comments from school board members. School Superintendent Mo Green rarely makes comments. Many of the school board members also pass on the opportunity, and the ones who don’t usually make innocuous comments praising football teams or school events. School board member Deena Hayes’ Thursday comments on the garden at Bessemer Elementary School are a good example of the form. She said, “I had some of the best fresh radishes at Bessemer Elementary School.” Not dramatic stuff, except possibly for fanatical radish fanciers. It’s hard to remember anything newsworthy coming out of board comments. On Thursday, chaos broke loose at the end of the comment period when school board member Paul Daniels used his time to speak in favor of Amendment One, the referendum on the May 8 North Carolina primary ballot for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Daniels’ detour into non-school-related issues resulted in two school board members, Kris Cooke and Jeff Belton, walking out in the middle of Daniels’ speech. Daniels, the most socially conservative member of the school board, said that, on May 8, North Carolinians will vote “to enshrine in our constitution what has always been true – that marriage is a special union between one man and one woman.” Daniels said that mothers and fathers each bring “special gifts” to a family and cited the perils of single-parent families – higher rates of poverty, children failing in school and children winding up in jail. Daniels said that, even setting aside the “clear religious teachings” of Christianity and Judaism, there were practical reasons to give “special protection” to conventional marriages. He said the amendment would prevent “activist judges” from imposing single-sex marriage. He said the amendment
would not tell gay people who they can love or who their family is. Daniels said, “Two consenting adults will still be able to do what they like in the privacy of their own home.” Daniels said the amendment would not prevent domestic violence prosecutions against members of gay couples, a claim that has been made by opponents of the amendment. Reams could be written for or against the amendment, but it was clear that Daniels’ statement was heartfelt. Muttering started early in Daniels’ comments. By the time he got to the part about “elitist judges” in Iowa and Massachusetts, Cooke began interrupting – first talking over Daniels, then preventing him from speaking entirely. “Excuse me,” Cooke said. “I don’t think this is a place for a political speech. I’m sorry, this is against everything I believe in. I just don’t think this podium, this panel, is where this should be done.” Daniels stuck to his guns. He said, “I have the floor, Mr. Chairman.” School board Chairman Alan Duncan agreed. Daniels went on to attack arguments by proponents of the amendment that it would hurt North Carolina’s economy, saying 30 states have approved similar language, including Michigan, the home to Ford and General Motors. As he was making that argument, Cooke and Belton walked out. Daniels, near the end of his comments, called on the few remaining people in the audience, and those watching the meeting on television, to vote for the amendment. He said, “I ask you to join me in supporting this most important measure.” Daniels turned to watch Cooke and Belton leaving as he was summing up, breaking away from his argument to say, “And, I also say, that no matter what my colleagues on the board say, I will not walk out in the middle of their statements.” Cooke and Belton were no longer there to respond. Duncan, after Daniels concluded, said that it should be emphasized that his remarks represented Daniels’ own opinion, not that of the school board. Duncan said, “That statement is a little out of character for what
we typically do doing closing remarks.” Which was partly true, but irrelevant. Daniels had a perfect right to speak his mind as he pleased, whether or not his comments were usual board comment fare or not. The school board could pass all the rules it wanted limiting what school board members can say from the dais, but they wouldn’t be constitutional. Also, despite the general predictability and dullness of board comments, it was not the first time politics and current events had popped up during that part of the meeting. Most notably, the school board is not only an elected oversight board for Guilford County Schools – it is a lobbying organization. The school board every year votes on its positions on numerous political issues, from education funding to charter schools. It then presents those positions of the majority of the board, and minority positions are not presented, as they should be, in any honest political dialogue. School board members have used the board comment period to support items on the board’s legislative agenda, to support school bonds, to support or oppose bills not on the agenda and to comment on current events. In other words, one could make a perfectly good separation-of-powers argument against lobbying by the school board and school board members – Cooke’s argument – but that argument would be made ridiculous by the large amount of lobbying the school board collectively, and its members individually, do regularly. One could also attempt to make a distinction between school funding and the like, which the majority of school board members think affects Guilford County children, and other issues. But Daniels could respond that the Amendment One referendum will affect children. That’s true, whether or not you agree with it and whether or not it is approved by voters. The fact that school board members have at times lobbied and taken positions on current events from the dais is true, but, without sitting through the online videos of years of school board meetings, hard to prove, since reporters, like the Guilford County Schools PR flacks writing next-
Guilford County needs judges who are respected, hard working, and fair •
Sixteen years experience in all types of civil and business law • Received highest rating of any Superior Court candidate in survey of attorneys asked to rate judicial candidates
www.manningconnors.com
Paid for by the Committee to Elect Manning Connors
day meeting summaries, don’t bother writing down board comments due to their irrelevance. As Duncan said, they are personal opinions. The “Guilford County Board of Education Meeting Summary” released on Friday, April 27, the day after the meeting, ends with the update from the school board’s Governance Committee on the school board’s policy on school improvement teams. It makes no mention of the board comments. But Daniels pointed out at least one instance of a school board member opining on current events that was too recent to forget, as it happened at the school board’s previous meeting, on April 3. In his comments, Daniels said that no one had any problem with “my good friend” school board member Amos Quick taking a position on the Feb. 26, 2012 fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida – a hotly debated current event. At the April 3 meeting, Quick emulated former Black Panther, civil-rights leader and current US Rep. Bobby Rush by addressing the board from the floor during the public comment session dressed in a gray hoodie to protest the shooting of Martin. Rush did the same on the floor of the U.S House of Representatives on March 28, only to be hustled off the floor by the House sergeantat-arms for violating the House dress code, which requires congressmen to wear coats and ties. Christian Science Monitor staff writer Peter Grier, in his story on the incident, said the reason for the dress code is that House civility stands on a slippery slope – and worked in the best quote on that subject, by Will Rogers via the writings of former House historian Ray Smock. Smock wrote, “As [humorist] Will Rogers observed, members call themselves gentlemen and gentlewomen, because the alternatives would be to call one another polecats and coyotes, or worse, liars, hypocrites, stupid, dumb, demagogues, socialists, communists, none of which lend themselves to the deliberative process so important to the governance of the nation.” In any case, Quick did his Eminem (Continued on page 51)
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Schools Crafting Policy To Take Free Money by paul C. clark Staff Writer
The Guilford County Board of Education’s committee on taking free money from the public is going to draft a policy that will allow a group of Millis Road Elementary School supporters to raise $1.5 million from private donors to build and furnish a new building at the elementary school that would be a combination gym, assembly space and four-classroom expansion. Private individuals or companies building small additions to schools has been fairly common in the Guilford County school district – but this would be the first case of such a group funding a major building that would normally be paid for with school bond money. Since the committee, which consists of four school board members, has decided to draft a policy on donations, it will presumably recommend the resulting policy to the full school board for approval. A meeting of the committee on Monday, April 30 made clear, however, that Guilford County Schools will insist on retaining complete control of privately funded construction projects. Donors won’t be able to just hire an architect and contractor and go to work. You could make a strong argument that letting private groups do so wouldn’t be a bad idea. Private groups have been able to build school buildings much less expensively than Guilford County Schools. Greensboro Academy, a 700-student
charter elementary school on Battleground Avenue, was built for $4.5 million in 2000. Unlike other Guilford County schools, it was built from its operating fund, by the Michigan-based National Heritage Academies chain, which runs it, and required no capital budget. The southeast area elementary school Guilford County Schools is building on a 32-acre property at 3511 East Lee St. is budgeted at $25 million – although schools built by school boards are required by state law to have cafeterias and other features the Greensboro Academy building, while attractive and functional, doesn’t have. It was no sure bet that the committee – or the school board – would take the free money for the building that Millis Road supporters, organized by Millis Road Principal Russell Harper, worked so hard for almost four years to plan. The school board is notoriously territorial, and has turned down government grants before because they came with unappreciated strings attached. When the Millis Road proposal first came up, at the school board’s January retreat, Guilford County Schools Chief Operations Officer Andy LaRowe, school board attorney Jill Wilson and the school board were dubious. Some of that doubt remained at Monday’s meeting, mostly over the potential of the school board getting into problems if private groups retained control of building
projects or attached strings to them, such as requiring the schools to be named for donors, something the school board is loath to do. School board member Amos Quick, who was a comedian before becoming a school board member, and is now a minister, got off the best line of the meeting. “Finding $50 on the street is a good thing,” Quick said. “Finding $50 on the street with a fishhook and a string on it might be a different thing.” School board member Kris Cooke said, “The Rev. Quick speaks.” The school board’s apparently dopey reluctance to take free money, according to school board members, stems in part from past bad experiences with privately funded projects on school grounds, usually small ones such as playgrounds and bleachers. Administrators said the building codes and state requirements for school construction are particularly strict, and not all those projects measured up to them. School board member Nancy Routh said that, “back in the day,” private groups used recycled materials to build creatively designed playgrounds. She said, “Now the code is such that we’ve spent good money trying to clean that stuff up and get rid of it.” Wilson has worked for the school board for 20 years, long enough that she often seems – to the irritation of other school board members – like the 12th school board
member, which is kind of like being the fifth Beatle. There’s no such thing, in either case. Nonetheless, Wilson has 20 years of successful and failed Guilford County Schools experiments in her head, and told the committee members that the school board should retain complete control of any projects in which there are safety issues – such as buildings that require utilities and, yes, playgrounds. The school board would be liable for problems with such projects long after they were completed. “If it’s a regulated area, if it’s an area where any regulation is in place, who is responsible for the next 60 years?” Wilson said. “We are.” With all that negativity floating around, you might think the committee would be against privately funded school projects altogether. Surprisingly, that wasn’t so. The school board is working through $457 million in school bond money approved by voters in May 2008 – the latest batch of almost $1 billion in school bond money voters approved since 2000. But 2012 is a very different time than 2008 – a big-money, high-spending time that shows no signs of returning anytime soon. Voters are unlikely to approve more school bonds totaling hundreds of millions of dollars in the near future – and in retrospect, the school board got the 2008 (Continued on page 52)
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 9
Proven Conservative Leader Dr. Trudy
WADE
Chairman of the Board of Health: 1993-1998 Chairman of the Board of Social Services: 1998-2000 Guilford County Commissioner: 2000-2005 Greensboro City Councilmember: 2007-present
NC Senate
Wade gets the job done... 1996
2000
Wade did the job at the Department of Public Health as Chairman of the Board. She pushed for privatization of the Child Health Clinics. She improved delivery of services and saved millions of taxpayers’ dollars. She was recognized with a statewide award for innovation in government.
Wade did the job at the Department of Social Services. As Chairman she pushed the reorganization of a department on state probation bringing it up to honor roll status. She did this without additional county funds.
The High Point Enterprise October 30, 1996: “Trudy Wade’s innovative work as Chairman of the Board of Health has provided health care to more children for less money.”
✓
News & Record March 12, 2000: “Turnaround at DSS is a great success story...Thanks to the Social Service board under Trudy Wade for pushing politics aside and doing right by this county’s disadvantaged children.” The Rhino Times September 7, 2000: “DSS’s turnaround with Wade as chairman has been nothing short of remarkable.”
Vote TRUDY May 8
The Only Conservative Choice
2004 As a County Commissioner, Wade did the job and worked tirelessly to reduce the tax burden for citizens. News & Record October 23, 2004: Wade’s record shows creative thinking and an ability to solve problems. For example, she played a key role in facilitating an effort by Moses Cone Hospital and High Point Regional Health System to provide health care for the county’s indigent elderly population.
2011 As a City Councilwoman, Wade did the job ... The Rhino Times November 3, 2011 Wade is known on the council for reading and understanding the vast amount of material the council receives from staff before every meeting. Wade is responsible for water rates not being raised the last two years, and since rates were not raised the city’s bond rating has improved. When one expert was asked why the city had decided suddenly not to raise water rates, he replied that the people had finally elected a councilmember who can read a spreadsheet.
www.trudyforsenate.com Paid for by Friends of Trudy Wade
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
HIGH POINT
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The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro HIGH POINT
HIGH POINT
HIGH POINT
Williard Ups Ante In Running For Mayor by paul C. clark Staff Writer
Developer Coy Williard at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1 announced his candidacy for mayor of High Point on the steps of High Point city hall. Williard, the president of WilliardStewart Inc. construction and Marketplace Management Inc., joined High Point City Councilmember Chris Whitley, who represents Ward 5, as the only declared mayoral candidates. Whitley on March 28 announced that he will file to run for mayor as soon as filing opens July 6. Williard’s announcement, on the west steps of city hall, was replete with fodder for the cameras: red, white and blue balloons and streamers, American flags and – mysteriously – a wheelbarrow full of flowers and garden supplies draped in American-flag bunting and bearing a giant “Coy Williard for Mayor” sticker. You couldn’t fault the visuals. Williard’s announcement itself was short and sweet. He announced his candidacy, thanked his supporters present and turned his attention to pressing the flesh. There were adults to shake hands with, toddlers to greet and, although no babies to kiss, a strong showing by Williard supporters, mixed with curious passersby.
Other mayoral candidates may have to step up their game. Candidates for High Point mayor who are already well known through politics usually just send out a press release, or toddle down to the Guilford County Board of Elections on the first day of the filing period and file. Williard said his campaign slogan is, “My passion for High Point, and my vision for its future.” “We’re going to be building that vision with meetings with groups and single persons over the next several months,” Williard said later. “I want citizen input.” Among those present were High Point attorney and former state Rep. Jim Morgan, attorney and 2010 High Point mayoral candidate Jay Wagner, 95-yearold longtime High Point political and civic figure Bill Horney and recently retired High Point Police Chief Jim Fealy and his wife, all of whom Williard said support him. Williard’s campaign manager is Richard Wood, a veteran of High Point political campaigns, including those to allow alcohol and liquor by the drink in High Point, which High Point furniture market supporters say is necessary to keep buyers coming. Williard’s campaign treasurer is David
CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN
BILL FLYNN for US Congress District 6 THE VOICE WE NEED
It Is Time www.billflynnforcongress.com Paid for by the Committee to Elect Bill Flynn
Miller, who like Williard has been chairman of the boards of Greensboro Technical Community College (GTCC), the High Point Regional Health System and the High Point Partners business group. Williard said, “He’s been involved in High Point in general and is a very good thinker.” Wagner’s support of Williard is significant. Wagner was the only credible candidate to run against Mayor Becky Smothers in 2010. On Nov. 2, 2010, Smothers won 55 percent of the vote to Wagner’s 36 percent. A third candidate, Dwayne HemingwayEl, won the remaining votes, despite an oddball campaign based on a resentment against Smothers for refusing to fix his tickets for his unusual habit of not putting license plates on his vehicle. Wagner drew strong support from the precincts that make up the Emerywood neighborhood, the biggest cluster of oldmoney High Pointers. Smothers took most of the rest of the city, especially black neighborhoods in which Wagner had no foothold. Wagner has been rumored to be a 2012 candidate for mayor or a City Council seat, probably an at-large seat. But if Wagner is supporting Williard, he isn’t running for mayor – a conclusion which Williard confirmed. “That’s correct,” he said. Wagner staying out of the mayoral race makes it more likely that he will run for a City Council seat. Wagner lives in Ward 4, which is represented by first-term councilmember A.B. Henley. Henley has not yet announced whether or not he will run again, but Williard said Henley has decided to. In either case, an at-large run by Wagner is considered more likely than his running in Ward 4. “I hope so, I do,” Williard said of Wagner running at large. “I think he would be a great asset.” There are two at-large seats on the nine-member High Point City Council, which are now held by Latimer Alexander and Britt Moore, who knocked off former Councilmember Mary Lou Blakeney in 2010. Alexander is running against Greensboro City Councilmember Trudy Wade and Libby Hill Seafood President Justin Conrad to represent the newly redrawn District 27 in the state Senate, and has repeatedly said that he is “100 percent certain” that he will not file to run for reelection to his at-large City Council seat. Blakeney and Moore have both said that they will probably run for at-large seats this year. Since High Point has no primary, the filing period for High Point municipal races runs from July 6 to July 20. That gives High Point an oddly abbreviated campaign
season – a season further shortened by the October furniture market, which is a truce period for candidates, almost all of whom are involved in the market in some way. In practice, that means that firsttime candidates have to announce early, well before the filing period begins. In some cases, that’s because the candidate needs time to build name recognition. In others, such as Williard’s, it’s because the candidate is already well known in High Point in other contexts, but needs to raise funds and get the word out that he or she is entering politics. Williard, although he has not run for office before, has a long resume of current and past positions in High Point civic associations, including chairman of the board of trustees of the High Point Partners, chairman of the High Point Economic Development Corp., board member of both High Point University and the High Point Regional Health System, chairman of the High Point Chamber of Commerce, president of the Rotary Club of Furnitureland and chairman of the board of trustees of GTCC. Smothers hasn’t said whether or not she will run again – but it has become an article of faith among High Point political observers that she won’t. If Smothers does run, it will upset the plans of the other candidates and make the mayoral race a nail-biter. Whitley, responding to Williard’s announcement, said, “Anybody’s more than welcome to announce they want to run and file. I find it interesting, given that his partner as well as himself was so adamant over the past year in encouraging me to run.” Whitley said he was referring to Williard’s partner in Marketplace Management Inc., Maurice Hull. Other than Whitley and Williard, two people have all but committed to running for mayor: Ward 1 Councilmember Bernita Sims, for whom this year, which might be the last in which High Point has noprimary municipal elections, may be her best chance, and motivational speaker Tammy Holyfield. Holyfield is a political outsider who has already filed notice of her committee to elect her mayor, has said she is “strongly considering” running and said she would count on a media blitz to get her name and message across to voters.
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The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 11
Endorsements
(Continued from page 1) Party should go ahead and vote for Romney. In one way it doesn’t matter who anyone in North Carolina votes for because Romney is going to win the Republican nomination. But if Romney gets pretty much all the votes other than the 10 percent or so for Paul, it will send a message that Republicans are going to unite behind Romney. I happen to really like Newt Gingrich. I always enjoy hearing him speak and he has a Greensboro connection since one of his daughters lived here for years. He was also the only candidate to come to the Conservatives for Guilford County (C4gc) rally in April. I’d like to vote for him, but I want to send a message that Republicans are ready to put the primary behind us and support the party’s nominee. Barring unforeseen cataclysmic events, in January 2013 either Romney or President Barrack Hussein Obama will be taking the oath of office of president of the United States of America, so I plan to vote for Romney as many times as I can, and I believe that will be twice. US Congress – District 6 Sixth District Congressman Howard Coble has been representing Guilford County in Washington, DC, since 1984 and that’s a long time. When he was elected Ronald Reagan was running for his second term. So he has served through Reagan, George Bush the elder, Bill Clinton, George
Bush the younger and Barack Obama. His opponents, Guilford County Commissioner Billy Yow and former radio host Bill Flynn, say that’s long enough. Both of them say that they will be more active in Congress. Yow says he is going to make more noise, and no doubt that is true. But as Yow well knows, and Flynn should know too, one guy in Congress can’t do much of anything. Flynn has never served in an elective office, and until recently was not what you would call an active party member. But from serving on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Yow knows that it takes six votes to get anything done. The House has 435 members, so it theoretically takes 218 votes to pass anything. But there is more, because passing something in the House doesn’t mean anything unless the Senate passes it also. So you have to have at least 218 members of the House and 51 senators vote for it. But wait, you can’t get anything of note through the Senate without a super majority because of the Senate rules, so it actually takes 60 votes in the Senate, and even that isn’t enough. After you’ve gotten your 218 members of the House and your 60 members of the Senate lined up, you still have to get the president to sign the bill. And, of course, there are several ways the president can kill a bill he doesn’t like, and only one of them is an outright veto. Yow and Flynn may make more noise in
Congress, but without 279 elected officials supporting what they do, all it will amount to is noise. District 6 currently has Coble representing it in Congress, and he may not know every single congressman, but he does know all the ones who count and is well liked by his colleagues in Congress. His opponents have been critical of Coble for not doing more, but he has actually done what he was elected to do. He has been in Washington representing his constituents, and his voting record is consistently conservative. I know there are some questions about Coble’s health. I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with Coble at public events and in his office. There is no doubt that Coble is slower than he was 20 years ago, but then so am I. I found Coble to be as engaging as ever at public events and in his office. I was impressed as always with how tight he can pack a schedule and how much he gets done for his constituents. Freshman congressmen may be fun to watch, but they simply can’t get much done because it takes awhile to learn the players and learn how Congress actually operates, which is through committees. Yow has been a voice of conservatism on the Board of Commissioners and there is no doubt that he would be a conservative member of Congress, but he certainly wouldn’t be able to go to Washington next year and accomplish anything other than
showing up to vote at the right time and making noise. Flynn has no legislative experience at all and he doesn’t live in the Sixth District. It is true that it is not a legal requirement to live in the congressional district that you represent, but most people want a congressman who lives in their district. So although everyone living in the District 6 has the opportunity to vote for Flynn, he cannot vote for himself. He is a big promoter of the Constitution, but so are Coble and Yow, who have both known about the Constitution for years. Flynn has been running hard, which is admirable. If he doesn’t win, he can offer the community a lot if he stays active. Media savvy conservatives are essential if conservatives are going to continue to get their message out to the people, because the mainstream media do everything they can to block that message. So if Flynn doesn’t win this first time out we hope it isn’t the last we’ve heard from him. If the people of the new Sixth District want to continue to have some influence in Washington then they should vote for Coble for Congress. Governor What a difference four years makes. There is no question about who should win the Republican nomination for governor and that is Pat McCrory. The former (Continued on page 12)
Jon Hardister
NC HOUSE DiStriCt 59 Please Vote: Tuesday, May 8th Early Voting Continues April 19th - May 5th Contact Info: Jon Hardister for NC House P.O. Box 4113 Greensboro, NC 27404 (336) 404-8791 jonhardister@gmail.com www.jonhardister.com Paid for by Jon Hardister for NC House
Guilford County Taxpayers Deserve Strong, Conservative Leadership “An advocate for less government regulation, lower tax burdens for citizens and businesses, and a proven determination to listen to the voice of the electorate makes Jon Hardister the best candidate for the tasks ahead of him in the General Assembly.” - Laura Wiley, former NC House Representative “Jon Hardister is a sincere, hard-working individual who truly wants Conservative Values and Business Experience to make a difference in how our state government operates. There is no question in my mind that he is the right person for this job.” - Mike Winstead, Guilford County Commissioner “Jon is a bright young man with a road map to better state government. He will place the important business of state government above partisan politics.” - Bill Knight, former Mayor of Greensboro Listens to Concerns of Citizens
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Endorsements (Continued from page 1) mayor of Charlotte has a great chance of being the next governor and if he does win the Republicans will be able to bring about some significant changes in Raleigh. If McCrory can do half as well at bringing economic development to North Carolina as he did in Charlotte, then even hardcore Democrats will be voting for him in 2016. People in this area have another reason to vote for McCrory, because he is from Guilford County. McCrory grew up in the Sedgefield area and is a graduate of Ragsdale High School. If constituents complain about problems on High Point Road, McCrory knows exactly what they are talking about. He also knows just how important the High Point furniture market is to the economy of the area and the state. It’s a shame that McCrory didn’t beat Bev Perdue in 2008, but Perdue made it abundantly clear that she is not interested in a rematch by dropping out of the race before it officially started. McCrory should be able to get North Carolina moving in the right direction and voting for him early and often would be a great idea. The rest of the folks in the race just aren’t in McCrory’s league, but will be able to put down on their resumes that they ran for governor.
Lieutenant Governor I have been told that Dan Forest has the best chance to win the Republican primary for lieutenant governor because he has that big red bus that has been going all over the state. I was ready to endorse Forest before I sat down for a second time with state Rep. Dale Folwell and talked to him. I don’t mind saying that our first meeting didn’t go all that well, but perhaps I was asking the wrong questions. It appears that Forest, who is an architect and the son of US Rep. Sue Myrick, plans to use the lieutenant governor’s job as a stepping-stone to higher offices. The office is usually viewed as an on deck circle or a holding pen for those seeking the governor’s mansion or the job of US senator. Does anyone really want to be lieutenant governor? The answer is that Folwell really wants to. He might run for another office if he loses, but he wants to be lieutenant governor because he has spent his time in Raleigh as a state representative figuring out how things work, and he realized that the lieutenant governor actually has a good bit of power. It just isn’t quite as obvious as the power that other offices have. Folwell has tons of plans on what he will do if he is elected, but the odds of him being elected are not good. It’s a big state and most people have never heard of the District 74 state representative from
Forsyth County. Folwell is currently speaker pro tem of the state House, which is job that in the past has been most noted for its parking space. But Folwell wanted the job and has tried to make it into something. Folwell is known for sponsoring bills that are not high profile but that he thinks really make a difference in people’s lives, and he managed to get his bills passed even when Republicans were in the minority. If he does get elected lieutenant governor, there is no doubt he will use his office to stir things up in Raleigh. And even though the Republicans have taken over the legislature and have a good chance of getting the governor’s mansion this time around, Raleigh still needs to be shaken up. Far too many decisions made by the Republican legislature could have been made by the Democrats. The people need some openness in state government and Folwell will bring some. Tony Gurley, a Wake County commissioner looks pretty good also, and I know that Grey Mills, a state representative from Mooresville, has some local support. But I’m sticking with Folwell. State Auditor Speaking of shaking things up in Raleigh, if you want to find out where some of our tax dollars are going, vote for Fern Shubert for state auditor. It gives me
great pleasure to think of the fear that will run through the entrenched bureaucracy in Raleigh if Shubert is elected state auditor because she is smart, well trained and extremely tenacious. Shubert is a certified public accountant (CPA), which sets her apart from some in the race, but seems like it should be a requirement to be state auditor. She has also served in the NC state House and NC state Senate. Shubert knows her way around Raleigh and her name may be familiar because she ran for governor four years ago. Another candidate, Joseph DeBragga is also a CPA and has a lot of experience working in the audit departments of state agencies. It seems like this is the experience that is not needed because the current auditors seem to be experts at not finding anything. Shubert knows how real audits are done and certainly won’t back down from anyone. Commissioner of Agriculture Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, a farmer from Brown Summit, has done a good job down in Raleigh and the people of the state should be pleased that he is willing to serve another term. Agriculture contributes over $74 billion to North Carolina’s economy and we need to make certain someone is looking out for (Continued on page 13)
• Private sector job creation • Fiscally responsible County government; basic services efficiently delivered to all • Education accountability, with strong classroom support; kids come first Paid for by the Jeff Phillips Committee
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 13
Endorsements (Continued from page 12)
North Carolina farmers. What I know about Bill McManus comes from the many campaign emails he has sent me, and he seems a bit unstable. One email accuses me of helping the Troxler campaign, which is absolutely untrue. Most of the rest are simply accusations about Troxler. The McManus campaign appears to be a personal vendetta. Insurance Commissioner Here’s a good reason to vote for Mike Causey for Insurance Commissioner: Greensboro is the third largest city in North Carolina and deserves more representation on the Council of State. Causey also plans to go to Raleigh and change the status quo so that the Department of Insurance is looking out for the people of the state and not the insurance companies. James McCall, an insurance agent from Mooresville, also looks like a good conservative who would make things better, but Causey has spent a lot of time down in Raleigh already and, judging from campaign literature and websites, has more concrete plans of what he intends to do. Whatever you do, don’t vote for Richard Morgan for anything. Morgan was cospeaker of the House with Democratic Co-Speaker Jim Black, who went to prison for his part in becoming co-speaker. Morgan didn’t go to prison, but he helped
Secretary of State Republican secretary of state candidate and Chairman of the Chowan County Board of Commissioners Ed Goodwin is our choice for secretary of state. Chowan County was facing bankruptcy when Goodwin took over as chairman of the county commissioners and the county now has a fund balance of almost 20 percent. That is a great turnaround story and the state needs some of that initiative down in Raleigh.
members that brought real change to the Wake County school system, cutting the budget without cutting teachers and allowing the parents not the government to choose the best school for their children. If Republicans are going to take control of Raleigh it doesn’t make sense to elect Republicans who are interested in keeping things like they are, and Tedesco seems to be the most likely to make much needed changes. All the Republican candidates say they see the need to reduce the budget and power of the Department of Public Instruction and it’s a pretty qualified bunch. Tedesco gets the nod because he has taken such a beating from liberals and the liberal press in Wake County and continues to come back for more. Anyone who is going to try to move the Department of Public Instruction an inch is going to meet with massive opposition, and you need someone in charge who can handle that, and it appears that Tedesco can.
State Superintendent Looking over the list of candidates for the superintendent of public instruction, the one that appears to be the most likely to make significant changes in that department is John Tedsco, who is a member of the Wake County Board of Education, so he has a good idea what he is in for if he wins the race. Tedesco is one of the school board
State Treasurer Frank Roche looks like the best candidate for North Carolina state treasurer. He was a candidate in the Republican Primary for the Fourth Congressional District in 2010 but finished out of the money. Since then he has been teaching at Elon University and doing a conservative talk show, The Frank Roche Show on Rush
the Democrats keep control of the state legislature for almost another decade. It’s too bad we don’t still tar and feather people because Morgan is well deserving. And instead of being tarred and feathered Morgan may end up as insurance commissioner just because people recognize his name. If he gets the Republican nomination, I’ll probably be voting for at least one Democrat in the fall.
Radio WRDU-FM. The show is suspended during the campaign, but wouldn’t it be fun to have a state treasurer who has his own radio show? Popular coaches have radio shows, why shouldn’t the state treasurer? Roche is an accomplished businessman with a masters degree in economics. He is a transplant from Massachusetts by way of New York. We found his credentials impressive and, according to our sources down in Raleigh, is a better candidate than Steve Royal. State Senate It is amazing how far the Guilford County Republican Party has come in the last few years. It wasn’t too long ago when it was difficult for Republicans to fill the ballot. The party leadership had to go out and beat the bushes to get candidates to run, just so the Democrats wouldn’t be unopposed. Of course, a lot of that was caused by the fact that up through 2010 the Democrats had always drawn the legislative districts, which meant it was almost impossible for a Republican to get elected in most of the districts. After the Democrats redistricted in 1990 the Democrats controlled the Guilford County Board of Commissioners for 18 of the last 20 years. Now the tables have turned and the Republicans were in charge of the redistricting this time around. As one (Continued on page 14)
SEND AN EXPERIENCED VOICE Latimer Alexander
NC SENATE
AN ECONOMIC PLAN
Latimer’s background in business has given him a front-row seat to viewing the obstacles created by senseless government regulations and job-killing taxes. He has a proactive plan to make North Carolina more attractive to new businesses through meaningful liability reform, cutting bureaucratic red tape, and creating a simpler tax structure that encourages new job creation.
COMPETITIVE SCHOOLS
Latimer will strengthen our public schools by giving teachers and parents (not administrative bureaucrats) the voice, options and resources they need to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s workforce. As State Senator, he’ll serve as a strong advocate for merit pay and public private partnerships with business, to give our children the skills they need to learn, compete and succeed in a global economy.
DISTRICT
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
As a city councilman, Latimer passionately fought to make local government live within its means, balance the budget, cut wasteful spending and hold the line on taxes. As our conservative voice in Raleigh, Latimer will continue fighting for working families by supporting a Taxpayers Protection Act, controlling government growth and restoring fiscal sanity in Raleigh.
(336) 382-8456 | LatimerAlexanderIV@gmail.com Paid for by Latimer Alexander for NC Senate 27
27
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Endorsements (Continued from page 13)
might expect since the Republicans were in charge of redistricting for the first time in over 100 years, there were some glitches, but overall the Republicans have the advantage that the Democrats had for so long. It’s an indication of how far Republicans have come in North Carolina that the Republicans won significant majorities in both the state House and state Senate in 2010 in districts drawn by the Democrats. Now that the Republicans are drawing districts, you hear a lot more hue and cry about how districts should be drawn by a nonpartisan panel. You didn’t hear that so much when the Democrats were in charge. State Senate – District 26 The easy state Senate race is District 26, where President Pro Tem of the state Senate Phil Berger faces Bobby Coffer from Brown Summit. Berger is one of the three most powerful elected officials in Raleigh and he lives right up the road in Eden. The northern portion of Guilford County, including a big chunk of Greensboro, is in Berger’s district. Berger is a strong conservative who now has the power to make sure that Greensboro and Guilford County don’t get overlooked as they have in the past. It would be foolish to vote for anyone other than Berger in this race.
State Senate – District 27 The Republican primary in Senate District 27 is not quite so simple. In the Republican state Senate District 27 race you have Greensboro City Councilmember Trudy Wade and Justin Conrad trying to out-conservative each other, and you have High Point City Councilmember Latimer Alexander running as what some people call a country club Republican. Alexander is currently president of the NC League of Municipalities, an organization that many consider left leaning, and Alexander fits the mold he is against the marriage amendment, in favor of economic incentives on a case-by-case basis, and doesn’t object to raising taxes if necessary. He was against the changes made to the annexation laws that restricted a municipality’s ability to annex any area it wanted. Alexander talks about the need to broaden the tax base, meaning in part to put a sales tax on services as well as goods, which results in the state collecting a lot more revenue, something that Alexander believes the state needs. At one forum Conrad pointed out that there was another solution to the revenue problem Alexander saw, and that was that the state could reduce spending. Alexander says the gas tax is simply a user fee to build and maintain highways
and is not in favor of capping it. Conrad and Wade both said that if the state would stop raiding the highway fund it wouldn’t need to raise the gas tax, and both are in favor of capping it. At forums it has appeared that you have two candidates from one party and one candidate from another party. Alexander is a registered Republican, but he is far to the left of Wade and Conrad. If you believe the government’s problem is that it doesn’t have enough money then Alexander is your candidate. Wade and Conrad have unfortunately gotten into some less-than-admirable back and forth. Wade said she had never voted for a tax increase and it turns out she voted for a sales tax increase when she was a Guilford County commissioner, proving that it is important to have someone do extensive research before you run attack ads. Wade also accused Conrad of not attending the meetings of a health care task force to which he had been appointed. Conrad says that he was not a member of the task force and others agree, but the official minutes do list him as a member twice. Whether or not Conrad attended a meeting of a task force years ago really doesn’t matter much, but a vote for a tax increase might. Conrad accused Wade of ducking out of a forum at the last minute because she didn’t want to defend her record, but Wade
said that she had told the organizers from the beginning that she was not available on that date. Conrad put out a press release stating that he was the only candidate who had never voted for a tax increase. Conrad has never held elected office so he hasn’t voted to lower your taxes either, or to keep taxes flat or to raise or lower water rates. Conrad later changed a commercial to say that he never supported a tax increase, which is better. When the mistakes in Wade’s advertisements were pointed out to her she dropped that line of campaigning and has been running on her record, which is a long one of service. Conrad has some good ideas about building coalitions to get things done down in Raleigh, but it will be difficult for a freshman senator to be able to do much more than vote the way he is told to by the Republican caucus. The caucus is where the power lies in the legislature, and those who oppose it get put on something like the program evaluation committee. Conrad has good experience running a small business, and what many people don’t know is that he has transformed Libby Hill from just being a chain of seafood restaurants into a major seafood importer under the name Bay Hill Seafood Sales. He’s the third generation to run Libby Hill, but the first to run the sister corporation (Continued on page 16)
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Sharon
Page 15
KASICA for North Carolina House
PROVEN LEADERSHIP MATTERS I am a Christian wife and mother, a small business owner with 20 years experience working in healthcare and a community service volunteer. I am running for NC House because I believe elected office should be a community service, not a career opportunity. I believe we need a champion for strong Conservative principles in our government and we need to give Conservative women a voice in the NC House. I will not waiver on my principles for a vote or an endorsement. I have the proven experienced leadership to make the tough decisions and champion Conservative principles to help NC prosper. I am a community servant, not another politician and I want to serve you. I humbly ask for your vote to
PUT A CONSERVATIVE WOMAN IN THE HOUSE. Sharon Kasica, Candidate for NC House District 59
I SUPPORT: ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Protecting our Constitution Protecting our Bill of Rights Photo Voter ID Traditional Family Values Term Limits Smaller Government Less Regulation Tax Reform Private Property Rights The Marriage Amendment
The voters of NC House District 59 deserve an experienced leader who understands the challenges families face: trying to make ends meet, educating our children, acquiring and keeping well-paying jobs, and growing small businesses. When deciding who you should “hire” to help your business and family prosper, choose the candidate with a proven track record of success. • Greensboro Native, graduate of Northwest Guilford High School & UNC-Greensboro • Married 20 years • Mother, two teenagers in the Guilford County Schools • Successful Small Business Owner • Successful 20 Year Career in Healthcare • Past President, Friends of the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra • Board Member, Greensboro Symphony Guild • Past President, Republican Women of Forsyth County, GA • Recipient, National Republican Women Caring for America Award • Legislative Chair, North Carolina Federation of Republican Women • Past Chair, Parent Teacher Association Forsyth County Legislative Committee, GA • Recipient, PTA Lifetime Honorary Membership Award • Graduate, Republican Leadership Institute
www.SharonKasica.com Paid for by the Committee to Elect Sharon Kasica
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Endorsements (Continued from page 14)
Bay Hill. He is well aware of how state regulations and fees are choking the life out of small businesses and wants to get to Raleigh to do something about it. Conrad has some good ideas, but he doesn’t have experience serving in partisan and political legislative bodies. Wade has also run her own small business. Wade is a veterinarian who
specializes in small animals and has been running the Jamestown Veterinary Hospital for the past 30 years. So she is also well aware of how small businesses are over regulated and over taxed. Wade and Conrad are pretty close on the issues, although they have been working hard to find differences. But where Wade has the edge is in her five years on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, her four years on the Greensboro City
Rhino Endorsements Republican
Referendums
President Mitt Romney
Constitutional Amendment For
US Congress - District 6 Howard Coble
Nonpartisan
Governor Pat McCrory Lieutenant Governor Dale Folwell State Auditor Fern Shubert Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler
Superior Court Judge District 18E Susan Bray District Court Judge District 18 Brian Tomlin Board of Ed - At-large Pat Tillman
Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey
Board of Ed - District 5 Paul Daniels
Secretary of State Ed Goodwin
Democratic
State Superintendent John Tedesco
President No Preference
State Treasurer Frank Roche
US Congress - District 12 Mel Watt
State Senate - District 26 Phil Berger
Governor Bruce Blackmon
State Senate - District 27 Trudy Wade
Lieutenant Governor Eric Mansfield
State House - District 59 Jon Hardister
Commissioner of Agriculture Scott Bryant
Board of Commissioners District 4 Jerry Alan Branson
Commissioner of Labor John Brooks
Board of Commissioners District 5 Jeff Phillips Board of Commissioners District 6 Tony Wilkins
State Treasurer Ron Elmer State Senate - District 28 Bruce Davis State House - District 60 Marcus Brandon
Council and her years on the Guilford County and NC boards of health and the Guilford County Board of Social Services. As chairman of the Guilford County Board of Health, Wade successfully negotiated an agreement between the Guilford County Department of Health and Cone Hospital – one of those publicprivate partnerships you hear so much about – that saved the county millions of dollars. When Wade set out to negotiate the deal, the consensus was that it couldn’t be done. But if it somehow could be done then Wade was the one who could do it. The agreement lasted over 10 years, providing affordable health care for a multitude of children and adults in Guilford County, but finally fell apart in the past couple of years when Guilford County Manager Brenda Jones Fox ended a number of long-term agreements beneficial to the people of Guilford County. Everybody seems to think more public-private partnerships are a good idea, but successfully negotiating a deal as big as health care for people in need in Guilford County is huge, and Wade accomplished it. Conrad has also served on the Guilford County Board of Health. Wade knows how to get things done. On the Greensboro City Council, Wade and fellow City Councilmember Mary Rakestraw had water rates lowered twice back to where they had been, and then kept them from being raised during the next budget cycle. The new conservative councilmembers elected in 2009 believed what they were being told by the staff and raised water rates because the staff said it was needed. Knowing that you have to ask the right question to get the right answer is a lesson it usually takes elected officials awhile to learn. Wade knew it from her experience as an elected official, and in time her fellow conservatives learned to listen. I think down in Raleigh Wade and Conrad will go about trying to accomplish similar goals, but Wade’s experience gives her a better chance of getting it done. They are both strong conservatives and either one if elected will work hard for Guilford County and work hard at bringing some sanity to state government. Alexander isn’t conservative, and Sal Leone has dropped out of the race. Leone also filed to run for an at-large seat on the Greensboro City Council, announced he was dropping out and then announced that he was back in the race. Since this issue hits the streets on May 3 and the election is May 8, we actually can’t predict with any degree of certainty whether Leone will be in or out, but either way his name will be on the ballot. Leone has endorsed Conrad because he said Conrad was the only candidate who called to check on him when he was sick. Our endorsement goes to Wade, but this is a race where whether the Republican Party chooses Wade or Conrad, the people
of Guilford County will benefit. State House – District 59 State House District 59 is another district where Republicans have two good candidates running – Jon Hardister and Sharon Kasica. Neither has ever been elected to office, but either one will represent the district well in Raleigh. Tim Cook is also running but doesn’t appear to be in the same class as his opponents. Candidates like Cook, who are difficult to get in touch with during the campaign season, are hard to take seriously. Choosing between Hardister and Kasica is difficult, but it is a good problem to have. The two are both conservatives and appear to be pretty close on the issues. Our nod goes to Hardister because of his hard work, dedication, desire and optimistic attitude. Hardister has been going door to door since January. If he wins and works as hard in the state House as he has to get there, he’ll make a difference for Guilford County. Kasica has impressive credentials and, realizing that the two are close on the issues, her campaign has emphasized that she is married with a family and has had a lot more experience in life than Hardister. Kasica has extensive experience in the health care industry, which is going to be a huge issue no matter who is in Raleigh or Washington. Kasica said she believes that teachers need a raise and is a supporter of funding the symphony. Many folks agree with both of these positions, but if the government is going to cut spending it can’t be going around giving government employees raises in this economy and, at some point, has to stop funding nonessential services. Everyone seems to want the nonessential services they like and use to continue to be funded, but all of those others ones should get the boot. Hopefully, the next legislature will be making some tough decisions on what the role of government should be. Hardister is engaged but not married, doesn’t have children and, being 29, can’t compete in the life experiences category. But neither candidate has any experience in the area that is most critical, which is being an elected official. I also think it is important to elect some younger people to office. How in the world is the government going to run in 10 years if voters today refuse to elect anyone under 40 to office because they don’t have enough life experience? It’s kind of like that problem of not being able to get that first job because you don’t have experience, and in this case it is not experience in office but simply life experience. Hardister ran a good campaign two years ago in a district that a Republican simply wasn’t going to win, and he lost to Rep. Pricey Harrison. This time around the winner of the Republican primary is a sure winner because no Democrat has filed to run. (Continued on page 17)
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 17
Endorsements (Continued from page 16)
At one forum Hardister talked about a brewery in Guilford County that could not expand because of the rules that had been passed limiting production for small breweries and noted, “We have to change our business environment to make it more friendly.” Hardister also should have a great idea of what his constituents want because he has been walking neighborhoods and knocking on doors since January. Kasica is an accomplished and successful businesswoman and is running a good campaign. She is focusing on her family and experience because that is where she has an advantage. Kasica also says that more strong Republican women are needed down in Raleigh. Kasica grew up in Greensboro, but much of her political experience has come from years when her job in the pharmaceutical industry took her to Georgia. It’s still good experience but it’s not quite as good as if it had been here. Cook lists on his website that he is fellow of the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership, where Jim Melvin is chairman of the board. Board of Commissioners If the redistricting for the Guilford County Board of Commissioners has done anything, it has created some interest in running for a seat on the board. In 2010 five Guilford County commissioners were unopposed in the general election. This time around there are lively races in just about every district, and since the districts are all new there is a lot more uncertainty about how they will vote. District 4 In Guilford County commissioner District 4, two good candidates are running – Jerry Alan Branson and Doug Williams. (Noah Messick is also on the ballot but has apparently dropped out of the race.) Both Branson and Williams express conservative views and both are under the mistaken impression that if they get elected to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners they will be able to have an effect on Guilford County Schools policy. Branson or Williams have about as much chance of grabbing the moon as they do changing the policy of the Guilford County Board of Education, a duly elected body in its own right. But first-time candidates for the Board of Commissioners invariably think they can do something about the schools other than give them money. Branson appears to have a better chance of beating Guilford County Commissioner Kirk Perkins in the fall. It seems he is better known in the community and he has the support of Guilford County Commissioner Billy Yow. A big chunk of the new District 4 was in Yow’s District 5 and Yow is extremely popular with his constituents. Williams also had created a problem that didn’t need to exist. He said he did not
want his picture in the daily newspaper and it is not on his campaign website. Williams is black (Branson is white) and has said that he doesn’t want race to be an issue in the primary. There are not many black Republicans and I am not certain whether it would help him or hurt him for people to know that he is black. And it really doesn’t matter. When you run for public office you give up some of your right to privacy. People have a right to know more about you than if you are just some guy walking down the street. The voters have a right to know what race Williams is and it is a shame that he didn’t realize that sooner. Almost all candidates running for the first time are somewhat naive about what is involved in serving in public office. The fact that Williams wanted to keep his race a secret indicates he may be a little more naive than others. Imagine if a candidate named Pat Smith was running for office and didn’t want a picture in the paper because then people would know whether they were voting for a he or a she. That doesn’t seem fair either. Some candidates file to run for office and then don’t want to talk to the media. Some are outraged that after they file their arrest record is in the daily newspaper. So Williams is not alone, but it does indicate that he isn’t quite ready for public office. Williams is an impressive candidate and expresses strong conservative values as well as some new ideas, but he is also in favor of giving Guilford County employees a raise. He’s not in favor of raising taxes to give them a raise, but the private sector is not giving out too many raises these days, why should the county. Branson is in favor of cutting off funding to some of the nonprofits who have received money from Guilford County as well as looking at combining departments to save money. When asked about incentives he said, “I absolutely will not vote for incentives.” Once again this race is simply for the right to run against Guilford County Commissioner Kirk Perkins in November. People who claim to know such things believe that a Republican can win the new District 4, but it won’t be easy. Branson, who runs a family-owned trucking business, appears to have the better chance of winning. District 5 Jeff Phillips and Don Wendelken face off in the Guilford County Board of Commissioner District 5 Republican primary. Both express traditional conservative beliefs. The winner will face At-large Guilford County Commissioner Paul Gibson in November. Both Wendelken and Phillips have plusses and minuses, but one of the factors that pushed me into the Phillips camp is that this race means nothing if the winner doesn’t defeat Gibson in November. So Republicans need to consider not just who would be a better commissioner, but who
has the best chance of beating a tough, smart, popular elected official with two generations of name recognition behind him. Wendelken doesn’t believe in raising outside money for his campaigns and said he finances 99 percent of his campaigns out of his own pocket. Some people may find that admirable, but if every candidate did that then in the vast majority of races the richer candidate would win. Usually the candidate who spends the most money wins, and the richer candidate has more money to spend. It may not seem like it, but accepting contributions actually levels the playing field. Also Wendelken has a history of losing. He has lost five races for various offices, the last one being a race for the mayor of Summerfield. Candidates can be a lot like sports teams. Some manage to win against the odds and some manage to lose no matter what. Some go into a slump and then come back and have a winning season. Wendelken is currently zero for five in the elections department and the odds are much more likely that he will be zero for six if he wins the nomination, because it is not only going to take hard work to beat Gibson, it is going to take some money. Phillips by contrast has run once and lost. He ran two years ago against Sixth District Congressman Howard Coble. It’s a little odd to run for Congress the first time out of the gate, but Phillips said that he, like many Americans, became really upset by what was happening in the government and the issues he knew the most about were national, so he ran for Congress. He said he didn’t have any illusions of beating Coble but that it was an invaluable experience and, in the past two years, he has learned a lot about local issues and politics. Phillips participated in the C4gc spending reform summit with a presentation on schools. The summit didn’t have much effect on the county budget, but those who gave presentations spent a tremendous amount of time learning about county budgets and how they work. Phillips doesn’t have an emotional problem with raising money, which is good because raising money is part of the game, and not a part that many people like. But if you want to win it is a part you have to play unless you are a billionaire like Michael Bloomberg; then you can just spend your own money. For a Republican to beat Gibson, he is going to have to raise and spend some money, which Phillips is much more likely to do than Wendelken. District 6 In Guilford County commissioner District 6 Republican primary you have three good candidates running: Hank Henning, Tony Wilkins and Jeremy Williams. I believe that if any of the three wind up on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners they will do a good job, and there is a very good chance that one will
because this is a strong Republican district. In fact, it is so strong that the Democrats had trouble finding a candidate to run and ended up with two on the ballot but one has announced she is dropping out. Tony Wilkins is the candidate we recommend, although at times all three have been on top of the list. Williams is an active member of C4gc, while Wilkins has been the executive director of the Guilford County Republican Party. So the race could be seen as C4gc versus the Guilford County Republican Party. The two organizations have had some difficulty acting like they are on the same team. And then there is Henning, who is not as involved in either group but is a solid conservative plus an Iraq War combat veteran with a great story to tell. Wilkins has been heavily involved in politics for years but not as a candidate. Williams was a leader of the C4gc group that went over the Guilford County budget last year and presented their results to the Board of Commissioners, which included $72 million in possible cuts. It was a unique situation. Williams has also been attending meetings of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners for several years and speaks from the floor on issues. He definitely knows what goes on at meetings. None of the three have served in elected (Continued on page 18)
PAT TILLMAN FOR � SCHOOL BOARD
Dear Neighbor,
Imagine an education system built around our children, supporting teachers, empowering families and working for taxpayers. Bureaucrats and political agendas have controlled Guilford County’s education system too long. Guilford County Parents need a new champion.
Tillman
4kids
www.TillmanForSchoolBoard.com
Paid for by Committee to Elect Pat Tillman
Page 18
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Endorsements (Continued from page 17)
office, but Wilkins is on the War Memorial Commission, what is commonly called the Coliseum Commission. He is without a doubt the most conservative member of that commission and has resisted the pressure put on him to vote with the majority. There are some folks on that board who really know how to pressure people, and the fact that Wilkins has held his ground is admirable and is a good indication that he could resist the pressure put on Guilford County commissioners to give money away. It’s not easy to say no when you look out and see a couple hundred people, including a string of children reading poems and singing songs with the message that you should just say yes. Wilkins is also the owner of Furniture Connection and knows the problems that small businesses, which provide most of the jobs in this area, are having. Williams works in human resources for Cintas Corp. and Henning works for Brady Services. Wilkins has not only has lived in Guilford County his whole life, he has lived in the same zip code, so he should know the district pretty well. He also has a good many friends among current elected officials, and a number of them have publicly endorsed him. With the state of relations between Guilford County and the City of Greensboro, having friends on the Greensboro City Council could prove to be important. The taxpayers are
County Commissioner District 4
BRIGHT IDEAS for a
BRIGHT FUTURE
DEDICATED TO • Transparency and Accountability • Economic Expansion • Educational Excellence
“
Don’t ask a politician what he’s going to do, ask him how he’s going to do it. Doug Williams has a How.
“
ECONOMIC EXPANSION • Keep tax rate flat or decrease it • Recruit 21st century industries to expand tax base • Cut spending starting with $72 million of budget excess
www.wdouglaswilliams.com Paid for by the Committee to Elect W. Douglas Williams
better off when the two local governments cooperate – something that was thrown out the window by County Manager Fox. Amendment One Much has been written about what could happen if the so-called marriage amendment, which is on the May 8 ballot, passes. One fact that is universally agreed on is that same-sex marriage in North Carolina is currently illegal and will remain illegal whether or not Amendment One passes. But according to articles, editorials and letters to the editor, there are a host of dire possibilities that might happen if the amendment passes. Many of these dire consequences come from a report written by Maxine Eichner, a professor of law at the UNC School of Law. Other attorneys agree that the problems with domestic violence prosecution and other problems could occur if the amendment passes. However, dire consequences could occur as a result of many of our everyday activities. Every time we cross the street we could be hit by a car and seriously injured or killed. When we go for a run or walk the dog we could die of a heart attack. When we swim in a pool with a lifeguard we could still drown. When we eat we could choke on our food and die. When we climb on a ladder we could fall off and break our necks. And one dangerous activity most of us engage in every day is taking a shower. The list continues endlessly. The odds of all those things happening can be calculated, and most of us take what we consider are the necessary precautions and go on with our lives. In the case of amendment one, we have a good idea, not what could possibly happen but what will actually happen because the State of Idaho passed exactly the same constitutional amendment in 2006. The wording of the Idaho amendment is identical to the one on the North Carolina ballot on May 8. None of those possible dire consequences have come to pass in the six years the amendment has been in the Idaho constitution. At present 30 states have similar constitutional amendments, and 17 of those states have amendments that are very similar to the amendment being proposed in North Carolina. The dire consequences written about by Eichner have not come to pass. In some states there have been some legal issues as a result of the amendments. but not to the level that Eichner suggests are possible, although they are indeed possible. The idea being promoted all over North Carolina by opponents to Amendment One is that this amendment is somehow out of the mainstream and is just wrong. All the states adjacent to North Carolina have a constitutional amendment banning samesex marriage. The reason that proponents believe a constitutional amendment is necessary is because of activist judges. A constitutional amendment makes it far
more difficult for a judge to decide to create laws on his or her own, and we have liberal activist judges who are doing just that. Many of the opponents of Amendment One say they believe that marriage is between one man and one woman but that they don’t feel that a constitutional amendment is necessary. But in 30 other states the majority of the population believed it was necessary and the majority of the North Carolina General Assembly, by a bipartisan vote, expressed a belief that putting it on the ballot for a vote was necessary. What the opponents have done a great job of doing is making it appear that voting for the amendment is an oddity, when in fact if North Carolina passes the amendment we will join the majority of the states. A constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman has been on the ballot 31 times, and it has passed 30 times. The amendment failed the first time it was put on the ballot in Arizona, but the second time it passed. The far-left mainstream media have done a great job of portraying this amendment as something discriminatory that is not consistent with today’s world, and it simply isn’t true. Three Campbell Law School professors have written an excellent rebuttal to the piece by Eichner, which seems to be quoted everywhere. On a local level, I am a big fan of Rabbi Fred Guttman and respect him for what he has done for the community. However, the editorial column he co-wrote with Rev. Julie Peebles went too far. To imply that those who favor Amendment One are taking the first step down the path of exterminating homosexuals is so far from true, it is insulting to those like me who have studied the issue and simply disagree. If passing legislation to define marriage as between one man and one woman is so awful, why in the more than 100 years that the Democrats controlled the entire North Carolina state government didn’t they define marriage differently? There is so much incorrect information about this constitutional amendment out there that it is sad. Guttman and Peebles chose to add to that misinformation rather than giving people a well-thought-out reason to vote against the amendment. It is absurd to say that the state doesn’t have the right to define marriage as between one man and one woman. One because the state has already done so with statutes, and 30 states have felt it necessary to put it in their constitution because of activist judges. Also marriage is highly regulated and defined already. With or without the marriage amendment a person cannot marry a person who is married to someone else, even if they have not seen their spouse in 50 years. Until a person is legally divorced from their spouse a new marriage is invalid. In North Carolina you have to be separated for a year before you can get
divorced, which means for a year not only can you not marry anyone you want, you can’t marry anyone at all. A person cannot marry two other people. In some countries a man can have two, three or four wives, but not in the United States; that is illegal as defined by our laws. Two people cannot get married unless they first obtain a marriage license from the county, and they must be married by an official recognized by the state. They cannot be married by a friend or their next door neighbor unless that person has an official office recognized by the state. The opponents of Amendment One act as if the only regulation on marriage is that same-sex couples cannot get married, but that is just not the case. What Amendment One will do is prevent a liberal activist judge from deciding that he or she can ignore the laws of North Carolina and marry anyone they please to anyone else they please. The Campbell law professors note that Eichner concentrates on the word relationship when they feel that “union” is the more defining part of the constitutional amendment. The constitutional amendment in its entirety is: Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts. We recommend that you vote for Amendment One and have North Carolina join the majority of states in defining marriage. Judges For judges we talk to folks in the legal profession and see what they have to say off the record about the candidates, because none of them will talk to us on the record. It is silly to elect judges. You want someone who knows the law and will be fair and even-tempered on the bench. Is anyone running going to claim to be otherwise? Political candidates can disagree on issues like whether to raise taxes or not; judges cannot. There must be a better way to select judges than what is basically a name-recognition contest. Superior Court Judge – District 18E The judicial races are nonpartisan, so the top two winners face each other in November. In the District 18E Superior Court race we recommend Judge Susan Bray – the only one of the candidates with judicial experience. We have also heard good comments about Manning Connors. It’s not his fault, but several folks said that they thought a household should be limited to one judge, and Robert Enochs is married to Chief District Court Judge Wendy Enochs. No one gave a favorable (Continued on page 24)
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 19
Page 20
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Uncle Orson Reviews Everything
Destination Downtowns and Girls by orson scott card
It’s a shame when people spend a lot of money and almost get it right. And what’s even worse is that when it doesn’t work out as hoped for, they probably won’t even understand what they did wrong. I’m in Salt Lake City right now, staying in a hotel adjacent to the beautiful new City Creek downtown development. In all the announcements and descriptions, it sounded like they were doing everything right to revive a dying downtown. When my wife and I got married, we both worked in an office building only a block from the new City Creek. We lived only a mile or two away. So we knew what the downtown was like then – during its last round of renovations in the 1970s. But my history with Salt Lake City goes back even farther. When I was 4, we lived in an apartment carved out of a lovely old Victorian house only a short walk from downtown. This was in pre-freeway days – 1955 – and the old-fashioned downtown shopping district was still very much alive. My grandmother used to take me and my baby brother on walks to Temple Square; my mother and grandma would sometimes take all four of us kids for lunch
at a cafeteria or, even more exciting, at a drugstore lunch counter. Or for ice cream. And at Christmastime, all the stores and decorations! But between those childhood memories and the 1970s, freeways happened. Suburbia happened. And downtown Salt Lake was being killed by competition with the indoor malls. So developers came up with the brilliant idea (and I’m not being sarcastic) of creating not one but two downtown malls: ZCMI Center and Crossroads Mall, right across the street from each other and just a block away from Temple Square and the LDS Church Office Building – which represent the biggest tourist draw and the largest employer. Couldn’t have been better locations. And they worked. It helps that Salt Lake City has huge city blocks – six to the mile. This is actually terrible for pedestrian traffic – walking “a couple of blocks” is a hike – but it was designed to accommodate houses with serious gardens, not shopping districts. So indoor malls were a great choice, since you could have quite a large mall using the middle of a block, while keeping several office buildings or banks or hotels
on the same block. They did a good job of creating interesting commercial space in these malls – lots of little stores along with the anchors. You could find fun little one-of-akind shops tucked into corners – a couple of art galleries, a clock store, See’s Candies, a frozen custard place, and ... And time passed. The same forces that have been killing marginal indoor malls began to kill these two city-center malls, along with what remained of the on-the-street stores. Salt Lake City, as a downtown, was dying yet again. Does this all sound like Greensboro? No, it doesn’t! Because during the era when Salt Lake was saving itself with downtown malls, Greensboro was killing itself with huge banks and office buildings. Because shopping districts require some key things: 1. Lots and lots of different storefronts in a relatively short walking distance, so that passersby and window shoppers are rewarded with constant change. Walking from one place to another doesn’t feel so daunting if there are many things to see along the way. 2. Shops and eateries that are unique, so that people can find things that aren’t just like every other shopping area. Without a lot of one-of-a-kind stores, you cannot make a shopping area a destination. 3. Plenty of places to sit and rest, to visit with people or eat your lunch, both out in the open and sheltered from weather. 4. Lots of people so you feel the safety and comfort of numbers. 5. If you want it to be a living downtown, rather than just a tourist destination, you need a lot of residences within walking distance. That requires an array of practical daily-visit stores – grocery, hardware, cleaners, pharmacy, newstand. 6. It helps to have really good urban transit so that you can keep parking to a minimum. That allows non-residents to come – if you’ve made it a good destination. The model of living downtowns is New York City, but Washington, DC, Boston and some neighborhoods in Los Angeles are also thriving downtowns. They exist, and they all follow these rules. Destination Downtowns also exist – or used to: Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, Georgetown in DC, Alexandria’s Old Town. But the ones that are still worth going to – that are still a destination – are the ones that did not allow the high-rent chain stores to come in and turn them into exactly the same selection of stores as every mall in America. Here’s what you don’t need: 1. Street-killing big-box stores that try to be 40 kinds of store under one roof. It takes forever to walk past them. All that
“great selection” means that you have to walk forever even inside the store. It makes you tired just thinking of going there. 2. Big national chains that have exactly the same thing as every other store in the chain. 3. Parking garages that take up street front. 4. Banks that try to impress us with huge entrances and lobbies – they kill streets because it takes forever to walk past them to get to something interesting. 5. Unfriendly environments that have nowhere to sit. 6. The same chain stores you see everywhere else. The relentless array of clothing clothing clothing clothing clothing stores. The utter lack of variety and surprise. Greensboro’s “renovation” during the 1980s was actually destruction of what remained of the downtown. Those big office buildings made it – and continue to make it – nearly impossible to make a working downtown. And the ballpark? As predicted, it’s a gaping dead spot in our “downtown.” It does nothing for commerce. If it did, we’d see all kinds of shops popping up and thriving in its neighborhood. Instead, we have a huge stretch of lonely nothingness, a vast obstacle that you would have to walk around. But you’re not walking. Because there’s no reason to be on foot in that area unless you’re actually going to a game. The rest of the time, it feels dangerously unpopulated. The last thing you’d do is get out of your car anywhere near there. We’ve fallen out of love with the mall. We’re sick of parking a mile from the store we actually want to go to. That’s why Friendly Center is doing so much better than any of the urban malls in the area. We want downtowns again, and Friendly Center is the closest thing we have to a downtown. Back to Salt Lake City: The City Creek project was supposed to follow all the good rules and avoid the bad stuff. They designed the place beautifully. The actual City Creek – a natural stream that had long been piped underground – was brought back to the surface in a controlled urban way, and as I walked along its fountains and falls yesterday, I loved it as the heart of a new urban design. When you’re on the street, there are wide, inviting entrances into street-like shopping avenues. There are plenty of places to sit. Architecturally, they did pretty much everything right (except that they didn’t create a flow-through from my hotel). There are residences there. A really lovely grocery store, Harmons, within (Continued on page 24)
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 21
The New York Times Crossword Puzzle
No. 0429
INFRACTIONS By Tracy Gray / Edited by Will Shortz
1
2
3
4
5
20
Across 1 I t h a s e y e s t h a t c a n ’t see 5 Flips 13 Student of morality 20 Philippine money 21 Pacific strings 22 Fine word for
53 Faith that celebrates both Jesus and Muhammad 57 Superlatively strong 61 Initially
64 Scaredy-cat, maybe 65 Sacred music composer ___ Pärt 6 7 Tr i g i n v e r s e
libraries?
2 3 Wi t h 2 6 - A c r o s s ,
like grandchildren
25 Beach bottles 26 See 23-Across
68 County subdivision: A b b r. 7 1 Wi t h 7 7 - A c r o s s , high-end retail chain
15 Become fixed
11 3 A n c i e n t B a l k a n region
17 “Ditto!”
120 Like some interpretations
19 Person doing a practice run
11 2 S e e 1 0 5 - A c r o s s
16 The Rams of the N.C.A.A.
26
11 5 S t i n k o
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36
1 2 2 Wi t h 1 2 7 - A c r o s s , classical work t h a t ’s t h e s o u r c e o f the European U n i o n ’s a n t h e m
24 Poetic “always” 3 1 B i b l i c a l s u ff i x
35 Neighbors of C notes
74 Neighbor of Bulg.
126 Military depots
28 Bad record part, for short
77 See 71-Across
128 They have scales
3 6 W h a t l e t t i n g o ff steam might result in
80 Political party that won 39 electoral votes in 1948
1 3 0 P e t e r, e . g .
38 Zigzagged
29 “For shame!” 30 Ancient parting place
3 3 Wi t h 4 4 - A c r o s s ,
execute, in a way
36 Keen observer 40 Prefix with cycle 41 Pond fish 4 3 _ _ _ - d ’ O r, Q u é b e c 44 See 33-Across
RELEASE DATE: 5/6/2012
4 5 Wi t h 5 0 - A c r o s s , euphoric 48 Ankle bone 50 See 45-Across 51 Product with the old ad catchphrase “ M o t h e r, p l e a s e , I’d rather do it myself!”
For any three answers, call from a touch-tone phone: 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 each minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800814-5554.
127 See 122-Across
78 Grove
129 Gave, as a hot potato
82 “Apparently”
87 They’re fit for kings and queens 90 Poet who wrote “In the room the women come and g o / Ta l k i n g o f Michelangelo” 9 1 W h a t ’s l e f t b e h i n d 9 4 Wi t h 1 0 3 - A c r o s s , 1999 Shyamalan thriller
9 8 P a r t o f A A R P : A b b r. 101 Fury
102 ___ Records (old music label) 103 See 94-Across 1 0 4 W h a t ’s l e f t
1 0 5 Wi t h 11 2 - A c r o s s , compromise 108 Later
38
45
6 Fine, in old slang
46
49 Jobs for dentists
8 Blue-gray 9 Be fooled
11 “ S t a r Tr e k : T. N . G . ” role 1 2 “ T h e M a r y Ty l e r Moore Show” Emmy winner
1 3 T h e We s t w a s p a r t of it sudoku_317B 14 Promises
13
50 58
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71 76
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43
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49 53 62
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98 2009 Hilary Swank biopic
11 6 “ F r e e d o m _ _ _ free”
88 And everything else, for short
100 Like a nasal membrane
11 8 C i t y i n S i c i l y
68 Iotas
85 Put back
66 Quickly accelerate 69 Order in the court
59 Glacial formation
72 ___ same mind
70 Sprite
60 Part of A.B.S.: A b b r.
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58 R&B singer Hayes
6 2 Wo r l d c a p i t a l o n c e occupied by France
96 “Henry & June” role
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Created by Peter Ritmeester/Presented by Will Shortz
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106 Others, in Oaxaca 107 Up
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Crossword Solution
(c) PZZL.com
Letting Go Of, No. 0422
A R B O L
R E A T A
A S T O N
C I T E D
U C L A
T A U S
R T E
A B F A B
D I O N E
E S K I M O D O G S
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H A R H E T H A E B U L A M O T Y T B O E G A N S A N D T S E E C M A N K O A D O B B D O C T N O U N D S A P R I T E R D E R O I R E W O A C
A N G E L O S A R I
R E E B O K S
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A G E G R O X A S O C I G E N A L E H E D E E A M I C R N O T I F T H N E S S I R H C S O E T T E U P S A R D F L E A A S G A R T I N G E O N O R
6 4 3 7 1 Sudoku 2 Solution
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4 9 3 7 2 8 1 5 6
6 2 5 1 4 3 7 9 8
1 7 8 6 9 5 2 4 3
5 3 9 4 7 1 6 8 2
7 6 4 8 5 2 9 3 1
317B
8 1 2 3 6 9 5 7 4
2 4 7 9 3 6 8 1 5
SEND AN EXPERIENCED VOICE
317B
Distributed by The New York Times syndicate
Solution sudoku_317B Sudoku A N A T
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9 8 6 5 1 4 3 2 7
3 5 1 2 8 7 4 6 9
317B
Latimer Alexander
NC SENATE
DISTRICT
27
As President of the NC League of Municipalities, I have interacted with members of the state House and Senate for years on issues of importance: • Taking bad bills and making them better • Taking good bills and making them great
(336) 382-8456 LatimerAlexanderIV@gmail.com Paid for by Latimer Alexander for NC Senate 27
Page 22
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Yost Distracted by Cod, Octomom and Penguin by Scott D. Yost county editor
Go to
www.rhinotimes.com
and click on entertainment
J. Butler’s High Point
Wed. May 9 Karaoke
J. Butler’s Lewisville
Fri May 4 Sat May 5
Live Music Live Music
Riders in the Country
Fri May 4 Sat May 5
Dam-Fi-No Dam-Fi-No
Southern Lights Bistro
Tue May 8 Larry Kirwan Wed May 9 Sam Frazier
Village Tavern
Mon May 7 Stan Bullock (acoustic) Wed May 9 Second Glance
WineStyles
Fri May 4 Sat May 5
Lyn Koonce Jim Mayberry
Wine Wednesday All bottles half price all day. 200 North Davie Street Greensboro N.C. | 389.1010
I got an invitation recently from well-known political activist Isabella Adkins, who invited me to a party thrown by the conservative group known as Conservatives for Guilford County (C4gc). But here’s the thing: The invitation was for a Cinco de Mayo party, and I did a double take when I read the date – the invitation said the party was on Friday, May 4; and I was pretty sure that this year Cinco de Mayo falls on May 5. So I checked the calendar and, in fact, my memory was serving me correctly. I responded through Facebook that I would try to make it to the party – but I haven’t had the heart to tell the group that their party is a day too early. So anyway, I guess that means I’ll just have to make this year’s Cinco de Mayo celebration a two-day affair rather than the usual one-day celebration. In case you were wondering, according to Wikipedia, Cinco de Mayo is observed each year “as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War. In the state of Puebla [in Mexico], the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.” Across the country of Mexico, the day is celebrated by cultural pageantry, parades honoring Mexican courage and reenactments of the historic battle. In downtown Greensboro, college students celebrate the day by donning giant sombreros and getting plastered on tequila. Regardless of which way you choose to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the other thing to celebrate at this time of year is that it’s the anniversary of Seal Team 6’s shooting Osama bin Laden in the head and dumping his lifeless corpse into the ocean. They blew his head off on May 1 of last year and, like I said, Cinco de Mayo falls on May 5 this year, so the two dates don’t match up perfectly. However, in future years, depending on the calendar, with any luck, Cinco de Mayo will fall on May 1 and we can really have a blowout party where we celebrate both events all at once. Anyway, the party invitation put me more in a mood to relax and party, rather than write – so I don’t have a well-thought-out column this week, but I do have a few things … It seems like, every five minutes on television, there’s a commercial for Wendy’s new fish sandwich. The sandwich looks really delicious in the ads, and Wendy’s describes how they are “100 percent hand-cut cod fillet, coated with panko breading and topped off with a new butter-toasted bun.” So, I saw those commercials about 50 times a day, day after day, and then, recently, I was driving home from a commissioners meeting on a Thursday night; I was on Battleground and I started to think about what to have for supper. So I said to myself, “Well, I know – I’ll go to Wendy’s and get a 100 percent handcut cod fillet sandwich with panko breading and the new buttered buns. I decided – that’s what I’ll do. So I pulled into Wendy’s on Battleground and I went inside and went up to the counter. I started looking up at the menu they have posted, but I couldn’t find the fish fillet, and the guy taking my order said, “Do you know what you want?” And I said, “Yes, I do. I want to get the new cod fillet sandwich – but I don’t see it up there.” He said, “Oh yeah, we don’t have those – Wendy’s may bring them back at some point in the future as a seasonal special.” I just looked at the guy and I said, “So Wendy’s isn’t selling those?” He was like, “Nope, we stopped awhile back.” And I said, “Because they sure are advertising the (deleted) out of it.” And he said, “Oh yeah, I know, all the time. And we don’t even sell them. It’s crazy, isn’t it?” I’m not in the business of endorsing political candidates – that’s my boss’s job – but I will say that, for what it’s worth, by all appearances, Tony Wilkins, who’s running in the District 6 county commissioners race, certainly seems to be working hard to get elected. Last Friday, I called Tony to interview him for an article on the District 6 race, but I caught him in the middle of a campaign function, and he said he would call me back later that day. I didn’t hear back from him that day, but late Friday night, (or, really, Saturday morning – depending on how you count it) I got a text at 2:12 a.m. It was from Tony and it said, “Sorry Scott, just now leaving the office. It’s after 2 AM and I didn’t think you would appreciate me calling. Do you want to try to talk on Saturday.” I texted back that that would be fine. So I don’t know how he would do as a commissioner, but he certainly does seem to (Continued on page 61)
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Sound of the Beep
Page 23
Scott’s Night Out
What follows has been transcribed from the answering machine tape on our comment line 273-0898. We edit out what is required by the laws of the state, of good taste and of good sense. The limit on phone calls is one minute and each caller may make up to two calls per week. If you have something to say, call our comment line at 273-0898 and start talking at The Sound of the Beep. Hello. I just got through reading the article about the county commissioners selling the parking lot across the street from the new jail. That is the most ridiculous and irresponsible thing I’ve seen the commissioners do since I don’t know when. And that’s saying something. Not only do they need the parking across from the jail, but they’re selling it at a rate that they could make money off of if they put it up for auction or let somebody else buy it. I’m going to make it a point to try to vote against every commissioner or every chance I get to vote to sell that property. And, then, they’re talking about a tax increase. No wonder when they’re giving our property and our money away like that. Thanks. %%% It was a horrible thing about the black youth getting shot in Florida. I will admit to that. But here’s what the news is not telling. The black woman that shot the woman seven times in Texas and stole her 3-day-old baby, the woman was white. The woman that done the shooting was black. But nobody, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and nobody don’t condemn her. That’s fine. It’s OK if a black shoots a white. But a white better not shoot a black. Nobody has raised Cain, nobody’s marched or nothing. %%% A couple of weeks ago a fellow named Charley Ott wrote a letter to the editor of the local fish wrap that he would never vote for anybody that strapped his dog on top of their car. I just wonder if old Charley is going to vote for somebody that eats his dog. Thanks. %%% Thank you for taking my call and receiving my voice. Now first of all I would like to congratulate all of our college students who are graduating in 2012 at North Carolina A&T State University, Elon Law School, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, UNCG, Guilford Technical Community College and Greensboro College, Bennett College, and all the surrounding universities that I have not named. I would like to say congratulation to all the fine young women and men who are graduating this year. %%% I’d like to wish all the college students prosperity and hope you prosper in your new career that they are pursuing as well as becoming entrepreneurs. I know a lot will. Now on the political side, I would like to say that people don’t listen, don’t be deceived by the opie dope, the deceiving Republican Party Tea Party people. They’re trying to deceive you to thinking that President Barack Obama has done nothing from the time that he has been in office. Do not be deceived. Do not. Because if you will look at the man’s record since he’s been in office … %%% Yes, this is in response to the caller who talks about everybody needing to wake up who is quoted as saying don’t call yourself a Christian if you condone things that God abhors. Let me tell you something, don’t call yourself a Christian and preach hate. God is not about hate. And the last time I checked God was not a bigot. So, until you people learn to believe in the words that you spout off about God, don’t use his name. God is not about hate. And you need to go back and read your Bible and check. Because I am so sick of people claiming to be Christians and using God’s name to promote hate. That’s all it is, plain and simple. The last time I checked God said – or Jesus even said love each other as I loved you. Well, Jesus loves everybody. So, if you can’t love like Jesus loved, then don’t call yourself a Christian. %%% Why is it that so many email addresses and websites have dropped-in email boxes or comment boxes that are infiltrated by someone, and they don’t really go through to the parties that have them? As well, many email messages that are sent out by people on their own emails are returned daemon error, (Continued on page 49)
There seems to be some sort of trial going on (below, right) in downtown Greensboro in the L. Richardson Preyer Court House – I think it has to do with a couple that’s fighting over who gets the money from a sex tape or something like that. Anyway, for the most part, the sex tape trial is a large inconvenience – however, one good thing about it is that it has brought in lots of great looking newscasters. Like, for instance, News 14’s Caroline Blair (left) and WXII’s Stephanie Berzinski (above). Caroline amazes me because she is always in such a great mood. Stephanie, who’s from New Jersey, came through KLBK in Lubbock, Texas, before arriving in our neck of the woods. She has also, no kidding, been to Iraq to cover the war, Haiti to cover the earthquake relief, and, scariest of all, she once appeared three nights in a row on Nancy Grace’s show. – Scott D. Yost
Page 24
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Endorsements (Continued from page 18)
recommendation to Jason Crump. District Court Judge – District 18 In the District Court Judge District 18 race, the unanimous choice was Brian Tomlin. Donald Buie, who practices law in Winston-Salem but evidently lives in the 18th judicial district, and Linda Falls did not get any recommendations. Board of Education The school board races are nonpartisan, so the goal of the primary is not to pick a candidate to go up against an opponent in the other party, but to pick two candidates to run against each other in November. At-large In the at-large race you have to figure that at-large Guilford County Board of Education member Sandra Alexander is going make it through the primary to the general election in November, and being the incumbent she has to be favored to be reelected. The best challenger is Pat Tillman, who is a combat veteran of the war in Iraq and the father of two daughters in public schools, and a son who soon will be. He has served as vice chairman of the Guilford County Republican Party and his father is state Sen. Jerry Tillman from Randolph County. Tillman said one of the things that separated him from the incumbent is the fact that he has children in school. Tillman is interested in public-private partnerships like one in Mooresville where all the students at several schools were give tablet computers donated by a local retail chain. He said that in trying to do more with less, avenues like that have to be explored. Joshua Lewis has trouble articulating why he is running and exactly what his background in education is. Most of his experience in education was in Virginia where he assisted a teacher. Tammy Walker is one of those candidates who is hard to get in touch with and evidently doesn’t want to talk to
the media, which is an odd way to run a campaign. Michael Norbury has some interesting ideas but he is running a cyber campaign, or a web campaign, and so far it has not been a successful way to run for office around here. To win, a candidate has to finish at least second in the primary and then win the general election, and that seems unlikely with a campaign that consists primarily of a great website. Of the challengers, Tillman seems to have the best chance of winning in November, so we recommend you vote for him next week.
Democratic Primary It’s probably only a good idea for Republicans who somehow find themselves registered as Democrats to pay much attention to these endorsements, but it is based on how we would vote. President On the Democratic primary ballot, voters have a choice of Barack Obama or No Preference. We highly recommend No Preference. We have watched No Preference in action and No Preference is impressive. Also No Preference comes without any baggage, and what other politician comes sans baggage.
District 5 In District 5 Guilford County Board of Education member Paul Daniels is being challenged by Linda Welborn and Dave Owens. Daniels is often the only voice of reason on the school board and the most conservative member of the board. When Daniels recently spoke in favor of the proposed marriage amendment at a school board meeting, two school board members walked out in protest that Daniels was being allowed to voice his conservative views from the dais. Welborn is a community activist who was one of the leaders of the movement to prevent the Guilford County Board of Education from building the southeast elementary school her community had been promised on a site in McLeansville, which is not in the southeast. Owens is retired from the Guilford County Schools Maintenance Department and is a former officer of the Guilford County Association of Educators. While Daniels is to the right of the majority of the school board, Owens is far to the left. He is in favor of collective bargaining by government unions like the North Carolina Association of Educators, something that would cost the state a fortune. Our pick is Daniels, but it seems nearly certain that it will be Daniels and Welborn in the fall.
Governor In the Democratic gubernatorial primary it is tempting to endorse Bob Etheridge, because if he gets the nomination then the Republicans can run that incredibly embarrassing video of Etheridge harassing and physically attacking two young reporters. The reporters ask him a legitimate question on a public sidewalk where they had every right to ask questions and film anyone they wanted. It’s a shame that Etheridge wasn’t charged with assault in that case, because it sure looks like assault to me. Imagine if the roles were reversed and that young reporter had gotten a hold of Etheridge. Do you think that the Democrats would have pressed charges? Absolutely. That young man would have left the scene in handcuffs. The Democratic Party should be embarrassed to have Etheridge in the
In that space there should have been 40 stores. There should have been lots of stores with no more frontage than 20 feet. As you walk along there should have been a sense of constant discovery, variety, change. And what are the stores? In leasing the space, they decided to pre-kill City Creek. How did they do it? Not only is every single store a completely familiar national chain, they’re all upscale. Hasn’t anybody checked the demographics of Salt Lake City? Don’t they know who lives there? A Destination
Downtown isn’t upscale. A vibrant downtown is, if anything, a wonderful muddle: a few really high-class but small boutiques, but also lots of quirky low-rent places with wonderful discoveries for the browsing shopper. Instead, they give up vast swathes of territory to stores that say “Don’t come in here unless you intend to drop some serious bucks.” So who’s going to bother coming here? It’s not a Destination Downtown. There are no surprises. None. There’s not a single store that I’d drive to or ride Salt Lake’s terrific urban train to go see.
US Congress – District 12 Matt Newton is challenging Mel Watt in the District 12 congressional Democratic primary. This is an extremely gerrymandered district and Watt has been representing it since it was created. I don’t agree with many of Watt’s political stands, but I think he does a good job of representing his constituents and has even tried to help us with issues a time or two. I’d vote for Watt.
primary, but evidently physically attacking young Republicans is not considered much of a sin by North Carolina Democrats. And compared to some other folks like former Speaker Jim Black and former Gov. Mike Easley, attacking a reporter is small potatoes. It is incredible that Democrats still have so much power in this state that Easley could be convicted of a felony and not have his law license taken away. It is that kind of favoritism that Republicans need to put a stop to, but it appears the Republicans may just change the favorites. However, if I were going to vote for a Democratic candidate for governor, I would vote for Dr. Bruce Blackmon, who is a 90-year old retired physician from Harnett County who wants to take some of the lottery money and put it aside in a savings account. Anybody who is not in favor of spending every dime that comes in the door has better ideas than the Democrats we’ve got down there. Lieutenant Governor For the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, the choice is pretty easy. State Sen. Eric Mansfield is a surgeon and Linda Coleman is a government bureaucrat. So we recommend Mansfield. Secretary of Agriculture In the Democratic commissioner of agriculture race, Walter Smith a farmer in Yadkin County, is facing Scott Bryant from Chatham County, who works a number of different jobs. Smith would be your status quo candidate and Bryant wants to take over the Golden Leaf Foundation. If I were voting in this race I’d vote for Bryant, but probably not for the right reasons. Commissioner of Labor The Democratic primary for commissioner of labor is pretty easy. We need to keep Republican Cherie Berry as commissioner of labor because it gives so (Continued on page 52)
Uncle Orson (Continued from page 20)
walking distance. Restaurants here and there in the vicinity. But they forgot a few things. They were thinking like a bank – all the stores in the development are too big and take up too much frontage. Lots and lots of monumental display – but it means you have to walk a long, long way to get from one storefront to the next. You walk into City Creek and yes, it’s impressive. But you can see all the stores at a glance. There are only about six. And if they don’t interest you, there’s no reason to go further.
The old ZCMI Center and Crossroads Mall weren’t as pretty as this. But at least they had surprises and variety. You don’t revive a downtown by creating a really boring retail environment that only rich people can afford to shop in. You see, the model of retail leasing has it all wrong. They charge the big anchor stores a tiny per-square-foot rent, and charge the little stores a lot of money per square foot. The theory is that the big anchor stores bring in the customers, and the little shops piggyback on them. (Continued on page 57)
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 41
Letters to the Editor Convinced we need Coble
Dear Editor, On Saturday night, April 28, I attended the Sixth Congressional District candidates’ forum hosted by the Rockingham County Republican Party at their annual ReaganHelms Dinner. I listened with interest to each candidate as they responded to the submitted questions and remain convinced that we need Howard Coble more than ever in Washington fighting for us. His experience is unparalleled. He has a 90 percent conservative rating from the American Conservative Union and comes home every weekend to listen to the needs of his constituents. He is truly a man of integrity, loyalty and accessibility. In this day and age of busy schedules, he still takes the time to call his constituents personally and meet with them here in the district. I also learned from the forum that Bill Flynn does not even live in the Sixth District and therefore cannot vote for himself. Why would anyone consider voting for a candidate that can’t even vote for himself? Let’s keep Howard Coble fighting for us in Washington. We are truly blessed to call Howard “our” congressman. Harriet Stack
Wade stands her ground
Dear Editor, I want to encourage the voters of District 27 to vote for Trudy Wade for state Senate. She stands her ground and never backs down. As a newly married woman, I especially appreciate her stand on the marriage amendment. She thinks deeply about issues, treats those with opposing views with respect and consideration and doesn’t run from the truth. Anna Baroody
Hardister raised right
Dear Editor, We are asking for your support for our son, Jon Hardister, who is running for NC House District 59. He is a man of sound character, integrity, honesty, dedication and compassion. Above all, he understands the issues facing North Carolina, and he truly wants to make a difference.
Jon’s commitment to being accessible is evidenced by the thousands of voters he has spoken with. Bringing trust and accountability to his constituents as their state representative is something that he will take seriously. Jon will not participate in partisan politics and he would lead with conservative values. He will dedicate himself to the people that have put him in office. We need fresh, young, energetic representatives in Raleigh who will work to get North Carolina on the right track. Jon is exactly the type of person we need in office during these challenging times. We hope that you will support our son and vote for him on Tuesday, May 8. Wayne and Carolyn Hardister
Wendelken wants to serve
Dear Editor, My only regret in knowing Don Wendelken at this time is that I do not live in his district. I would be absolutely honored to have him represent me and my family as county commissioner. He is a man of impeccable character and integrity. He has a deep, heartfelt love for his country and community and his desire in running for office is service. Being a county commissioner will never be about him, or his ego. He considers well the needs of others and the general welfare of all. If your desire is to elect a servant leader with a commonsense approach to getting things done, then Don Wendelken is your man. R. Wayne Reich Sr.
Williams will fight taxes
Dear Editor, W. Douglas Williams has been out in the community talking to the residents of District 4. It is so good to see a candidate take the time to come out and talk to people and actually ask us what our concerns are. He is very knowledgeable and has specific plans to fight the upcoming property tax increase, increase revenue in Guilford County, and help our children in the classroom without increasing our taxes. I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to just pause and talk to him for a moment. Ask about his Student 1st
SEND AN EXPERIENCED VOICE
Latimer Alexander
NC SENATE
DISTRICT
27
As President of the NC League of Municipalities, I have interacted with members of the state House and Senate for years on issues of importance: • Taking bad bills and making them better • Taking good bills and making them great
(336) 382-8456 LatimerAlexanderIV@gmail.com Paid for by Latimer Alexander for NC Senate 27
Initiative and the concerns and plans he has for our children. In just a few moments you will realize how he understands not only the concerns residents have but how he also has a working knowledge of our county government on how to implement these plans while working as a part of the team of our county commissioners. I honestly have a confidence in his ability to hit the ground running and work on the behalf of the people of District 4 as well as Guilford County as a whole if he wins the upcoming primary on May 8 and then is elected in November. If you have not heard of W. Douglas Williams, check out his website at wdouglaswilliams.com and ask him a question or tell him your concerns. I understand he answers the blog personally. In short, I was impressed. He has my vote for county commissioner of District 4. I hope he has yours. Avery Williamson Sr.
We need Hardister in office
Dear Editor, We’ve known Jon Hardister since he was in high school. He graduated from Greensboro College with a degree in political science. We have observed that he has the ability to communicate with people of all ages. While in college Jon worked with Howard Coble and learned the importance of establishing good people skills as well as being accessible. He is very caring individual. We grew
up in southeast Guilford County and Jon is exactly the type of person to represent Guilford County and North Carolina with honesty and integrity. Jon Hardister is the person we need in office. Scott and Judy Alexander
Wilkins stands by principles
Dear Editor, Tony Wilkins is a great person for the job of county commissioner in District 6. I have had the pleasure of serving with Tony on the War Memorial Commission and have watched Tony hold a community leadership position with integrity and respect. Tony studies the issues in order to make informed decisions and comes to meetings on time and prepared. Tony asks hard questions and is confident in his facts and decision making to stand to his principles. I recommend the voters in District 6 to choose the right representation, vote for Tony Wilkins. Zack Matheny Greensboro City Council District 3
Wendelken is true Republican
Dear Editor, Conservative voters in Guilford County commissioner District 5 should seize the opportunity to vote for a serious candidate in the May 8 primary, a candidate whose (Continued on page 43)
Page 42
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
April Schmoozefest at Cafe Europa
Photos by Elaine Hammer
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Letters
(Continued from page 41)
values and record of public service appeal not only to establishment Republicans and Tea-Party types, but also to anyone who pays taxes in Guilford County and wants to elect a good steward of the people’s money. I’ve known Don Wendelken for eight years through our mutual volunteer efforts on behalf of the Guilford County Republican Party and the NCGOP. Since I first became actively involved in local politics in 2004, I have seen Don put out signs, work polling locations and/or hand out literature for our candidates during early voting and on Election Day. Don always shows up, enthusiastically asking, “Where and when can I pick up more campaign materials and how else can I help?” He’s also been known to print his own 4 x 8 signs for Republican candidates, which he then drives around on the back of his pickup truck. Don Wendelken knows that the core function of government – at any and all levels – is the protection of its people and their property. Don has served honorably in the US Marine Corps and in local law enforcement. He has actively fought for private property rights by serving on the Guilford County Board of Equalization and Review, a volunteer group that helps ensure that local citizens’ property taxes are fairly assessed. Don is a true, hard-working Republican, loyal to our candidates and, more importantly, to our party’s ideals. He puts principles over politics, and has never shied away from challenging members of his own party when personalities have stood in the way of doing what is right for the people. So whether you’re a member of the “establishment,” the “Tea Party,” an unaffiliated voter or anyone else casting a ballot in the Republican primary, if you are like Don and believe in less government and lower taxes, then I encourage you to vote Wendelken for Guilford County commissioner in District 5, because he will represent you. Maria Blust
Williams is man of integrity
Dear Editor, I just wanted to share a little about the man behind the candidate of W. Douglas Williams who is running for county commissioner of District 4. Doug Williams has been a true friend, a sounding board and example of a godly man to me. He is someone that I’ve been able to be transparent with and speak to without feeling judged or like I was not being heard. In this day and time when it is hard for young men to find guidance or just be in a loving environment, he, his wife and family provided that for me and I am truly grateful. Coming from a large family myself and being away from that atmosphere, Doug Williams and his family treated me as one of their own. After two years I can still say the same thing, it wasn’t as if the friendship was surface or temporary but he believes in
being invested, in building something that will last. Not many people can say that they have true friends these days but I am honored to call him one of mine. I say this to say that the man you see in public is the same man I have as a friend, a man of integrity, with an intense care for people and a true heart to serve God. I am thankful I live in District 4 so I can put action to my words and vote for him in the primary on May 8. Thank you for letting me share this letter with you. If anyone in District 4 reads this, you can have confidence in not only the candidate but also the man. Please vote for W. Douglas Williams, county commissioner District 4. Keith J. Huthinson
Let’s bring America back
Dear Editor, It would be an honor to represent the people of Guilford County District 4. I respectfully ask for your support and hope to earn your vote. I will bring to the board trust, honor and accountability. I will strive to look at ways to trim wasteful spending in all departments throughout the county’s budget. We need jobs to put people back to work. We need to have proper funding for the Guilford County Fire, EMS, Police and Sheriff’s departments so that they can offer quality service for all the citizens of the county. We also need to work to make the Guilford County school system the best in our state by placing money back into the classrooms. Let’s move forward to produce a better, more friendly atmosphere for the future of our children and grandchildren. Let’s put the brakes on wasteful spending. Being involved in a family business in Guilford County I have experienced the struggles that all small businesses, property owners and the general public have faced the last few years. We have to make changes throughout all departments in the county, state and federal levels. Together we can pull together to bring America back to being the front-runner in the world. Thank you, and God bless America, Jerry Alan Branson Guilford County Board of Commissioners candidate District 4
Wade fights for constituents
Dear Editor, I am supporting Trudy Wade for state Senate in District 27 because Trudy is a leader who is also down to earth. Guilford County voters have elected her because she is an approachable Southern lady who knows her stuff, is very hard-working and fights for her constituents. I am telling my friends and neighbors to vote for Trudy on May 8 because I believe she will represent us well in Raleigh. Terrah Burnette
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12738 (10-11) Dear Editor, 12738 (10-11) 12738 (10-11) I am writing in support of Tony Wilkins, someone I have known over 40 years, 12738 (10-11) Auto-Owners Insurance ranks highest among auto insurance providers in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008-2011 Auto Claims Studies . Study based on 11,811 total responses, ranking 26 insurance providers. Excludes those with claims only for glass/windshield, theft/stolen, roadside assistance or bodily injury Auto-Owners Insurance ranks highest among auto insurance providers in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008-2011 Auto Claims . Study based on (Continued on page 44) claims. Proprietary results based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed March-July 2011. Your experiences mayStudies vary. Visit jdpower.com. 11,811 total responses, ranking 26 insurance providers. Excludes those with claims only for glass/windshield, theft/stolen, roadside assistance or bodily injury SM
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
Letters Jon Hardister
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NC House District 59 • Limited and Efficient Government • Balanced Budgets and Lower Taxes • Better K-12 Education Results • Trust and Accountability
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for District 6 county commissioner. He currently serves as the most outspoken representative our conservative citizenry has on the War Memorial Commission. I am confident that he will bring this same transparent representation to the board. He recently served two years as executive director of the Guilford County Republican Party, where he initiated the party’s involvement in Greensboro’s municipal election with positive results. Tony is fair-minded, and will not be self-seeking in his leadership. I am confident that he will listen and make fiscally conservative decisions on our behalf, and he will seek accountability for every tax dollar spent. He will be an advocate for the taxpayer. As a county resident for 56 years, I find this to be a wonderful concept. Mickey Atkinson
Hardister has determination
Dear Editor, You may have seen Jon Hardister, candidate for House District 59, knocking on your front door. After all, he has personally visited over 3,000 citizens’ homes to talk with them about his solutions for our most pressing needs in Guilford County and North Carolina. An advocate for less government regulation, lower tax burdens for citizens and businesses and a proven determination to listen to the voice of the electorate makes him the
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best candidate for the tasks ahead of him in the General Assembly. As a former representative, I know what it takes to make a real difference in Raleigh – good solutions and a work ethic to make it happen. Vote Jon Hardister for a strong voice in Raleigh. Laura Wiley former NC House District 61 Representative
Henning would cut spending
Dear Editor, I met Hank Henning at a political event several years ago. After several meetings, Hank impressed me with his devotion to his family and church, his business acumen, his integrity and his compassion for a more conservative government. I support Hank Henning for Guilford County commissioner as I believe he will diligently work toward lowering taxes and cutting spending, yet use common sense in his decisions. Hank served his country in the military four years, two of which were in Iraq. He fought in battle to keep this country safe, and he will fight in government to protect us from runaway spending. I encourage you to vote for Hank Henning for Guilford County Board of Commissioners in District 6. Mary Jennings
Wade takes fearless positions
Dear Editor, For those persons living in NC Senate District 27 I am writing this letter to urge you to cast your vote for Dr. Trudy Wade in the May 8 primary. I have lived in Guilford County all my adult life and admired her unwavering and fearless positions on such issues as limited taxation and government. In numerous situations she was the lone voice of conservative common sense, vastly outnumbered and surrounded by liberal commissioners and councilmembers. Trudy was an integral part of the Greensboro City Council that for the past two years passed budgets without raising property taxes. Done during the worst recession of our lifetime. No small accomplishment. For her opponent that unnecessarily decided to go negative in this race, I want to give a word of sales advice: Disregard your competition and concentrate on your strengths. As for Dr. Wade’s, one just needs to examine her voting record. I don’t live in District 27 but the person elected there will be voting on state issues that will directly affect me and my family. I know that Dr. Wade will represent her district in an honorable and unapologetically conservative manner. She always has. Lee Haywood
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Vote for Phillips, Williams
Dear Editor, I met Jeff Phillips in early 2010, when he campaigned to represent the North Carolina Sixth Congressional District. I
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
voted for Jeff then, and I’ll vote for him this year as well. This year, Jeff is running to represent District 5 on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. Anyone in our county that is remotely attuned to the current and recent boards’ spending habits knows one thing – spending is out of control in Guilford County, and our commissioners have no one to blame but themselves for this financial debacle. The entire mess can be explained very simply – the Guilford County Board of Commissioners rarely, if ever, meets a spending proposal it doesn’t embrace and adopt, and rarely, if ever, passes up a chance to raise our taxes. As a taxpayer in Guilford County, I say – enough is enough. Jeff Phillips’ election to the board would go a long way to restoring sanity to our county’s financial situation. Jeff believes in limited government, not a government that tries to do all things for all people, and winds up doing nothing well or inexpensively. He favors private sector job growth and, whether the big spenders on the board acknowledge it or not, it’s the private sector that funds the public sector. No private sector jobs or job growth, no government. Jeff also favors education accountability. Since the lion’s share of our county’s expenditures are for education, shouldn’t we as taxpayers expect the schools in our county to perform as cost-efficiently as possible? How cost-efficient are our county schools? Do they even consider cost-efficiency in their day-to-day operations? Oh, and by the way, how many administrators does Mo Green really need to change a light bulb? Jeff will get us the answers to these questions. Jeff would be a breath of fresh air on the board for another reason as well. He is a man of God, a family man and a man of humility. He understands that government exists to serve the people, not the other way around. His appreciation of that distinction alone makes him eminently qualified to serve on the board, and I hope you will join me in voting for Jeff Phillips. Jeremy Williams would also be a welcome addition to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, and, if you live in District 6, I urge you to vote for him. Jeremy, through his faithful attendance at almost all board meetings over the last two years, is already “up to speed” and would be an effective and knowledgeable member of the board from day one. In fact, I’d guess there is not a single significant issue facing our county that Jeremy is not already well-versed on. He is firmly committed to reversing our county’s neverending (and in fact counterproductive) tax hikes, and to insuring that Guilford County will spend taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars wisely and efficiently – and only when necessary and beneficial to all. Jeremy is not running because of ego or a desire for power – he is running because he loves and cares for his family, and for Guilford County. He is a humble man of faith with a true servant’s heart. He wants the best for you, your family, for all of us – (Continued on page 45)
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
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Letters
(Continued from page 44) in a county that welcomes promising new businesses and supports successful existing businesses, so that jobs will come and stay here, providing opportunities for all. Please vote for Jeremy Williams. Larry Holmquist
Hardister would be voice for public
Dear Editor, I am writing this letter on behalf of Jon Hardister who is running for the North Carolina state House in this year’s upcoming elections. Some of you may have heard this name before as this is his second time running. I have had the unique opportunity of getting to know Jon better on both a personal and professional level. Jon is a determined, hardworking, well-educated person who brings a new perspective to politics. Jon is one of those individuals who still stands by his word, something that I think some people have forgotten how to do. Jon believes in everything that he stands for and makes it a priority to listen to the citizens. He is always talking about being accessible, accessible to citizens who have concerns, and he listens to those concerns. Politicians are supposed to be representatives of the public, and are supposed to be a voice for the concerns of the public. Jon is that representative – he wants to be the voice for the public. Vote for Jon. Kendall Murphy
No action by Alexander
Dear Editor, Do not vote for Latimer Alexander for District 27 in the NC Senate. The primary requirement for a candidate is to serve the district from which he is elected. Alexander is the only candidate whose actions have caused financial harm to property owners in the district. As a member of the High Point town council, Alexander has been active with the Deep River Outfall – Segment 3. When the project started going horribly wrong, he was contacted with documentation by property owners to take action to correct the problems with the contractor on the job. Nothing happened and the project ended. The results were a disaster to multiple property owners in Jamestown. The final tally – over $700,000 in damages to private property; illegal possession of over an acre of land without reimbursement; $200,000 in High Point taxpayer funds to pay for legal fees to protect the city; four citations from the state for violations of the Clean Water Act with mandated corrections paid by High Point taxpayers; multiple payments by the contractor and its insurer for damages; and damages to property owners still not corrected or paid by High Point who cowardly claimed municipal immunity. The attorney representing High Point in court actions against the contractor even described the work as, “plaintiff’s defective
and inadequate work on the project.” After the city ended the contract, Alexander and other elected officials were repeatedly contacted to deal with the damages – no response and no action. From property owners in Jamestown and acknowledging this record of harming property owners in the Senate District 27, Latimer Alexander does not warrant voters’ support and should not get your vote. Nancy Guiton Steve Moore Marie Poteat
Hardister more than sound bites
Dear Editor, Two years ago, while running for the NC House in District 58, I met Jon Hardister, who at the time was running an excellent campaign in an adjacent district. I had a front row seat watching Jon as he worked tirelessly to connect with the constituents of his district while respectfully engaging his opponent. Jon is well grounded, keenly aware of the issues and, frankly, an excellent listener. With redistricting, Jon Hardister is now one of the candidates running to represent my home district, which is NC House District 59. In today’s fast paced sound bite world of politics, it is difficult to make a choice between candidates. Jon Hardister will be an excellent representative of the people of NC House District 59. Please consider giving him your support on May 8. Darin Thomas
Wilkins has practical outlook
Dear Editor, I have known Tony Wilkins for over 30 years and he has worked hard his entire life. He has lived in Guilford County his entire life and knows our “Guilford County politics.” He is very aware and concerned with our issues right here at home. He has a very realistic, practical outlook on our future. Tony will work hard to keep small business and public safety issues at the top of his priorities. We need this type of dedication and leadership in Guilford County. When elected, Tony will work to represent our county in a very professional, highly respected manner. Even if you can’t vote for him, get out and spread the word. Vote Tony Wilkins, May 8, 2012. Kendall McCarter, Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Chief
Hardister listens to citizens
Dear Editor, I am writing to encourage everyone in NC House District 59 to vote for Jon Hardister. Jon is a young professional who is energetic, and he is an extremely hard worker. He is a fiscal conservative, and he understands the issues that are facing North Carolina. I feel that these are the exact qualities we need injected into our state government. Jon has been campaigning door to door and taking every opportunity he can to talk with the people he will represent. He has (Continued on page 46)
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Letters
(Continued from page 45)
taken the time to listen to the concerns of our citizens, and he truly wants to make a difference. He has a unique ability to truly listen and engage people effortlessly. Jon has intangibles that make him a special and unique person. These are traits that can’t be taught or learned. Therefore, I wholeheartedly and without reservation endorse Jon Hardister for NC House 59. I encourage strong voter support for him in the primary election on May 8. Chris Lawyer
Marrying children next?
Dear Editor, When it comes to gay marriage, “there is a way that seems right to man … .” After all, why should a loving couple be denied the bliss of tax penalties, no fault divorce and child custody battles? There is, however, a slippery slope that rears up when redefining marriage. Not the silly one about marrying goats. Rather a more serious one – marrying children. If a growing group of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals have their way, pedophilia could be on its way to decriminalization. Once marriage is redefined, how far off will the demands for child marriage be if sex with minors becomes “normalized?” On August 17, 2011, a conference was held in Baltimore, Maryland, sponsored by B4U-ACT (www.b4uact.org), a group of pro-pedophile mental health professionals and sympathetic activists. The purpose was to attack the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) definition of pedophilia and have it removed from the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) as homosexuality had been in 1973. When sex with a child is declared “normative” – as some members of the APA would have it – how will we say no to a man-boy or man-girl marriage? While the possibility of pedophilia being normalized seems remote at this point, we must be aware that those calling for its decriminalization are not crackpots; they are serious-minded professionals. This must be considered before we decide to redefine marriage. I have no problem with Heather having two loving and caring mommies.
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But I wonder how either will respond when some 35-year-old man shows up for their 10-year-old Heather. Will they welcome him in or will they clamor for a marriage amendment of their own? Romaine Worster
Potential consequences
Dear Editor, I voted against Amendment One. I found it interesting that when I went to the polls for early voting, I was approached by a gentleman handing out propaganda asking me to “vote for marriage in NC.” It made me stop and think for a moment because that is really not what this amendment is about. Personally, I was not there to vote “against” marriage in NC just because I was voting against the amendment. I was there to speak out against a vague amendment that has far greater potential consequences. Consequences that will affect domestic partner benefits for both gay and heterosexual couples. Consequences that will potentially strip thousands of children of health benefits. Consequences that can potentially overturn domestic violence convictions. I use the term “potentially” because the language of the amendment is so vague and this language has not been tested to actually determine what will happen. So I ask each of you, why would you vote for an amendment that is not completely understood? Why would you vote for an amendment that will enshrine discrimination into the North Carolina Constitution? Why would you vote for an amendment that can have such a grave and negative impact to women and children in our community? Bottom line is this is not a “vote for marriage” and it does not change whether or not gay people can get married. It is not legal today in North Carolina and it will not be legal after May 8, regardless of the outcome. Please stand with me and vote against Amendment One since amendments should only be enacted to expand the rights of the public and not restrict them. I will say that I took great solace in the fact that the trash can by the door was overflowing with the propaganda the gentleman was handing out at the polls. I hope it is a sign … Sidney Via
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Defining marriage
Dear Editor, On May 8 the voters will decide whether this provision should be added to the North Carolina Constitution: “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This Section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts.” Let’s look at what the amendment does and does not do. It would recognize only domestic legal unions between one man and one woman. The second sentence of the amendment makes clear that it would not prohibit private companies from entering into private contracts based on relationships chosen by the company. Private employers, for example, could continue to offer domestic partnership or civil union benefits to an employee’s same sex or opposite sex partner. But the amendment would prohibit the government from forcing a company to provide such benefit. The amendment would prohibit the government from creating “same sex marriage” by calling it something else, such as a civil union. The meaning of “legal union” is concrete and clear in the context of family relationships. In federal law, “‘marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife…” 1 U.S.C. §7 (1996). This definition is consistent with the long-standing definition: marriage is the “[l]egal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife.” Black’s Law Dictionary 876 (5th ed. 1979). The word “domestic” clarifies that other arrangements, such as business partnerships, would not be affected by this amendment. Any benefits extended by government to a person based on a domestic legal union other than marriage would be prohibited. State government has never offered benefits to the unmarried. Nine of the 625 local governments have. These cities and counties could still extend employment benefits that benefit non-married domestic households. The extension of such benefits, however, could not be based only upon the status of a domestic relationship other than marriage. For example, a statute could allow a city employee to pick one other person of his or her choice to be the beneficiary for health insurance. Or a county ordinance could allow an employee to pick a beneficiary based on whether they live in the same household. I have been amazed at other absurd claims made by opponents. Let’s set the record straight: 1. The marriage amendment will not adversely affect North Carolina’s economy. A 2011 report by the American Legislative Exchange Council ranked states by economic performance between 1999 and 2009 and by economic outlook. Eight of the top 10 economically performing states have marriage amendments. None have legalized same sex marriage, civil unions
or domestic partnerships. Nine of the 10 states with the poorest economic growth have legalized same sex marriages or civil unions. 2. The marriage amendment will not affect the enforcement of domestic violence laws. Opponents would have you think the amendment obliterates our domestic violence law. The cases they use as authority are Ohio cases later overturned by the Ohio Supreme Court. The marriage amendment will have no effect on the enforcement of our domestic violence statutes. Thirty other states have marriage amendments with domestic violence laws enforced. North Carolina does not even require that there be a romantic or intimate relationship for the statute to apply. N.C.G.S. §50B-1(b)(5) covers “current or former household members.” 3. The marriage amendment will not determine the custody and visitation rights of unmarried parents unless their behavior affects the child. Custody orders are based on the “parent”/child relationship. Courts base custody and visitation on the “best interest of the child.” N.C.G.S. §5013.2(2007) The sexual behavior of the parent is not determinative except as it affects the child. There is a real threat to the institution of marriage. In several states same sex marriage has been imposed upon the people by courts that have engaged in tortured judicial reasoning – Massachusetts and Iowa, for example. These courts have used state constitutional provisions like ours to reverse the pro-marriage policies that were in effect when the state constitution was adopted. Now it’s happening in North Carolina. Same-sex couples in Asheville went to the courthouse for two weeks last fall seeking to obtain marriage licenses. A lawsuit was filed by the register of deeds of Guilford County in December challenging our state’s marriage laws and asking the court to declare them unconstitutional because they don’t allow same-sex partners to “marry.” That case is on appeal. The marriage amendment will ensure that marriage between one man and one woman will be determined by the voters and not by a handful of judges. I am voting for it. Rep. Paul Stam NC House Majority Leader
More than limiting marriage
Dear Editor, Many North Carolina voters are under the mistaken impression that the proposed constitutional amendment on the May 8 ballot would limit marriage to one man and one woman. Firstly, North Carolina law already defines marriage as between one man and one woman and has done so since 1995. Secondly, the amendment would do far more than simply limiting marriage in this way. It would define marriage as the only “domestic legal union” valid or recognized in North Carolina. That means that our (Continued on page 47)
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
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Letters
(Continued from page 46)
legislature would be unable to recognize same-gender relationships in any way, including domestic partnerships and civil unions. But, it would go farther still than that because the phrase “domestic legal union” isn’t defined anywhere in our statutes, in our court decisions or elsewhere in our constitution. Courts could interpret this phrase very broadly with horrifying results. Children could lose their health insurance if their parents aren’t married or if they have coverage through a parent that isn’t their legal parent. Couples who have lived together for many years could be denied the right to make health care decisions for each other or even to visit each other in the hospital. People who have health insurance through a domestic partner who works for one of the municipalities in North Carolina that offers such benefits will lose their health insurance. Elderly couples who’ve chosen not to marry in order to preserve benefits that they receive from a deceased spouse will lose those benefits if they decide to get married in order to eliminate the uncertainty around their relationship under this amendment. Perhaps worst of all, people who are charged with or who have been convicted of certain crimes of domestic violence could have their charges dropped or even be set free if the amendment passes. This actually happened in Ohio when that state’s voters passed a similar amendment in 2004. All of the above consequences would happen whether an unmarried couple is same-gender or opposite-gender. You might wonder what will happen if the amendment doesn’t pass. Nothing. Everything will stay exactly the same as it is now. I therefore encourage my fellow readers to vote against the amendment. Justin R. Ervin III
Carefully consider amendment
Dear Editor, This primary election offers conservative voters a variety of options in several races,
some with only slight differences in their positions. So we must carefully consider each race. We must also carefully consider Amendment One, which is not a primary or preliminary vote, but the actual vote, and hopefully the only time we’ll see such a divisive issue on the ballot in our great state. Voting no on Amendment One is actually a conservative vote, as government doesn’t belong in our private lives. Same-sex marriage is already prohibited by law in North Carolina, and this amendment is so ambiguous that many harmful unintended consequences to families and children may result. Don’t take that chance. Vote no. Christina Larson
Faults on both sides
Dear Editor, There are faults on both political sides – one being liberal, the other conservative. Liberals are twisting facts and promoting propaganda about the conservatives. This administration has come in and spent money like a jet-powered runaway train. Excuses are made every day and facts are twisted to try and justify everything they are trying to force this country into. This administration has also turned its back on Israel – God’s chosen. That’s wrong. People say we are trying to deny voters’ rights. Voter ID would help stop voter fraud. It’s supposed to be one vote per legal citizen – not made-up names or voting twice, etc. Demonizing women’s rights to control their reproductive system? You took that in your own hands when you chose to have unprotected sex – that pregnancy was possible. Once that new life is conceived, it’s a separate person that no one has the right to take the life of. Abortion has become a tragic convenience. Planned Parenthood greatly protests ultrasounds, which proves a living baby. They want you to believe this is nothing more than an inconvenient blob, not the human being that is in its beginning stages. The more people realize this, the less killing allowed from a very corrupt system. Shame on those doctors and nurses who take an oath to protect life. If you can’t or don’t want to take care of this child, or in cases of force,
please choose adoption. This blesses another mommy and daddy who might not be able to have a child. In case of the life of the mother, God knows all about this. Trust him to guide you. Thank you for choosing life. Please vote for the marriage amendment, keeping marriage legal only between man and woman – the way God intended. The other facts the liberals are bringing out are twisted and partial, as usual. Please keep to the basics – what God has intended. Thank you. Elizabeth A. Jones
Traditional values
Dear Editor, Why can’t the opponents of the protect marriage amendment just tell the truth and quit telling so many lies about how bad it would be for the citizens of North Carolina if it passes? There are now 30 states that have passed a similar amendment and not one of the things that they claim will happen has happened. Professors of universities and other organizations of this state have studied the amendment and say that these things can’t happen in North Carolina. This is nothing but intimidation on their part. In light of the ongoing and very successful assault on our families, faith and culture under the guise of gay rights and tolerance, I think that it is a perfect time to make you aware of what I and vast numbers of Americans believe is really going on. Listed below are seven of the 45 reported communist goals as noted in the US Congressional Record on Jan. 10, 1963. This list was taken from the 1958 best-selling book The Naked Communist by then-FBI agent Cleon Skousen. I would ask you to take a moment to review the list and think about the state of our country in regards to faith, culture, churches and families. 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing and policy making positions. 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV and motion pictures. 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV. 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural and healthy.” 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a “religious crutch.” 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. Would you agree that some or all of these goals have been accomplished? I know that many will accuse me of being a conspiracy theory person, but if you are willing to objectively read this list, can you truly say these goals have not been met? Keep in mind that this list was written in 1958. How many TV series or motion pictures promote promiscuity, obscenity and include gay, lesbian, transgender and/ or transsexual characters? How much of current music espouses our traditional values? When did it become art to display an image of Christ in a cup of urine? Some of you may have heard of the term “social justice,” which basically means the forced redistribution of wealth. This is being taught as gospel in churches all over the country along with the idea that Christians have to be “tolerant” of all lifestyles and actions regardless of biblical truths and teachings. Divorce, abortion, children out of wedlock, broken homes, pornography and sexually transmitted diseases are at alltime highs. Our faith, culture and family values are being eroded through our music, media, art and even in our churches. It was Karl Marx, the father of communism and author of Communist Manifesto who said, “I want to dethrone God and destroy capitalism.” He understood that he could not accomplish the latter without first destroying our faith and families. I urge you to vote for the North Carolina marriage amendment and take a stand to defend our traditional values, faith and families. H. N. Gwyn (Continued on page 48)
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Page 48
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Letters
(Continued from page 47)
Hard to be a Christian Democrat
government as the beneficiaries of taxpayer dollars, only Romney has led a successful career helping new companies get started and producing thousands of jobs. Further, his success in business and his command of the issues make him the candidate most likely to defeat Barack Obama in November. And when it comes to foreign policy, Romney is proud of America’s greatness. Mitt Romney is the right choice for our state and our nation. Alex Arnold
Dear Editor, This might sound like a dreadful conclusion to arrive at, but I cannot help but wonder if one is able to be a liberal Democrat and a Christian at the same time. Seems to me that Jesus and the Bible are against abortion, against playing the race card to manipulate, against deceptive methods in politics, against the gay lifestyle with gay marriages and against most everything the Democrats possess as a party platform. Christ and his word is for individual achievement rather than race quotas, voluntary giving rather than the forced giving of our money through welfare, an honorable work ethic rather than enhancing man’s greed through legalization of the lottery, and honoring the authority over us rather than hitting the news media with a terrible barrage of senseless statements condemning conservative leaders. So, just like you cannot have an honest thief, a moral harlot, or a faithful adulterer for a husband, it seems to me that it would be very difficult or impossible to be called a liberal Democrat and a Christian in the same breath. However, so I am not accused of a lack of compassion I will grant the benefit of the doubt to those whose roots are in both the church and the Democratic Party. It might be possible to be a Democrat and a Christian, but it seems evident that they are ignorant of the issues, not true to God’s character, and it seems doubtful that they really even care what the Bible teaches on these many issues. Sid Stewart
Dear Editor, As a reader who has followed your reporting on the imminent election here, I write to share information that has been missing in your coverage. Your readers deserve to know that Rep. Ron Paul offers the only responsible choice for restoring our state and nation to greatness. While both President Obama and Gov. Romney have supported bailouts and unaffordable health care plans, only Ron Paul has stood steadfast in his commitment to free enterprise. Paul will eliminate our foreign entanglements that have plundered American blood and treasure. And only Paul is committed to ending the “nanny state” that seeks to have government dictate every aspect of our lives. Our economy and our country can only be restored when government gives individuals back responsibility for their own lives. I urge everyone reading this to vote for Ron Paul. Michael Thompson
Romney is right man
Romney’s economic appeal
Dear Editor, Your reporting on the upcoming election has suggested that Mitt Romney may be the eventual Republican nominee. What may not be as clear to readers are the reasons that Romney, and not another candidate, is the right man to lead our country at this moment. Our economy is under assault from President Obama’s efforts to transform it into a European-style welfare state. While other candidates have spent their lives in
Paul is responsible choice
Dear Editor, With our primary impending, other readers have surely gleaned from your coverage that Mitt Romney is the clear front-runner. What has been missing is an explanation of why Romney is the best choice. It is easy to understand Romney’s appeal if one examines the candidates’ stances on the economy. What our nation needs right now is business growth and job creation, which Romney has made a priority both in his time in government
and in the private sector. It’s time we unite around Mitt Romney. Fred Palmer
Paul is only option
Dear Editor, I have followed your coverage of the approaching primary. I feel your coverage should further emphasize how important it is for Republicans to consider which candidate will do the best job of repairing our economy. In this respect, Ron Paul is the clear choice. Other candidates will allow our overgrown government to interfere in our lives, but Paul understands the importance of keeping taxes low and maintaining freedom for businesses and citizens. If we value such American principles as liberty and self-determination, Ron Paul is the only option. Peter Olson
Paying for pools
Dear Editor, I saw on TV today where a couple of public schools have closed their pools and want to use the Aquatic Center. I will have nothing against this if the State of North Carolina pays for what it would cost them to keep their pools going. I believe the rest of the public will feel the same way. However, if the State of North Carolina says no I think the City Council should say no also. Reece Coble
Practical courtesies
Dear Editor, I am a retired nurse. I worked for years in the public sector. I am writing this letter to express a concern and to advocate for a little courtesy and common sense. I experienced a disability and have arthritis, which makes it difficult to get up and down without assistance at times. I do not necessarily need to use the handicapped stalls at the restroom accommodations, but due to lack of practicality by providers, this is not always an option. Please, businesses, provide facilities either with pull bars to assist getting up and down or highboys for decreasing flexibility
as you get older in all available stalls. Most of the time the only option that you have is the one and only provided stall. This would be fine if the baby-changing table were not there. It would be fine if youngsters did not go in to have group trips, or mothers with three young children did not go in to assist them all. Worst of all, if employees did not go into to have private conversations on their cell phones or to change clothes. I do not like using this stall, as now I do not need a wheelchair but do need a little assistance in getting up and down on the days when the arthritis wants to lock up the joints and make flexibility difficult. My only request is that a little consideration be given to this ongoing problem and that reasonable interventions be made for all. Cynthia Goldfarb
Shareholder rights
Dear Editor, The shareholders of Citigroup recently did the right thing and voted against a $15 million pay package for its CEO. Unfortunately their vote isn’t legally binding even though the shareholders supposedly own Citigroup. As a supporter of democracy I believe that shareholders should have the right to determine the salaries and benefits of their directors and officers. I also believe that voters should have the right to determine the salaries and benefits of their elected officials. Unfortunately we don’t live in a democracy. Chuck Mann
DMV online
Dear Editor, If you don’t like standing in line or driving to another city to renew your vehicle registration, then don’t. A visit to the state DOT website (http://www.ncdot. gov/DMV/) with a credit or debit card and a few simple steps will have Newman delivering your registration to you. I haven’t had to step inside a DMV license plate agency for several years. Anonymous (Continued on page 49)
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The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 49
Beep (Continued from page 23) and there are no errors on them. They just never go out consistently? Who is able to block that? And what can the new candidates running for office do about that? My concern is that somebody is either hacking into them everywhere I go. I mean in different locations. Or that the government is doing that. Thank you. %%% I just have a question for some of your more informed readers. Is there any way to get rid of a mayor like – is there a legal process that we can go through to get Robbie Perkins out of office? Because he definitely doesn’t have his finger on the pulse of the city. He is a greedy, in my opinion, a greedy insensitive, uneducated as to the ways of the world, selfish, selfcentered, self-absorbed human being. And we don’t need him running our town. He’s clueless. Maybe with some of his money from his slum rental property he could go buy a clue. %%% Yeah, I am sitting here watching the PGA tournament out of Texas this week, and it looks like the highest ranked player is somewhere around 15th. So, maybe Tiger should have played in this, and he could have maybe had an easy win, and advance his world-wide standings and as long as he
didn’t kick his clubs and everything. But, anyhow, looks like a perfect fit for Tiger and his new swing. Thank you. %%% You dedicated people need to expose an apartment complex in the northwest. They’re getting rid of any families that have teenagers. They just don’t want teenagers in their apartments. They’re doing every low thing they can do to do it. One family they’re getting rid of, their bathroom has been broken for over one month, and they won’t fix it. So, they’re doing very illegal things and very low things to get rid of people. We have so many witnesses that would be glad to sign a paper to this effect. That would be a very good thing for you all to investigate. You do great work. Thank you for letting the public know what’s going on. Keep up the good work and God bless.
Personal defense concerns
Dear Editor, The State of North Carolina has a new law on the books, passed by the majority, meeting all requirements that govern the citizens of North Carolina. This law permits citizens that have met or exceeded the requirements to carry a concealed pistol within a state park. Note, evidently these law-abiding citizens wish not to alarm anyone by concealing a firearm, have jumped through hoops to be allowed to carry a concealed firearm versus carrying a personal defense weapon in the open. Enter the Greensboro City Council and police chief to weigh in and deny the right to those individuals. Chief Miller says he sees no reason (a citizen of course) would have a need to have a personal defense weapon. Ask the young woman brutally assaulted and raped in a park in Burlington, Chief Miller. I would expect she has a different opinion as a victim. Now to the City Council. By denying the right this should mean the City of Greensboro assumes full responsibility to protect any person, denied the right, in the event he or she becomes a victim in the Greensboro park system. The council denied the right; the City of Greensboro should assume responsibility. Here is an open challenge to Chief Miller. Take your service weapon off, Taser and pepper spray and come for a stroll with me in certain parks in the city. Let’s see if
%%%
Why are the Perkinettes trying to shut down the Carolina Theatre and the Triad Stage? I just want to know.
Yeah, I just got a theory that I’m really sick and tired of all this government corruption of all the kinds of things they’re doing that’s just totally not cool like all these – like the Obama administration trying to, you know, trying their best to obstruct, you know, the docking of voter ID laws ‘cause, you know, you know, no laws means that illegal aliens they can vote, too. Because they want to keep them in office. You know, that’s just that. He’s done nothing good for this country. He said he wasn’t going to invade Libya, but then we invaded Libya. So, I mean, I don’t get it. I’m sick and tired. We need to wake up and do something about this before something really bad happens. I’m telling you, something really bad is imminent. Buy a gun before it’s too late. Wake up. I mean just get ready.
%%%
%%%
Yeah, hey, so, have you heard of the, uh, the Ecoscience book that John Holdren wrote about how they want to put the sterilant in the drinking water to prevent overpopulation because the government
Well, it’s a brand new week, and I want to get one of my two calls in. If you think that you understand politicians for two seconds, you’ve got it timed about right. Brad Miller says now that he thinks maybe
%%%
Letters
(Continued from page 48)
thinks that’s a very big problem and it really kind of is. So, one of these days they’re going to try to do something about that. It’s going to be pretty day. So, yeah, also, the aliens will be coming soon. Yeah, all right. Bye.
he shouldn’t have voted for the health care thing. Isn’t that something for a man that’s supposed to have an education, that is supposed to know what’s going on, would vote for something for that? And, now, all of a sudden decide that maybe he shouldn’t have done it. That’s just another case of how this country is being run. %%% OMG. Our owner, King Robbie, mayor of Greensboro, has been on a tirade about The Rhino Times for the past few days. And now we know why. Someone took a picture of us pooping in Center City Park. And the picture appeared in The Rhino. We knew this was eventually going to happen, because he never scoops up our poop. Our poop can be found all over Greensboro. Watch where you step. Because if our owner, Robbie Perkins, has been there you will probably find a big pile of poop. %%% Bennett College has selected Al Sharpton to address its graduates. How sad. Sharpton’s record of racism, race baiting and personal lack of accountability provides a poor role model for constructive leadership. The great part is that Tawana Brawley isn’t scheduled to speak. Am I wrong? Maybe Bennett College can offer an explanation for its choice of speakers. %%%
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Societal changes at stake
Dear Editor, A small ray of enlightenment emerged from that rather murky front page article in the News & Record on April 22 titled, “Marriage Vote Tricky For Pastors.” It concerned the congregants of a relatively new Pentecostal church in Greensboro. Many of them are in college and some used to live the homosexual lifestyle, and all support Amendment One because it “… is not really a confused issue …” for them. So, it would seem, and here’s the irony, that while too many current-day progressive pastors have mired themselves in the so-called political incorrectness and “trickiness” of the amendment, a group of church-going young people, most especially including former homosexuals, are not confused, clearly see the amendment’s definitive value, and are in favor of it. We could, therefore, conclude that those who had formerly lived as homosexuals are better informed than most regarding that group’s actual agenda, what societal changes are at stake and what the ensuing consequences are if the marriage law is not further validated and protected by an amendment. Anonymous
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
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Those signs on people’s lawns, warning you that the pro-marriage Amendment One will harm children. Of course it’s a lie – in fact, it’s really designed to fool careless people into thinking that the amendment is against traditional marriage. They’re coopting the language of conservatives in order to trick conservatives into voting against their moral values. But they’re inadvertently tipping their hand; they’re letting us see what’s really at stake. There’s no need to legalize gay marriage. I have plenty of gay friends who are committed couples; some of them call themselves married, some don’t, but their friends treat them as married. Anybody who doesn’t like it just doesn’t hang out with them. It’s just like heterosexual couples who are living together without marriage. Their friends still treat them like married couples, inviting them places together; they’re a social unit. Those who strongly disapprove leave them alone. There are no laws left standing that discriminate against gay couples. They can visit each other in the hospital. They can benefit from each other’s insurance. No, legalizing gay marriage is not about making it possible for gay people to become couples. It’s about giving the left the power to force anti-religious values on our children. Once they legalize gay marriage, it will be the bludgeon they use to make sure that it becomes illegal to teach traditional values in the schools. Our children will be barraged with the deceptions of the left. Parents will be forbidden to remove their children from the propaganda. Any child with any gender or sexual confusion will be pushed inexorably away from the decision to establish a traditional family. They’ll be told, again and again, that any sign of effeminacy or gender confusion or same-sex attraction is an irrevocable, lifelong compulsion and they might as well shape their lives accordingly. The left is at war with the family, and they want control of our children’s education. That’s what those signs on the lawns are about. I’m not making this up – it’s already happening wherever the left has complete control of education. Parents in those places are already forbidden to opt out of sexual and gender propaganda. And with the teachers’ unions absolutely under the control of the extreme left, don’t kid yourselves: Legalizing gay marriage will make the false claims of the gay lobby the established religion of the American school system. If there were even a shred of science behind the absurd claims about gender and sexuality coming from the left, there might be a case for allowing this to happen. But there is no science behind it. In fact, the scientific evidence we have points in the opposite direction: Same-sex attraction is not a strait jacket; people’s desires change over time; gay people still have choices; a reproductive dysfunction like same-sex attraction is not a death sentence for your DNA or for your desire to have a family in which children grow up with male and female parents to model appropriate gender roles. Heterosexual pair-bonding has been at the heart of human evolution from the time we divided off from the chimps. Normalizing a dysfunction will only make ours into a society that corrodes any loyalty to it, as parents see that our laws and institutions now work against the reproductive success (not to mention happiness) of the next generation. But your children will never hear any of that information, true as it is, because it contradicts the dogmas of the left. Legalizing gay marriage is about driving all contrary evidence or argument out of the public discussion. That’s why the gay-marriage lobby tries to stifle discussion – they have no arguments that stand up to serious investigation. They brand their opponents’ arguments as religious, and therefore illegitimate; but in fact their own arguments are just as faith-based, just as lacking in evidence, as any Bible-based argument. So a vote for the amendment is a vote to keep alive the possibility of educating our children without having the false dogmas of the extreme left drilled into them, while contrary arguments are barred. It’s a vote to allow actual research into human sexuality to continue (or begin again), because the question will remain open. It’s a vote for freedom of religion – the only right that is in serious danger in America today.
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The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 51
Remarks
(Continued from page 6)
impression – successful black rappers tend to dress further up the fashion scale – from the lectern on the floor along with other citizens addressing the board. Quick called the Zimmerman-Martin shooting a continually evolving tragedy in which Martin was merely walking to a store to get snacks. Quick said, “Unfortunately, this simple task was never completed because of his brutal encounter with at best an overzealous police want-to-be and at worst a bigoted murderer.” All of which may be true or not – but that’s why we have grand juries and trial juries, not school boards. Nonetheless, Quick, like Daniels, had a perfect right to express his opinion. “Unfortunately, the earthly life of Trayvon Martin has been snuffed out all too soon, violently removed from earth by an adult who ignored the instructions to leave him alone, an adult who said that he looked suspicious,” Quick continued. “Trayvon was black and different than his killer, and he had on a hoodie, so to his killer he looked suspicious. And that combination – black, male, wearing a hoodie – raises suspicions in too many minds, even today.” During board comments at the end of the April 3 meeting, Quick and school board members Nancy Routh, Sandra Alexander, Darlene Garrett, Carlvena Foster and, by implication, Cooke, all addressed the issue from the dais. Routh tied the Trayvon Martin shooting to the murder of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was shot on April 4, 1968. The 44th anniversary of King’s death fell on the day after the school board meeting. Routh said she was teaching a class of black students the day King was killed. Routh said, “Forty-four years later, we have less explanation than we had even then why someone had to be killed who wasn’t armed, and wasn’t challenging anyone else.” The other school board members who spoke on the issue echoed her sentiments, except Cooke, who said she had no words to better express what other school board members had already said. Duncan took a less knee-jerk and more spiritual approach after the others’ comments. “Which reminds me that to receive grace,
one must always be willing to graciously give grace,” he said. “Of all weeks, this is a good week to remember that thought.” Duncan spoke movingly about hearing about King’s death the day after Duncan’s 14th birthday, and of hearing King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at age 9, which he said has affected his approach to life ever since. “We are losing children in this school district,” Duncan said. “We don’t have to go to Florida. I hate that we have to talk about Florida. But we are losing schoolchildren in this district, in this state and in this country senselessly at alarming rates.” The board conversation about the Martin and King shootings was thoughtful, moving and productive (in the sense of furthering public debate, not in getting school board business done). It was able to occur only because no one threw a hissy fit and walked out of the meeting, as Cooke and Belton did when Daniels spoke at the next meeting. Daniels passed on speaking at the April 3 meeting, but listened politely to the other school board members’ opinions. Later, Daniels said that he thinks public officials should be tolerant of each others’ opinions, and criticized Cooke for trying to prevent him from speaking. “I would never have thought that being a public official, I was forbidden from speaking my mind from the dais,” he said. “I would never try to shut somebody down. That’s not what you do in a free society. This is the sort of thing I’ve been fighting against – doing everything behind closed doors. I would never walk out on them.” Cooke said that she walked out because Daniels’ speech was political and unconnected to school board business. She said she would do the same if someone lobbied for a presidential candidate, no matter which candidate that was. “I was not walking out because of what he was saying,” Cooke said. “I was walking out because that’s not the place to say it. That or any other political statement. The two minutes is set aside to talk most of the time about events that occur in school or are school related. That was not school related.” Cooke said that by being present during Daniels’ speech she was sending a message that she was condoning it. “We are about helping kids, writing policy
for the school system and doing the best we can to create a grade school system,” she said. “We are not elected to give comments on amendments, or laws, or candidates. If he was against that amendment I would still feel the same way.” Quick did draw distinctions between his speech and Daniels’. “I think one distinction was that I requested and was granted permission to step down from the dais and speak as a private citizen and not a member of the Board of Education,” Quick said. “I think the other distinction was that I was not advocating any particular vote. I was making a general statement about the well-being of children. I was advocating for all children, although the Trayvon Martin killing was what prompted my comments.” Quick did say, “I don’t necessarily disagree with the position [Daniels] was advocating.” Cooke also said Daniels, too, had walked out of a meeting. Daniels said he did so during a March 6 closed session, in which the board discussed renewing the contracts of 70 of its top administrators, agreeing to pay them at least $6.2 million for the next year, plus any raises agreed on. Daniels said he walked out only because he disagreed with the subject being discussed in closed session. “I think that’s a significant difference, leaving a closed-door session because I didn’t think it should be in closed session,” he said. “I didn’t think it should be confidential. What I got was not a good explanation from counsel for it being a closed-door meeting. And I was incredulous that other people could stay there, given the information we got.” Daniels did pitch a fit at a July 2010 school board meeting, when he objected to Duncan arranging to give Ragsdale High School $4 million to cover construction cost overruns without consulting Daniels, who represents the schools. “I’ve been sandbagged here!” Daniels shouted then, pounding on the dais. “I know when I’ve been sandbagged. If that’s the way it’s going to be, things are going to change. OK, folks, don’t come to me when you’ve been sandbagged by staff.” Belton could not be reached for comment.
“tournament town.” A&T baseball players and baseball players from other colleges and universities have an image of Greensboro as a deteriorating, falling down place that can’t even bother to do basic maintenance on a historic facility. It doesn’t matter whether the stadium is 80 years old or 8 years old, there is a certain level of upkeep that simply has to be maintained and Greensboro is doing nothing. In eight years the City of Greensboro hasn’t managed to get a crew over to the stadium to pick up trash. And I stand corrected on the gutter
issue that I wrote about earlier. I wrote that the facade of the structure was decaying because a gutter was damaged and it was a repair most homeowners could make in a morning, but that it took the city years to repair the gutter. That was incorrect. I had been told the gutter had been repaired, but it was not. What the city did was made it worse. The city’s repair diverted the water from running down the front of the facade to running down inside the stadium in the area that is under roof. Since it is under roof it is not an area that is supposed to be wet, but it has been now for years and, guess what, (Continued on page 52)
Ashamed
(Continued from page 2)
stadium, but whatever happens the city needs to send a crew over to the stadium to clean up the mess left from eight years ago. Keg coolers have value, those might be all rusted out, but eight years ago they had value and today they have value as scrap. Candy that is eight years past its expiration date belongs in the garbage, not strewn about the counter and the floor. And the city needs to send a crew over to fix the locker rooms. We didn’t tour the visitor’s locker room but I imagine it’s even worse. What an embarrassment for Greensboro, which likes to bill itself as
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Money (Continued from page 8) bond referendum in just under the wire. Five months later, after the great market crash of September 2008, Guilford County voters would have driven a stake though its heart in record time. As a result, the committee was far more receptive to taking private construction money than it otherwise would have been, even if the buildings raised with the money throw its $1.2 billion master construction plan out of sequence and require Guilford County Schools to think through legal issues it didn’t have to consider when money was flowing freely from taxpayers. Guilford County Schools Chief of Staff Nora Carr said that California and Florida, which had budget problems long before the 2008 crash, have led the nation in accepting private construction dollars. Both have private associations that have funded the construction of public school buildings and have come up with policies to make such donations work. California, Florida, Washington and Oregon are in the vanguard of states that were no longer as snooty about taking private money to construct school buildings. Carr cobbled together a draft policy for
taking private money for the committee to consider, largely based on the policy in place in Seattle. She said that policy specifies that private donations shouldn’t replace “adequate public funding for public education” – the school board’s biggest fear in taking any kind of outside money is that the state legislature or the Guilford County Board of Commissioners will notice the money and say, “Cool. We can cut our funding to Guilford County Schools.” With the Board of Commissioners, the school board’s fear of any one-time money supplanting county funding reaches the level of paranoia. The commissioners have maintained the school system’s level of funding throughout the financial crisis, unlike many boards of commissioners. And even when the commissioners exercised their right to buy the parking lot behind the Bryan Family YMCA on Market Street, which the school board was trying to sell to the YMCA, it gave the money it paid back to the school system in maintenance money. Regardless, a no-supplanting clause is likely to go into the eventual private donation policy. The main language in the policy, however, will require private donors to hand the money to Guilford County
Schools, leaving the Guilford County Schools Facilities Department in complete control of construction. Routh, the chairman of the school board’s Governance Committee, which writes school board policies, said making the donation a cash gift, instead of a finished building, would make it easy to draft a policy. She said state law doesn’t prohibit monetary gifts to a school, and the school board’s own policy allows donations, “with the stipulation that, if I have a million dollars and nothing to do with it, I can give it to the schools – but once I give it to the schools, I lose control over it.” Cooke said, “Once it’s gifted, it’s gifted.” Committee members had a host of other concerns about private donations, from ensuring that all money was available before taking out construction contracts, to preventing (as a majority of the committee preferred) conveying naming rights to donors. Colleges and universities often name buildings after the donors who paid for them. The practice is rarer for public schools. Of course, supporters of a donating person, family or group will still be able
to propose the name for a school through the school board’s naming process. And Cooke lobbied for recognition of donors on buildings through naming or plaques. “I don’t have a problem, personally, with naming,” she said. “If someone is going to come up and give half a million dollars for a school, I don’t have a problem. I think they need to have recognition in some way.” Carr said, “Without turning Grimsley High School into Coca-Cola high School.” Cooke said, to laughter, “That will never happen.” Cooke’s half-million example was unfortunate; Guilford County Schools hasn’t built a school for that for decades. The biggest project on its current construction program, a high school the school board is now trying to site in an industrial park in Kernersville, is budgeted to cost $72 million. The committee’s conclusion was that a policy would be drafted fairly quickly and be recommended to the school board so the Millis Road group can get to work raising money. Carr said, “If the fundamental decision is that you want to make this work, there are ways to make it work.”
Kennerly is an engineer who knows engineering, but in this case he is missing the point of the preservationists but not of the city staff. My sister recently started the renovation of my grandmother’s house in West End, North Carolina. The house is around 150 years old and was in bad shape when she bought it. It would have been far cheaper for her to tear down the house and replace it with a brand new doublewide mobile home. The doublewide’s roof wouldn’t leak, the plumbing would all work, and the inside would all be brand new. Perhaps from an engineering standpoint that would be the best decision, but it is a ridiculous suggestion. The same remedy could have been offered for Blandwood. That building was in bad shape when the decision was made to save it. From an engineering standpoint it no doubt would have been much cheaper to tear it
down and put a nice trailer right on top of that hill. It sounds ridiculous but tearing down the stadium in order to save it is also absurd. What the city should do immediately is clean the place up and spend whatever is necessary to make the locker rooms for A&T and the visiting teams acceptable. They don’t have to be like the locker rooms at the Greensboro Coliseum, but then again why shouldn’t they be? Both are city owned facilities. Second the city needs to take the facility out from under whoever currently is in charge of maintenance because clearly their goal is demolition by neglect, and they are
even helping the neglect gain a foothold. The city may need to get in touch with Preservation Greensboro to find someone who will work to maintain the structure just as it is. Maybe the city could take three or four men off the crew that maintains city hall and send them over to the stadium for a couple of months. A wall at city hall might have a mark on it and not be repainted immediately, or a light might be burned out and not replaced for a full day, but the folks at city hall could survive. Memorial Stadium deserves better than it is receiving from its owner and main tenant.
Ashamed
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that water has caused further damage to the stadium. The group that was touring the stadium to determine how much it would cost to repair it spent a good bit of time looking at the area just inside the arches that has deteriorated. The city directed the water into stadium seats just over that area of advanced deterioration. If I were a suspicious person I would suspect that the city knew exactly what it was doing when it redirected a gutter to spill over in an area that is under roof, and if that is the plan it is working. One comment that was made over and over again by Bob Kennerly, who is retired from Sutton Kennerly & Associates, is that the stadium could be repaired but that it would be less expensive to tear down what was there except for the arches and replace it with something new.
Endorsements (Continued from page 24)
many of us a chuckle every time we step in an elevator. But Berry has to run against someone, so we recommend voting for John C. Brooks. He is a former commissioner of labor and was the late Gov. Terry Sanford’s special assistant on race relations. State Treasurer The Democratic primary for state treasurer is an easy pick. The incumbent state treasurer is Janet Cowell, so considering the current condition of the state finances anybody would have to be better. Her opponent is Ron Elmer, who is not the state treasurer, but unlike Cowell does have a degree in finance, and unlike Cowell has 15 years of investment finance experience.
State Senate – District 28 Some races we have quite a bit of influence over, others not so much. The Democratic state Senate District 28 would fall into the not-so-much category. This is a rematch of sorts: incumbent District 28 state Sen. Gladys Robinson is facing Guilford County Commissioner Bruce Davis. In 2010 Robinson clobbered Davis, but she had a huge advantage. Robinson, through trickery, had gotten on the Democratic ballot and Davis was running as an unaffiliated candidate. In 2010 Katie Dorsett was the District 28 state senator and had filed to run for reelection. Davis was not going to run against her. He had run once against her and gotten whupped. Just before the clock struck noon and filing ended, however, Dorsett withdrew her name and Robinson (Continued on page 53)
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 53
Vie
(Continued from page 4)
Wilkins said that serving as a firefighter for four years gave him a lot of familiarity with Emergency Services (ES), and he said he would be a strong backer of county fire departments, the ES Department and the Sheriff’s Department in Guilford County. Wilkins added that he’s friends with Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes and Emergency Services Director Alan Perdue. Williams said his work on the C4gc budget presentation to the commissioners last spring gave him insight into the county’s budgetary problems and issues, and made it clear to him that there were plenty of places Guilford County could save money. After Williams and C4gc representatives made their presentation, the Board of Commissioners brushed aside the suggestions for the most part, but Williams said the process was a very informative experience for him. Williams said one reason he got in the race was because two years ago, all five commissioner candidates ran unopposed in the general election. He said that, for the most part, the current group of commissioners isn’t listening to their constituents and he felt obligated to run rather than simply try to fix things from the outside. “We all have a duty to do,” Williams said. Williams added that he would appreciate a chance to help fix what’s wrong with Guilford County government. “It’s broken,” he said. “We’re almost a billion dollars in debt.” Williams has been showing up at county meetings and events for two years, and, in February, when the federal court proceedings were determining the fate of redistricting and which races the county would hold this year, Williams attended all the court hearings in the L. Richardson Preyer Federal Court House, which is now gaining national fame thanks to the John Edwards trial. Each of the three candidates argue that their history and pedigree makes them a good choice to take the District 6 seat.
Henning has worked for various conservative candidates and causes over the years. He has served as an aide to two former Republican senators: US Sen. Spencer Abraham of Michigan, and Missouri Congressman Kenny Hulshof. Henning saw action as a Marine during two tours in Iraq, and he has also served on the executive committee of the Guilford County Republican Party. In addition, Henning is a member of Rotary International, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Wilkins, an active member of Green Street Baptist Church, has served for threeand-a-half years on the War Memorial Commission, also known as the Coliseum Commission. He’s become known by many for his opinionated blogging in support of local conservative causes, and known in area Republican circles through his work as a party leader. Williams is another candidate who feels his experience in the community would be an asset. Williams regularly attends and speaks at Guilford County commissioners meetings, and he’s been a very vocal opponent of tax increases and government waste. In May 2011, Williams was named a fellow of the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership. The institute, according to the group’s website, was set up to “educate future political and community leaders in modern campaign strategy, ethical decision making, and governance.” Williams has been very visible over the last two years, attending C4gc events and anti-tax rallies – advocating consistently for conservative causes. Williams said he is no doubt more familiar with the county’s budget details than the other commissioner candidates due to spending a lot of time with the budget last year. He’s also often been a speaker from the floor at Guilford County Board of Commissioners meetings and now he’s attempting to make the jump from the speaker’s podium to a seat behind the dais. All three candidates say they’re getting out and connecting with the people and are
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optimistic about their chances on May 8. On Saturday, April 28, Wilkins was campaigning at his daughter’s soccer game after working the crowds at many events such as the Jamestown Spring Fling. Wilkins said he often works late into the night on the campaign. “I’m going on three or four hours sleep a night,” he said, adding that his two political opponents may have youth on their side, but he’s trying his best to put enough energy into the effort to make up for that. So far, Wilkins said, he’s been very pleased with how things are going. “Everything is positive,” Wilkins said. “I’ve got people helping me in all 19 precincts.” Wilkins added that he was pleased he had just been endorsed by Greensboro City Councilmember Zack Matheny. Henning said he’s been getting out all over the district and he said he feels as though his message is resonating with voters. Henning said county voters seem to like the idea of having someone on the Board of Commissioners who will take a businessman’s approach to running county government, and, he said, he thinks he’s the one who could best help make changes that would bring savings to taxpayers. Henning also said voters have been receptive to his ideas of merging some county functions and outsourcing those that could better be handled by the private sector. In the general election in November, the winner of the Republican primary will go up against Democrat Dan Miller, an associate professor of leadership studies at NC A&T State University. District 6, which has 42,949 registered voters, has 16,338 Republicans, 15,751 Democrats, 96 Libertarians and 10,764 unaffiliated voters. The district is white by over 4 to 1, with 32,344 white voters to 7,821 black voters. Also, there are 23,361 women registered to vote in District 6, compared to 19,511 men. Two Democrats originally filed to run in the District 6 race – Miller and Linda Kellerman. However, shortly after filing, Kellerman pulled out of the race, so now all the action in the May 8 primary will
be on the Republican side of the ticket, though Kellerman’s name will remain on the ballot. Kellerman, incidentally, was the only woman who filed to run for Guilford County commissioner in any race this year, and her exit assures that all four of the new Guilford County commissioners elected in November will be men. Unlike the recent Republican primary for the presidency – which got pretty ugly at times – the Guilford County District 6 primary race has been anything but, with all the candidates saying they like one another. Henning and Williams, for instance, have worked well together on conservative efforts before. “Jeremy and I both have a lot of respect for each other,” Henning said. “We’re both conservative candidates and we’re friends in C4gc.” Wilkins also said they all get along very well. “I consider us all friends,” Wilkins said. “I think we have run a very positive campaign.”
Endorse
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filed. They had kept the plan from Davis, which is why he gathered signatures and got on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate. Robinson also this time around received the endorsement of the powerful Simkins PAC, but she reportedly received it by one vote. The News & Record endorsed Robinson because it states, “With tenure in Raleigh comes experience and greater influence.” It isn’t necessarily true. Robinson ranked 49th of 49 state senators in effectiveness by an independent group. She ranked dead last. There was no one in the state Senate who was less effective than she was. Certainly it is difficult for Democrats to rank high when the Republicans run the show, but she ranked last amongst the 19 Democrats. This is an indication that Robinson’s style is not appreciated in the state Senate. The Republicans are going to be in control (Continued on page 55)
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Jail
(Continued from page 1)
them out of the underground parking lot beneath the governmental plaza in downtown Greensboro – spaces which, in some cases, those employees have had for decades. The letter, sent by Guilford County Facilities Director Fred Jones at the direction of County Manager Brenda Jones Fox, told those city and state employees that they would be tossed out of the parking deck after July 1. The state employees who are losing spaces work in the Guilford County Courthouse in Greensboro right next to the underground lot. Most of the City of Greensboro employees who have been using that lot work in the Melvin Municipal Office Building, which is next to the lot. The city employees were parking there under a long-standing contract between the city and the county that, according to Guilford County Attorney Mark Payne, will be terminated as of July 1. Payne said that, on Thursday, April 26, the paperwork dissolving the agreement had been completed. The contract had a 60day out clause that could be exercised by either party. As for the state employees, counties in North Carolina are required by law to provide the state with facilities to hold court. However, according to both Payne and Jones, the county has no legal obligation to provide state court workers with parking. Guilford County Commissioner Billy Yow said he had only heard of the move when an irate magistrate, who has been parking in the underground deck for years, called to inform him of the situation shortly after Jones’ letter went out. Yow said the other city and state workers affected were highly displeased as well. “They’re very upset,” Yow said. Yow said the county has created a mess by building a giant new jail in a crowded downtown area without any plans to provide for parking for the facility. The county botched things further, Yow added, by selling land that was its best option for building a parking deck to serve the jail: the large two-acre county-owned parking lot
directly across the street from the new jail. On Thursday, April 12, the board voted 8 to 1 to sell the lot to the Kathleen Price Bryan Family YMCA in downtown Greensboro, despite having no alternative plans for jail parking. Yow is the only commissioner who voted against selling the parking lot after YMCA officials put intense pressure on the county commissioners to sell the large lot to the downtown YMCA. Yow said the county is now scrambling to find parking wherever it can and, he said, in this case that means kicking out the city and state employees who park under the plaza. Yow also said this is no way to handle a long-standing contract with the City of Greensboro. He said the county’s inability to address the parking issue for the new jail is now affecting non-county employees since the county was now taking spaces away from city and state workers who have had those spaces for years and years. “We’re replacing one travesty with another,” Yow said. On Monday, April 30, Yow requested that county staff provide him with a list of every city and state employee who will be losing parking spaces. While the intent of the move seems to be to free up parking for the jail, Fox wouldn’t say this week how many of the 89 spaces will be used for jail employees. “The spaces will go to county employees on the waiting list based on seniority,” Fox said. Fox added that some of the spaces would be used for the staff at the new jail, but, at this point, she said, she was uncertain of the number of spaces that would be used to serve the new jail. Payne said it was his understanding, based on the size of the county employee waiting list for parking, and the number of spaces that would be available to the county after July 1, that about half of the spaces, 45 or so, would go to county employees on the waiting list, and the other half would likely be used for parking for the new jail. When Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes was asked on April 30 about the move by the county, he said that was the
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first he’d heard about it. Barnes said no one had told him the city and state employees were being kicked out of the underground lot, and he added that no one had informed him that any of those spots would be used for the new jail. Barnes said he needs 225 parking places for the new jail and he said that need was becoming more critical with each passing day because he now expects the jail to open in mid-June. He said he had hoped the county would build a parking deck in the large lot across the street. “I believe they sold that lot,” Barnes said dryly. The sale to the YMCA isn’t final yet but it is expected to be soon. Before the sale can take place, the proposed price – expected to be about $2 million – must be advertised and the county must allow 10 days for upset bids. The parking lot under the Old Guilford County Court House is very convenient to the adjacent county courthouse where the court employees work and to city hall where the city employees work. However the lot is further away from the new jail. In the contract with the city that was dissolved last week, the county split money taken in from the open, metered, corner lot next to the courthouse and the city hall in exchange for the 59 parking spaces in the deck. Yow said the county needs a lot more
spaces, so people can expect more spaces to be taken away in the coming weeks and months. “The judges will be next,” Yow said. Payne said that, while state law doesn’t require Guilford County to provide parking to state court employees, the county’s policy does call for the county to provide parking to judges. County policy can be changed by a majority vote of the Board of Commissioners. Yow said if someone had a lot of money and wanted to make more, they should offer more than the $2 million the YMCA is expected to pay for that lot, then build a deck there, sell the ground level to the YMCA and rent the other spaces out to the county for use with the jail. In the two levels of parking beneath the Old Guilford County Court House, there are 296 parking spaces. County policy calls for two groups to be assured of parking – judges and elected county officials, including the county commissioners. All 11 commissioners have parking spaces in the underground lot that they almost never use. The commissioners only use their prime spaces for the one or two regular Thursday night meetings or the occasional work session, but other than that, they hardly ever use those spaces. So the commissioners are flush in parking spaces in that area, even if city, county and state employees are not.
Trial
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to the fact that the City of Greensboro has rented out the public parking on the street near the courthouse to media from all over the country who are covering the John Edwards trial in the L. Richardson Preyer Federal Court House. That’s the reason why everyone trying to park near the Old Guilford County Court House for early voting, instead of finding parking spaces along the street, simply finds giant satellite trucks and news vans parked all along the 300 block of West Market Street, extending east to the 200 block and west to the 400 block as well. In addition, anywhere near the L. Richardson Preyer Federal Court House, on both sides of the street, there’s frequently a sea of newscasters, cameramen, media equipment, temporary event tents and more. To make matters worse, Guilford County is conducting a major renovation project of the county-owned BB&T building, east of the Guilford County Court House, which means the BB&T parking lot is constantly filled with supplies, dumpsters, construction vehicles and workers working – taking away more parking in the area and often blocking a lane of traffic with heavy equipment. Given the big problem of downtown parking that occurs daily even when there’s
no huge event taking place, the lack of parking for the Old Guilford County Court House makes it difficult to park in the area. Guilford County Board of Elections Director George Gilbert said he was caught off guard by the city’s move to rent out the parking. He said he was dismayed several weeks ago to see the news vans and trucks filling the parking places in front of the Old Court House and he said he raised the issue with City of Greensboro parking officials. “We didn’t know they were going to rent out those spaces,” Gilbert said. And Gilbert certainly didn’t know there would be so much parking rented out to so many media outlets. Ten dollars won’t buy much these days, but it actually goes a long way when it comes to purchasing the right to park your giant news vehicles in downtown Greensboro. From the looks of it, one might think the city is raking in a fortune in parking revenue from the trial, but Greensboro Department of Transportation Director Adam Fischer said the city charges $5 per space per day, with a limit of two spaces, to rent out downtown parking places for “special event” parking, which is how the city is treating the John Edwards trial. Ever since jury selection began several weeks ago, West Market Street has been (Continued on page 55)
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 55
Trial
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lined with news trucks and bags could be seen on parking meters, indicating that the spot is reserved. “We don’t bag meters a lot,” Fischer said. “It does come up with some clubs.” Greene Street Club, for instance, has “special events” on a nearly weekly basis, and bags can often be seen over the parking meters in front of the club. Fischer said bars and nightclubs downtown will occasionally request to reserve parking if they are holding a special event. However, he added, it’s highly unusual to have something like the Edwards trial, that lasts for an extended period of time and takes away public parking for more than a day. Opening testimony in the trial began on Monday, April 23, and the trial is expected to last at least six weeks. Fischer said the only similar event he can recall – where the city rented out a lot of spaces for multiple days – was in 2010
when the ACC Baseball Tournament was held at NewBridge Bank Park. He said that, during that event there was a large demand for special event parking to stage and report on the tournament. Fisher also said Guilford County hadn’t notified city officials of any early voting concerns until after jury selection began and the spaces had been rented to media outlets. Gilbert said the satellite trucks and news vans had taken away the curbside voting for handicapped and elderly voters who cast their votes without leaving their vehicles. However, he added, the spot normally reserved on the street for that purpose near the front doors of the Old Court House was moved to the BB&T lot. That puts curbside voters in the midst of the construction going on in the lot. However, people can usually access the lot, as can the bank’s customers. Gilbert said he understands how this unpleasant situation arose: It was simply
Endorsements (Continued from page 53)
of the Senate for a while. The voters in District 28 would be much better served to elect someone who can get along with Republicans. Clearly Robinson cannot. Davis is a Democrat, but he is willing to discuss issues and is willing to break away from the Democratic Party line on issues like charter schools. The Democrats don’t want to have any charter schools and refused to raise the cap of 100 when they were in control. Democrats complain regularly that charter schools take money from public schools. Since charter schools are public schools that is a little hard to figure, but Davis says he thinks some competition is a good idea. We have a higher corporate tax rate than most of our neighboring states. Davis, perhaps because he has been down in the trenches trying to recruit industry to North Carolina, thinks it’s too high; Robinson doesn’t. If you want to elect someone who will have some influence in Raleigh, vote for Davis. If you just want someone to go down to Raleigh and complain when the Republicans pass legislation she doesn’t like, then a vote for Robinson would make sense. State House – District 60 In the House District 60 race, it is the reverse of a rematch, with challenger Earl Jones running against incumbent state Rep. Marcus Brandon. Two years ago Rep. Jones was facing challenger Brandon. The choice here is pretty simple. If Jones wins then he will go down to Raleigh and vote exactly like the Democratic leadership tells him to vote. He won’t represent his constituents but will represent the Democrat Party leadership. Brandon has shown his ability to think for himself. He was the only Democrat to vote to raise the cap on charter schools – a no-brainer. It only makes sense to cap
charter schools if the regular public schools are afraid of competition. Who do you think is going to be more effective in a Republican-controlled legislature, someone who will cast a vote unpopular with his own party because it makes sense or someone who will vote the straight Democratic Party line no matter what? Brandon makes a lot more sense than Jones.
a convergence of two events that caught city and county officials off guard. County officials, Gilbert said, didn’t realize the city would rent out those spots for the trial, and the city didn’t realize, until after the fact, that county election officials would take issue with that decision because of early voting parking needs. Charlie Collicutt, the deputy director of elections for Guilford County, said all the commotion outside the Old Court House, and the loss of parking, makes for an interesting situation on a daily basis. “It’s certainly not ideal,” Collicutt said, adding that the county is working around the vast media presence as best it can. Early voting at the Old Court House began on Thursday, April 19; it runs through Saturday, May 5. Collicutt said it helps that, starting on Saturday, April 28, 10 additional early voting sites opened across the county. He also said that, while this is an annoyance, even when no spaces are being taken up by news media or construction, voters couldn’t always find a space. “Parking is never good,” Collicutt said of the area around the old court house. He also pointed out that, even when there’s no construction going on in the
BB&T lot, people aren’t supposed to park there to vote during business hours. Gilbert said he’s resigned himself to rows of news vehicles along the street. He said his goal now is to keep this type of situation from being repeated. “I want to see that we avoid that in the future,” Gilbert said. He said he especially wants to make sure nothing similar happens in the fall when the presidential election takes place and voter traffic is expected to be heavy. Fischer and Gilbert both said they will now be on the lookout for similar conflicts in the future. Guilford County Attorney Mark Payne, whose office is in the Old Court House, said all the activity out front hasn’t been an inconvenience for his office, but, he said, he knew of at least one county employee who had been negatively affected. Payne said that Frank Marcus, a buyer in the county’s Purchasing Department, had a fender bender on the street near all the media. Payne said that, when it happened, the reporters nearby barely took notice of the accident. “I don’t think you can say the media exactly rushed to his aid,” Payne said.
Rumors
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signing by Doc Hendley, founder of the nonprofit. There will also be a raffle and a silent auction. This event is free and open to the public. ---
If you have any interest in downtown living, then the Downtown Home Tour sponsored by Downtown Greensboro Inc. may be for you. The tour is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 5 and the cost is $13.50 in advance, with tickets available at Triad Stage, or $15 the day of the tour. Some of the properties will be available for sale or lease, and there are some really unique living spaces. ---
The Grand Opening of the latest section of the Downtown Greenway will be Sunday, May 6 from 2 to 5 p.m. between Lee Street and Spring Garden Street at Freeman Mill Road. The free event includes a concert by the Laurelyn Dossett Band. ---
Law Day, sponsored by the Greensboro Bar Association, will be held at noon on Friday, May 4 in Phill G. McDonald Plaza behind the Old Guilford County Court House.
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Speed Bump by Dave Coverly
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Get Fuzzy
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
by Darby Conley
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 57
Uncle Orson (Continued from page 24)
But it isn’t actually true. When you’re trying to create a Destination Downtown, what you really need is lots and lots of little stores, marginal stores, quirky-taste stores, with low rents so they can stay in business. They have tiny storefronts but there are dozens of them on every block, so as you walk along the environment keeps changing, there are new things to look at. There isn’t a food court, there are tiny restaurants and ice cream shops and bakeries and candy stores scattered among the bookstores and boutiques and specialty stores. It’s fine to have a Tumi store – as long as it only takes up 16 feet of frontage. Instead, the one in City Creek stands in splendid isolation. You have to want to buy a piece of Tumi luggage to hike over to where it stands alone. There’s nothing interesting close beside it. The Disney Store is the only reason to go up to the second level because it takes up a huge amount of storefront. There’s nothing near it. You can’t go window-shopping in City Creek, because it takes too long for the landscape to change. It’s like driving from Clovis, New Mexico, to Amarillo, Texas. Or from Yuma to Phoenix. It doesn’t feel like you’re actually moving because each piece of scenery lasts forever. They sure spent a lot of money to create a beautiful nothing. Here’s my hope: They realize their stupid mistake very quickly and declare bankruptcy. Without the burden of debt,
they can lower the rents radically. They get rid of the high-rent stores (they’re going to fail in that location, anyway). They break them up into lots of storefronts, so they make their money from many different merchants. They make sure they have a mix of stores that real people need. And a lot of stores that only a few niche audiences need but which are really fun to look at or go into and browse. They recognize that Salt Lake City is the center of Mormon society, and put in the shops that Mormons want. Hint: Mormons collectively have a lot of money, but family by family, they’re nearly broke most of the time. You know, just like every other normal American family. Mormons need stores full of stuff they can afford. Stuff they want. Stuff their children want. City Creek could have worked – could still work – if somebody involved with managing it spent a few days hanging out with actual middle-class families, seeing what they buy, where they take their kids, how they enjoy spending their time on an outing. Hint: They’re having fun when every minute or so, somebody in the group says, “Look at this!” and they all turn their attention to something new. Or somebody says, “Let’s go in here!” and in they go. That isn’t going to happen at City Creek – or at least not often enough to be worth the trip. But it happens all the time in Friendly Center in Greensboro. The only thing (Continued on page 60)
The New York Times Hyper-Sudoku sudoku_318A
Created by Peter Ritmeester/Presented by Will Shortz
2 7
3 6 4
6
4 3
2 9
3
7
8 4 5
and they are ...
• planning to garnish my paycheck? • preparing to seize my assets? • threatening to freeze my bank accounts?
We can offer you immediate help and stop the above from happening!
How? When you hire us...
the IRS deals with your attorney... not you!
CALL FOR A FREE APPOINTMENT to meet with a local attorney and paralegal to discover the options available to you when dealing with the IRS.
1
Distributed by The New York Times syndicate
Solution sudoku_318A
Yes, I owe the IRS and/or NCDOR
and you sleep better at night!
318A
(c) PZZL.com
WHAT DO I DO?
The letters stop The phone calls stop The possibility of garnishment, asset seizing, and account freezing stops
5 6 2 4
2
I am receiving letters from the IRS...
336.542.3097 • www.imgt-law.com
Page 58
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
To Place A Classified: Call: Melissa (336) 544-1952 Call
Buy • Sell • Jobs Pets • Autos • Antiques
Email melissa@rhinotimes.net Email: Online: www.rhinotimes.com Fax: (336) 273-0821 Deadline: Friday by 5pm We Accept: Cash, Money Order, Check, MasterCard, Visa, American Express & Discover
Advertise Your Services or Products Here
Put Your Ad in front of 166,500 Rhino Readers Our Policy
Review your ad the first week it runs. If you notice an error, please call the Classified Department at 544-1952. We cannot be responsible for errors reported after the first week of publication. Liability shall not exceed the cost of that portion of space occupied by such an error. We make every effort to print only those ads deemed credible and reserve the right to correctly classify and edit copy and reject or cancel any advertisement at any time. Early cancellation or withdrawal of ads does not entitle the purchaser to a discount or refund.
ANNOUNCEMENTS Downtown parking space for rent in private parking lot on corner of Greene & Market St., Greensboro. $50 per month. Call 336-273-0885, ask for Erika.
COMMUNITY EVENTS Tee it Up for Soccer Golf Tournament May 26 May 26th Hemlock Golf course, Walnut Cove tee off at 8:30, Captain’s Choice, $75.00 player 4 man teams, $5,000 Hole in One, Closest to Pin, Longest Drive. Breakfast, Lunch and refreshments provided. Go to www.ssysa.com for more details. th
CEMETERY PLOTS 2 grave plots. Westminster Gardens in Garden of Time area. Substantial reduction in price! Call 336855-7640
AUCTIONS Are you sick and tired of looking at that “For Sale” sign on your property? Replace it with our “$old” sign within 21 days! John C. Pegg Auction & Appraisal Service. Visit us at: peggauction.com Thousands of visitors each and every day Why call anyone else? #5098 JCPegg 336-996-4414
ADOPTION A loving teacher and professional seeking newborn adoption. Couple will give baby love, laughter and wonderful future. Call 1-888-569-7942 or www. LaurenAndScottAdopt.com SAPA ADOPTION? PREGNANT? We can help you! Housing, Relocation, Financial & Medical Assistance available. You Choose Adoptive family. Forever Blessed Adoptions. Call 24/7. 1-800-568-4594 (Void in IL, IN) SAPA A UNIQUE ADOPTIONS, LET US HELP! PERSONALIZED ADOPTION PLANS. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, HOUSING, RELOCATION AND MORE. GIVING THE GIFT OF LIFE? YOU DESERVE THE BEST. CALL US FIRST! 1-888-6378200. 24 hour HOTLINE. SAPA ADOPTION? PREGNANT? A childless successful woman seeks to adopt. Will be hands-on mom. Large extended family. Financial security. Expenses paid. Call Elizabeth. 1-888-684-1124 SAPA PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call Us First! Living Expenses, Housing, Medical and continued support afterwards. Choose Adoptive Family of Your Choice. Call 24/7. ADOPT CONNECT 1-866-743-9212. SAPA
COMPUTERS/ ELECTRONICS Dish Network lowest nationwide price $19.99 a month. FREE HBO/Cinemax/Starz FREE Blockbuster FREE HD-DVR and install. Next day install 1-800-372-7571. SAPA
COMPUTERS/ ELECTRONICS Buy Your Anti-Virus Software for $39.95. Norton for 1 PC, McAfee for 1 PC or Trend Micro for 3 PC’s. Send check or money order made payable to: Solutions Enterprises, P.O. Box 21051, Greensboro, NC 27420. PCXperts Computer Sales & Service Desktop & Laptop Repairs On-Site/In-Shop Service Virus/Malware Removal Custom/Prebuilt PC’s Networking/Wireless Setup 336-638-6408 service@pcxnc.com www.pcxnc.com
PCXperts Computer Sales & Service
• Desktop & Laptop Repairs • On-Site/In-Shop Service • Virus/Malware Removal • Custom/Prebuilt PC’s • Networking/Wireless Setup (336)
638-6408 service@pcxnc.com www.pcxnc.com
LAPTOP BATTERIES and Chargers Dell, HP, Lenovo, Sony Toshiba, Gateway CWNC, 311-A Pomona Dr Greensboro (336) 292-1922 My Computer Works: Computer problems? Viruses, spyware, email, printer issues, bad internet connections - FIX IT NOW! Professional, U.S.-based technicians. $25 off service. Call for immediate help. 1-888-582-8147
COMPUTERS/ ELECTRONICS
* REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL! * Get a 4-Room All Digital Satellite system installed for FREE and programming starting at $19.99/mo. FREE HD/DVR upgrade for new callers, SO CALL NOW. 1-800-9359195. SAPA
* REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL! * Get a 4-Room All Digital Satellite system installed for FREE and programming starting at $19.99/mo. FREE HD/DVR upgrade for new callers, SO CALL NOW. 1-800-7251835. SAPA
Finally - High-speed satellite internet for you at prices and speeds you won’t believe!! Super-fast, always-on service! Call Today for HughesNet! 1-888247-8393 SAPA
HOME GOODS
AT&T U-Verse for just $29.99/mo! SAVE when you bundle Internet+Phone+TV and get up to $300 BACK! (Select plans). Limited Time, Call NOW! 1-800-296-8109. SAPA DISH Network’s LOWEST All-Digital Price! As low as $24.99/mo w/FREE HD for life and limited time BONUS! 1-800-580-7972. SAPA
BED - KING PILLOW TOP SET $325. Queens – only $225/set. New w/5 yr warranty. Everything at Wholesale Prices Everyday! NO THIN FOAM MATTRESSES HERE! Call 336-852-0090 or wholesalebedsdirect.com Antique Millwork, Flooring, Light Fixtures, Clawfoot Tubs, Door Hardware, Wavy Glass, Doors and much more!! Architectural Salvage of Greensboro, 300 Bellemeade St, 336-389-9118. Showroom Open Fridays 10am-6pm & Saturdays 9am-3pm. www. blandwood.org
Battery Packs
Rebuilt with Copper Tabs Power Tools
Survey Equipment Medical Equipment Robotic Systems Stair Lifts
Casual Drilling 1500mAH cells 7.2V $20.95 9.6V $26.95 12.0v $32.95 15.6v $41.95 18.0v $47.95 24.0v $62.95
DeWalt Makita Bosch Black&Decker Ryobi Milwaukee Craftsman Obsolete tool batteries
Lighting Razors Camping/Hunting PA Systems
Wanted Riding Lawn Mower that Needs Repairs or FREE pickup of any unwanted mowers, appliances, grills or metalDrilling items. Power Call 689-4167. 3300mAH cells
7.2V 9.6V 12.0v 15.6v 18.0v 24.0v
$32.95 $42.95 $47.95 $59.95 $67.95 $99.95
fer !
All New Mattress Sets In Manufacturer’s Plastic with Warranty Twin starts at $89 Full starts at $109 Queen starts at $129 King starts at $191 Delivery Available Free Layaway Mattress Outlet Greensboro: 292-7999 Kernersville: 992-0025 Burlington: 226-0013
WANTED TO BUY Wanted Riding Lawn Mower that Needs Repairs or FREE pickup of any unwanted mowers, appliances, grills or metal items. Call 689-4167. WANTED: Diabetic Test Strips Pay up to $25/per box in CASH Local pickup. Must be unopened-unexpired Most brands accepted Call 336-462-8378 CASH for unexpired Diabetic Test Strips! Free Shipping, Friendly Service, BEST prices and 24 hour payment! Call Mandy at 1-855-578-7477 or visit www.TestStripSearch.com SAPA WANTED DIABETES TEST STRIPS Any Kind/ Brand. Up to $26.00/ box. Shipping Paid. Hablamos Espanol. 1-800-267-9895 www.SellDiabeticstrips. com SAPA
MISC FOR SALE
(336) 292-1922
311-A Pomona Drive Greensboro, N.C. Monday thru Friday 8:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m.
TRIAD ENGRAVING AND PRINTING NO JOB TOO SMALL!
YARD SIGNS PLAQUES BANNERS POSTERS TROPHIES AWARDS SIGNAGE NAME BADGES GIFTS RUBBER STAMPS 7360 W. FRIENDLY AVE., STE 116, GREENSBORO, NC 336-856-2311 COME VISIT OUR NEW LOCATION! Triadep.com
CAR CARE
AUTOS FOR SALE
Check Engine Light On?
We can solve that “Check Engine” light problem. ‘Merican Automotive Repair Center. Catalytic Converters. Mufflers. Brakes. Engine Work. NC Inspections. Performance Exhaust. Flowmaster. 336-294-5970. 716 Camann St. Greensboro. M-F 8am-5:30pm. Serving Greensboro for over 20yrs. BLOWN HEAD GASKET? State of the art 2-part carbon metallic chemical process. Repair yourself. 100% guaranteed. 1-866-780-9038 www.RXHP. com. SAPA
AUTOS FOR SALE 2001 Lexus RX. 128,000 miles, excellent condition. Bought from Flow Lexus, service records available. $9,900. 336-240-8454
GOLF CART BATTERIES 6 VOLT 225 Amp-hours ONLY $88 with core exchange CWNC, 311-A Pomona Dr., Greensboro. (336) 292-1922
Purchasing a used car in Greensboro? Call the USED CAR COUNSELOR 336-508-1569. “Don’t buy someone else’s car problems; avoid expensive repairs down the road.” My pre-purchase checklist, along with history, odometer, vehicle use reports, and OBD II computer scan makes you aware of problems before you buy. www.usedcarcounselor.com
MATTRESS SETS CushionTops – Twin $125, Full $150, Queen $175, King $295 (336-852-0090) ~~ Everyone In Town Knows for the BEST PRICE on a NEW MATTRESS SET, You Have to Visit WHOLESALE BEDDING. Call 336-852-0090 or wholesalebedsdirect.com
1950- Olds. 4 DR. Flat head, Futuramic. Runs good, Mostly restored. Consider trade for small car. $5000. 336-275-7301, cell 336-402-0608. No calls after 9pm.
PRINTING/ENGRAVING TRIAD ENGRAVING & PRINTING: Call us for all your printing & engraving needs! 1110 Grecade Street, Greensboro, NC 336-856-2311 ; www. triadep.com
SPORTING GOODS New & Used Firearms. Remington, Glock, Para Ordnance. Scopes & Optics by Sightmark. Manufacturer and Class 3 Dealer. Call Clowdis Precision, Custom and Accuracy Gunsmithing. 336-339-3199. 336-495-8238. Location 9283 US Hwy. 220 Business North. Randleman, NC 27317 (near Level Cross)
AGRICULTURE DAIRY FARMERS: If you sold milk between 2001 and the present time, you make be entitled to a refund. Call Johnson Recoveries Toll Free 1-855484-4079
AUTO SERVICES
ed Of Limit
Computer Warehouse of N.C., Inc
HOME GOODS
USED CAR COUNSELOR. Purchasing a car in Greensboro? My $99 service provides you the knowledge to make an informed decision before buying. Includes: Mobile service, on-site inspection, vehicle checklist, history, odometer report, OBD II code check, etc. 37 years exp. Call Scott 336-5081569, usedcarcounselor@gmail.com
Richard (Rick) Ferebee Crown Honda New & Used Car Sales W. Wendover Ave. 336-851-3407 You have a Friend in the car business.
TOP CASH FOR CARS, Call Now For An Instant Offer. Top Dollar Paid, Any Car/Truck, Any Condition. Running or Not. Free Pick-up/Tow. 1-800-761-9396 SAPA
LAWN/FARM EQUIPMENT MANTIS Deluxe Tiller. NEW! FastStart engine. Ships FREE. One-Year Money-Back Guarantee when you buy DIRECT. Call for the DVD and FREE Good Soil book! 888-485-3923
TRAVEL/VACATION
SCUBA DIVE www.greensboroscuba.com 336-656-7856
MOUNTAIN CABIN RENTAL. 5 Star cabin at 3 Star Prices. Near Blue Ridge Pkwy in Beautiful Meadows of Dan, VA., 75 minutes from the Triad. Pet friendly, sleeps 8, A/C, and much more! WWW.VRBO.com , listing # 252754 for details, or call Mike at 336-6018480. NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS Beat the heat & head to the mountains! Book your vacation today: even the family pet is welcome! Monthly rentals available too! Foscoe Rentals 1-800-723-7341 www. foscoerentals.com SAPA
15 Words • 4 Weeks Only $25
JACK OF ALL TRADES Insured
Licensed
Cost Effective Home Repairs! • Carpentry • Flooring • Plumbing • Drywall • Painting • Electrical
• Masonry Repairs • Glass Replacement • Replacement Windows • Outdoor Equipment Assembly If you’re tired of “no-shows”
CALL JOSEPH ROY. I show Up!
FREE ESTIMATES
336.706.5616 (Preferred) jackofalltrades.roy5@gmail.com Emergency Services Available
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro 3 Easy Ways to Place Your Ad: Call Melissa @ 336-544-1952 Fax: 336-273-0821 Email: melissa@rhinotimes.net
RESTORATION SPECIALISTS DELIVERING AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE
• Furniture Repair & Refinishing • Cabinet Enhancements • Leather Repair CALL FOR A FREE ESTIMATE
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 59
Triad Business Guide RAPID WEIGHT LOSS!!! Dr. Jeffrey Hooper’s Weight Loss Clinic Physician Prescribed Weight Loss Looking to shed pounds Quickly? We offer the HCG injections for RAPID WEIGHT LOSS.
GREENSBORO ELECTRIC SERVICES • • • •
Inspections Repairs • Fixturing Home • Business Improvements
Licensed, Insured Quality Driven Service
988.1621
All New Mattress Sets In Manufacturer’s Plastic with Warranty
Twin starts at $89 Full starts at $109 Queen starts at $129 King starts at $191
Delivery Available! Free Layaway Mattress Outlet
Lynn Grigni, CPA Small Business Services Tax Preparation Work done at your office or mine. License #14804 327 Air Harbor Road Greensboro, NC 27455
GreensboroElectric@gmail.com
Kernersville: 336-992-0025 Greensboro: 336-292-7999 Burlington: 336-226-0013
MATTRESS SETS
HELP WANTED
FOOD/CATERING
HOME IMPROVEMENT
2-Sided Steel Coil Innerspring Mattress:
Drivers: Regional Runs Available. East Coast, no NY! Paid Weekly! 5 yrs OTR Required. Transcorp Carriers: 800-669-1978.
100 Percent Guaranteed Omaha Steaks - SAVE 65 percent on the Family Value Collection. NOW ONLY $49.99 Plus 3 FREE GIFTS & right-to-the-door delivery in a reusable cooler. ORDER TODAY at 1888-689-3245 or www.OmahaSteaks.com/value79, use code 45069YTS. SAPA
Furniture Medic uses advanced techniques and materials to repair wood and leather surfaces. Services also include the enhancement of existing wood finishes on vanities, kitchen cabinets, doors, floors, and trim work. Free Estimates. 336/404-1471
336/404-1471 www.fmtriad.com
Offices in Greensboro, & Asheboro
Call 336-588-1505
for appointment and locations
BRAND NEW
(No Thin Foam Mattresses Sold Here)
Twins ~ $95/set Fulls ~ $125/set Queens ~ $150/set Kings ~ $250/set
+ Pillowtop Queens, 5 yr warranty ~ $225 set
WHOLESALE BEDDING buys direct from America’s quality regional bedding suppliers by the truckload.
Huge On-Site Inventory
Includes Pressure Washing Gutter Cleaning Chandelier & Ceiling Fan Cleaning plus other high ladder work. Fully insured and bonded
Free esTimaTes
Call Today 336-609-0677
Wholesale Bedding • 5715 W. Market St. 336-852-0090 • wholesalebedsdirect.com
www.castleworkswindowcleaning.com
EDUCATION/TUTORING
HELP WANTED
EARN YOUR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA at home in a few short weeks. Work at your own pace. First Coast Academy. Nationally accredited. Call for free brochure. 1-800-658-1180, extension 82. www. fcahighschool.org SAPA
AIRLINES ARE HIRING - Train for hands on Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA approved program. Financial Aid if Qualified - Housing available. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance. 1-866-724-5403. SAPA
HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT? Pass five short tests and receive your diploma at home. Fast, inexpensive, accredited by ACI. 1-912-832-3834 or www.cstoneschool.org SAPA
Regional Drivers in the Eden, NC area. Runs in NC, SC & GA. Home most weekends, great pay, great benefits, excellent equipment. Unique family-oriented atmosphere! Must have CDL A & 6 months of exp. 800-937-0880. www.millistransfer.com
ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE from Home. *Medical, *Business, *Criminal Justice, Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualified. Call 1-877-206-7665 www.CenturaOnline. com SAPA
EMPLOYMENT SERVICES MYSTERY SHOPPERS - Get paid to shop! Retail/ Dining establishments need undercover clients to judge quality/customer service. Make up to $150 a day. Call 1-888-912-2928 SAPA 2012 FEDERAL POSTAL POSITIONS - Now Hiring! $13.00 - $36.50+ per hour, Full Benefits/Paid Training. No Experience. Call today! 1-800-593-2664 Ext. 139. SAPA TRUCK DRIVERS Wanted- Best Pay and Home Time! Apply Online Today over 750 Companies! One Application, Hundreds of Offers! www. HammerLaneJobs.com. SAPA
Downtown Parking For rent in private lot on corner of Greene & Market. $50 per month. Call now, 2 spaces left.
(336) 273-0885, ask for Erika
COOKOUT NOW HIRING Earn $65k, $50k, $40k (GM, Co Mgr, Asst Mgr) Cookout Managers enjoy Bonus potential, Profit Share, Impact Plans, Medical Benefits, and Paid Vacation. Salaried Restaurant management Experience required. Email Resume to fastfood.out@gmail.com Fax resume to (336)431-3053 Batteries Plus Apply in Person 636D South Stratford Road Greet and assist customers at retail stores and assist with general store operations. Take commercial purchase orders via phone and fax and process them from start to finish. Load, unload, and deliver goods in the Greensboro area. Build battery packs using a spot welder, soldering iron, and assorted hand and power tools. Full time, paid holidays & vacation. Medical Insurance. Demanding work environment. Background Check.
IFixPower.com
Drivers: New Pay & Benefits Package. Steady Employment/Sign On Bonus. Local & Regional. Late Model Equipment. CDL-A, 3yrs Exp. 888-784-8871 Drivers: CDL-A: Your current 10-20 have you down? Why not Get Home, Get Paid, 2012 tractors/ trailers to boot? 888-219-8040.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES NATIONAL DRUG CARD pays top commission to Triad Reps needing monthly residual income. Distribute free Prescription (Human and Pet) Card to individuals, organizations, churches, clinics, etc. and get paid top rate monthly for each discounted prescription filled using the cards. Call Frank: 1-888700-5628 or visit: www.ffnationaldrugcard.com SMALL BUSINESS Credit Guaranteed! $7,000 Credit Line to Fund or Grow Your Business. Call Today for Approval 1-877-819-3023 between 9am6pm Eastern. SAPA
BUSINESS SERVICES Small Business Services. Tax Preparation. Work done at your office or mine. Lynn Grigni, CPA. 336285-6717. 327 Air Harbor Rd, Greensboro. License 14804
HEALTH/WELLNESS Kneading Relief offering 30, 60, and 90 minute massage sessions. Swedish, Deep Tissue, and Pregnancy. Call Misty 336-676-5913 for an appointment. Visit my website at kneadingrelief. abmp.com. Nationally Certified and State Licensed. LMBT# 6971 Canada Drug Center is your choice for safe and affordable medications. Our licensed Canadian mail order pharmacy will provide you with savings of up to 90 percent on all your medication needs. Call Today 877-644-3199 for $25.00 off your first prescription and free shipping. SAPA ATTENTION SLEEP APNEA SUFFERERS with Medicare. Get FREE CPAP Replacement Supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, prevent red skin sores and bacterial infection! Call 888-470-8261. SAPA ATTENTION DIABETICS with Medicare. Get a FREE Talking Meter and diabetic testing supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, this meter eliminates painful finger pricking! Call 877-517-4633. SAPA
TRIAD ENGRAVING & PRINTING: Signs, Banners, Rubber Stamps, Awards, Trophies, Printing; 1110 Grecade Street, Greensboro, NC 336-856-2311; www.triadep.com.
Diabetes/Cholesterol/Weight LossBergamonte, a Natural Product for Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and weight. Physician recommended, backed by Human Clinical Studies with amazing results. Call today and save $15 off your first bottle! 877-815-6293. SAPA
FINANCIAL SERVICES
BEAUTY SERVICES
Beware of loan fraud. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company. SAPA
Love Jafra products but no time for parties? Quick order your favorite products from me! Call 778-1425
$$$ ACCESS LAWSUIT Cash Now!! Injury Lawsuit Dragging? Need $500-$500,000++ within 48/hours? Low rates. Apply Now By Phone! 1-800-568-8321. wwwlawcapital.com Not Valid in CO or NC. SAPA LAWSUIT CASH Auto Accident? All Cases Qualify. Get CASH before your case settles. Fast Approval. Low Fees. 1-866-709-1100 or www.glofin.com. SAPA
WOODWORKER- Cabinet, millwork or pattern making. Experience required. Benefits. Call Steve 336-691-1344 or fax resume to 273-3074.
Start your New Year Working in a happy professional environment. Stylist and nail tech needed. Call Ann, 336-339-7960.
Small Business Services. Tax Preparation. Work done at your office or mine. Lynn Grigni, CPA. 336285-6717. 327 Air Harbor Rd, Greensboro. License 14804
Drivers: Home Weekends! Full Benefits! Loaded .42-.44cpm/Deadhead-.32cpm. Miles to MD/NorthEast- .48cpm. Loads from VA/MD to New England- .56cpm. Late Model Equipment. CDL-A 1yr Flatbed Exp. Grayson Mitchell: 800-247-6321, x234, x240 Drivers Class-B CDL: Great Pay & Home-Time! No-Forced Dispatch! New singles from Roanoke terminal to surrounding states. 888-567-4861
Dare To Know
Prime Office Space
FOR LEASE 1200 sf of space 218 W. West Market St. Parking Included
(336) 282-3773
Jack of All Trades. Handyman Services. Carpentry, masonry, electrical, plumbing, painting. Cost effective home repairs. If you’re tired of noshows, call Joseph Roy…I show up! Free Estimates. 336-706-5616 Quality Deck Restoration. Reasonable & Dependable. Fully insured. Call …That Old Guy 336-253-7248. Tony Walden, Budget Concrete # 2. Work contractor. Patios, driveways and walkways. Any type of concrete work. (O) 336-271-3271; cell: 336987-5433
SHEETROCK
Sheetrock Services- Textured Ceilings. Call Mike or Jeff Welchel: 336-375-3515, Father & Son. Masonry Concepts. Brick, Block, Stone, Concrete & Repairs. Free Estimates. No job too small. 336-988-1022. www.masonryconceptsgso.com. Licensed & Insured. BBB accredited.
PLUMBING SERVICES PROFESSIONAL THOROUGH REPAIRS AND FIXTURING. WATER HEATERS . TOILETS . FAUCETS. SUPPLY AND DRAIN PIPING. BONDED AND FULLY INSURED ELECTRICAL SERVICE ALSO. Thomas Eyring 336 988 – 1621 Greensboroelectric@gmail.com
HANDYMAN SERVICES Jack of All Trades. Handyman Services. Carpentry, masonry, electrical, plumbing, painting. Cost effective home repairs. If you’re tired of noshows, call Joseph Roy…I show up! Free Estimates. 336-706-5616
15 Words • 4 Weeks Only $25
or FREE pickup of any unwanted mowers, appliances, grills or metal items.
ELECTRICAL SERVICES 26 years of experience and satisfied customers. .Licensed and Insured. SAFETY INSPECTIONS CONSULTING AND REPAIRS FUSED PANELS TO CIRCUIT BREAKER PANELS & SERVICE UPGRADES .LIGHTING . FANS . RECEPTACLES. .INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. .EQUIPMENT WIRING. .RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS. .PLUMBING SERVICE ALSO. Thomas Eyring 336 988-1621 Greensboroelectric@gmail.com www.IFIXPOWER.com 336 988 - 1621
MOVING/HAULING SERVICES * DON’S HAULING* Trash, Brush, Construction, Appliances Garage Debris Removal Attics/Basements!! 336-697-5288
CLEANING SERVICES TJ’s Pressure Washing & Carpet Cleaning Service. Serving the Triad area. Mobile Detailing, Pressure Wash Homes, Carpet Cleaning, Etc…Contact TJ 336-404-4037
TREE SERVICES
PAINTING SERVICES Quality Painting. Reasonable & Dependable. Fully insured. Call …That Old Guy 336-253-7248.
H & B STUMP REMOVAL & TREE SERVICE LICENSED & INSURED Cell: 549-2680 336.855.7589 handbstump@bellsouth.net
Battery Sale
!!! RAPID WEIGHT LOSS!!! Dr. Jeffrey Hooper’s Weight Loss Clinic Physician Prescribed Weight Loss Looking to shed pounds Quickly? We offer the HCG injections for RAPID WEIGHT LOSS. Offices in Greensboro & Asheboro Call 336-588-1505 for appointment and locations
ACCOUNTING/TAX SERVICES
Wanted Riding Lawn Mower that Needs Repairs
(336) 285-6717
MEDICAL SERVICES
SALES CLERK- Willing to work Saturdays and some weekdays at local shoe store. No nights or Sundays. Retirees welcomed. Send resume to: PO BOX 19994, Greensboro NC 27409.
Reserve Your Spot Today
0%
2
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(with this ad)
20
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Laptops Photo/Electronic Lithium Photo Emergency Lights Hearing Aid Watch
Computer Warehouse of N.C., Inc
Of f
(336) 292-1922
311-A Pomona Drive Greensboro, N.C. Monday thru Friday 8:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m.
Call Melissa for Great Deals in the Classifieds • 544-1952
Place your ad online: www.rhinotimes.com
Page 60
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Uncle Orson (Continued from page 57)
missing at Friendly Center is the second and third stories of all the buildings, where people could rent apartments or professionals could put in offices, so that people actually lived there. What’s missing is the surrounding neighborhood, full of people who can actually walk to the store and home again. Friendly Center could use a few more quirky stores, too – it still seems a shame to me that in order to get Barnes & Noble, they had to get rid of Atticus Books. I miss having a great, quirky store like FleetPlummer there in Friendly Center. But there’s still a great bakery. Some good restaurants that you won’t find anywhere else (and no food court!). A grocery store (though it’s too big, and shouldn’t have been given so much bare frontage – that could all have been small shops with the big grocery store filling in behind them). You’ve got to give Salt Lake City credit. They really tried, and they got so many things right. But to create vibrant urban spaces, you have to understand how people actually behave. What they really enjoy doing. What brings them out of their houses and into a particular space for a collective activity. All the money that was put into City
Creek could have been well-spent. The architects got it right. But the leasing people had no clue. Until they understand what kind of retail mix brings people from far and wide to shop together, they will fail and fail and fail. Destination Downtowns are driven by the little shops, by variety, by surprise and novelty. Salt Lake City, unlike Greensboro, has a natural tourist draw – Temple Square – that brings people from all around the world. Salt Lake is surrounded by high mountains – it has magnificent scenery. It’s a natural destination. There is simply no excuse for the designers of City Creek having failed so utterly. Because their mix of stores offers nothing to the locals, and nothing to the tourists. In the real world, if we’re going to buy a particular thing, we’ll go to that particular store. We want the Friendly Center model, the old downtown model, where we can park fairly near the store we want, and we don’t have to walk forever even when we’re in the store. But if we’re “going shopping” rather than buying a specific item, if we just want to have an outing, then we need a Destination Downtown. Not a dozen big overfamiliar chain stores each taking up a huge amount of storefront, but a hundred
Better Selection...Better Service...Better Quality
or more little shops, changing storefronts every few steps, so there’s something to look at, to point out, to talk about. Then, when the crowds are coming for the variety and the view, you make sure you have spaces for street musicians and kiosk merchants and vendors’ carts and you make it cheap or free for them to take up a tiny niche and add to the sense of energy and excitement and variety. You turn it into the most wonderful bazaar in the world. People come to those places. They come by the hundreds, by the thousands. They look forward to visiting a certain city because they know they can go and spend a few hours in that wonderful Destination Downtown. And when you’ve got such a place (and usually they grow by accident, in rundown areas where the rents are low), you protect it. You don’t allow the chains to come in and swallow up eight shops to replace them with one big boring glitzy store. Instead, you give them keyhole spaces – small frontage leading to bigger space farther inside – and you don’t allow the chains to come more frequently than one in four stores. If they won’t play by your rules, cool – you don’t need them. Because if you let the big chains have their way, they’ll kill your shopping district.
‘Merican
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The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Page 61
Triad Highland Games
Photos by Sandy Groover
Uncle Orson (Continued from page 60)
development in downtown Salt Lake City, little old simple-minded Friendly Center is a lot closer to being a viable downtown. It’s not a Destination Downtown. Nobody’s going to come from faraway cities in order to shop there. But it’s the most pleasant place to go shopping if you live in Greensboro.
,,, The worst television show I’ve ever seen is now on HBO. Girls is being touted as the successor
to Sex and the City. I suppose you could see it that way, if you replaced the quirky, clever women of SATC with really stupid, self-centered, unpleasant women, and you replaced all the smart dialogue with mindlessly dull conversations that are clearly controlled by the agenda of the writers, and you had them take off their clothes and perform sex acts that are exactly as attractive as watching someone go to the bathroom. Here’s the one good thing about Girls. Where Sex and the City made the promiscuous lifestyle seem glamorous,
drawing lots of young women into a life of empty sex and loveless relationships because the show made it seem so cool, Girls makes it all look so very ugly and unpleasant, and the people doing it so repulsive and unlikable, that any intelligent woman watching the show will immediately do the opposite of whatever the “girls” on the show are doing. Because Girls has achieved near perfection in its purity: There is not one moment of decency, kindness or genuine intelligence in this show, so that it is a perfect guide to misery.
We ought to use Girls the way we use Scared Straight: We should show it to teenage girls and say, This is how ugly it makes you when you live empty lives of meaningless sex and treat everybody around you like dirt. Girls would make even an atheist want to go to church. Like taking a shower after a bird poops on your head. But wait. This is a world in which people pierce their lips and tongues, dress like whores and clowns or buy overpriced Apple products just because other people tell them that it’s cool.
Alston didn’t want any of the commissioners to get caught not picking up after their dogs. He didn’t want them …uh, stepping in it.
families with children and seniors living on fixed incomes. Yost & Little has reserved NewBridge Bank ballpark for the “Pru Yost & Little Family Movie Night.” Everyone is invited to come out to the park on Friday, May 11, to spread out a blanket on the baseball field and watch The Smurfs. Admission is one canned food item per attendee, and the gates open at 6:30 p.m. The movie starts at 7:30 p.m. This is a first for Greensboro, but Yost and Little did something similar in Winston-Salem and it was a big hit, so I thought I would mention it because, if you have children, it should be a lot of cheap
and easy fun. If you don’t have kids, then, not so much. I’ll be honest with you: It’s probably not a great date night if you’re like on your first date with someone or whatever.
Yost
(Continued from page 22)
be working hard to get elected. Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston doesn’t want the county commissioners to get into the same hot water the mayor did recently. Alston was talking to county staff at a Tuesday meeting last week to set the agenda for an upcoming commissioners meeting. When Alston was done speaking with county staff, he had a closing remark. “Oh, one more thing,” he told staff at the end of the meeting. “Tell the commissioners to be careful where they walk their dogs.”
Since it’s clearly a party time of year, there’s an event soon that you should know about. Yost & Little is putting on – excuse me, Prudential Yost & Little (I’m still not quite used to saying it that way), is putting on a movie night for everyone at NewBridge Bank ballpark. If you want a fun but inexpensive night out for a good cause, the event is to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, which helps fight hunger in
Three very important news stories have overshadowed everything else in the rest of the news recently, so let’s review: (1) “Octomom” Nadya Suleman filed for bankruptcy this week. It turns out that she’s $1 million in debt, give or take. According to Forbes.com, the list of people she owes money to includes, “her landlord, her father, the water department, (Continued on page 62)
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Yost
(Continued from page 61)
DirecTV and Whittier Christian School, where several of her 14 children are students.” If you don’t know who the Octomom is, well, about four years ago, she conceived octuplets through in vitro fertilization – the same way she had done with her previous six kids. I think it would be hard to raise 14 kids, but, on the other hand, if you think about it, even with 14 kids she still only has to remember two birthdays. Anyway, I watched that story on the news about the Octomom ending up broke, and I was just stunned to see that she was having to declare bankruptcy. You know, you see these people on television all the time, and they just look like they’re these highly stable, responsible people who have it all together – and then, one day out of the blue, you get news like this, which seems to indicate that might not be the case. (2) At the New York International Auto Show last month, Terrafugia Inc. of Woburn, Massachusetts, unveiled the “Transition,” which is … ta da … the world’s first flying car. It’s described as “a two-seat aircraft with foldable wings.” And, pending regulatory approvals, the company plans to sell the flying car by 2013 at a price of $279,000 each. So, if I’m hearing them correctly, then a
flying car is just around the corner. I mean, for real this time. Hey, before I mark my calendar to test drive the flying car next year, does anyone have a bridge in Brooklyn that they want to sell me for a wooden nickel? (3) Oh, and of course, then there’s the story of the year and perhaps the decade. It involves three men in Australia – ages 18, 20 and 21 – who “woke up to a displaced penguin, a bad hangover and serious legal troubles,” according to ABC news. “The three drunk friends allegedly made a Queensland, Australia SeaWorld their personal playground, swimming with the dolphins, capturing their adventure on cell phone video and bragging about their exploits on Facebook. “On the way out, the trio decided to take a souvenir from their night at the water park. They scooped up a 7-year-old penguin named Dirk, who had never spent a night outside of captivity, officials for the water park said.” After waking up with a penguin running around in their hotel room they were all panicking and they were like, “Hey, where’d the penguin come from?” Oh wait, they’re Australian, so it was like, “Where’d the penguin come from, matey?” And the others were freaking out like, “I didn’t steal the penguin; you must have stolen the penguin?”
“No, I didn’t steal the penguin – wait, who’s on first? No, wait, who’s on second.” Anyway, they panicked and let Dirk the penguin go in a waterway where there are sharks. Witnesses who found the penguin said he was: (A) chased out of the water by something, likely by a shark (B) then, when he got back on land, the penguin was chased by a dog before
onlookers came to the rescue. According to Trevor Long, Sea World’s director of marine sciences, the poor penguin was described as “extremely disheveled” and “quite exhausted.” The three men have an upcoming court date next month where they face charges of trespassing, theft and “unlawfully keeping a protected animal.” People – listen to me: For goodness sakes, please don’t steal the penguins!
Under
(Continued from page 63)
fiction. His friends in the book are composites and he says he made up some of the events that were like events that may or may not have happened to him or someone he knows. It is incredible that the people of America elected a president that we know so little about.
,,, So the little vacation that Michelle Obama took to Spain cost the American people about $467,000, which is not even half a million, and just a little more than half of what a GSA party costs. We have elected a couple to the White House who appear to think they are royalty. It is incredible.
Our first President George Washington made certain that he was not treated as a king, but over the years that has certainly been eroded. Much of the change has been caused by security issues and much by the personalities of those in office.
,,, One of the facts that is coming out of the trial of Johnny Reid Edwards is that no matter how big a scumbag you thought Edwards was. he’s worse. It turns out that famous video of Edwards fixing his hair over and over again is pretty much the way he has spent his life. From the testimony at the trial it is becoming obvious that Edwards mainly thought about himself.
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
An almost insignificant occurrence in the presidential campaign happened recently that is extremely telling. The Obama campaign decided to make an issue of the fact that Mitt Romney took his dog on vacation by strapping the dog’s cage to the roof of his station wagon. Dogs love to stick their heads out the car window, so it makes sense that the dog may have really liked the ride. But, of course, you can depend on animal rights people to be horrified. However, they didn’t get the chance to be horrified because before the tweets could be sent, the Romney campaign returned the volley with the passage from President Barack Hussein Obama’s book where he writes about eating dog meat with his Indonesian stepfather. The comedians who seem to be the modern day version of newscasters appear to be much more interested in eating dog than taking a dog on vacation. But more importantly it is, according to a knowledgeable political pundit, a sign that the Romney team is ready to play ball. The Obama campaign knew that the dog issue would be brought up and they were sitting there, probably with the tweets and Facebook messages already written about Obama eating dog, and you can bet that you won’t hear about Romney taking his dog on vacation for the rest of the campaign unless Romney brings it up because he wants to talk about animal rights.
,,, When I read that Obama had secretly flown to Afghanistan, I wondered when he was going to buy a ranch in Texas. In so many ways Obama seems to just mimic his predecessor, former President George Walker Bush. Certainly Obama’s policies in Iraq and Afghanistan seem to follow right along with the policies set by Bush. The left was highly critical of Bush for the drone strikes that he used against specific targets, which in this case means people. But rather than do away with the drone strikes Obama has increased them. Obama pulled out of Iraq based on the Bush timetable and is now stuck in Afghanistan.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Obama isn’t following Bush in at least one aspect of handling the war, and that is in playing golf. When Bush realized that he was playing golf while men under his command were sacrificing their lives for the nation, he stopped playing golf. While Obama has been president, 1,275 American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan. You have to wonder how many have died while Obama was playing his regular Sunday round of golf. In not playing Obama wouldn’t have changed anything, but it is a matter of respect. Those men are following his orders and sacrificing their lives.
,,, Many of us have the image of a Secret Service agent imbedded in our psyche. It is an extremely fit young man in a dark suit, white shirt and dark tie, wearing sunglasses with an earpiece and a wire disappearing under his coat collar, talking to his wrist. Little did we know that the sunglasses were not to facilitate staring at a suspicious individuals unobtrusively, but for the same reason sunglasses are unusually popular attire on Jan. 1, March 18, May 6, July 5, etc. – to protect the wearer from the pain light causes for those with a hangover. Maybe Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano shouldn’t be over the Secret Service. It is her agency, but you know she won’t get a bit of the blame for the huge problems the agency has. Just like the blame for all of the blunders and misbehavior by members of the Transportation Security Administration are treated as isolated incidents and not a systemic problem caused by insufficient background checks and training. Police departments have learned to do a pretty good job of identifying people who have a tendency to use their badge to steal from others, and they prevent them from ever getting that badge. Maybe Homeland Security should look at the screening process used by your average small city police department and they could learn a few tricks that would reduce the number of embarrassing incidents.
,,,
Page 63
Writing about all these Republican races really made me hopeful. At times it seems that nothing is ever going to change and that government is going to continue to take away freedom, take more of our money and grow in power. The whole point of the Founding Fathers was to restrict government. But in the past 240 years government has grown and grown until today it would be as unrecognizable to those who designed it as an iPhone. But if just some of the Republicans running get elected to office, they can slow the rate of growth. It is hard to go back, but at least some of the strong conservatives running for office know that the solution to our problems is not more government but less. Along with less government comes less taxes. The government at all levels is overspending because every year it tries to do more. Reducing unnecessary regulations would save billions of dollars every year, The idea that a property owner should have some right to decide how to use his property is completely foreign to many people. They believe the neighbors have as much right, or in fact more rights, than the person paying taxes on the property. People who say that are staunch conservatives running for office will say that in rezoning cases the majority should be heeded. It simply isn’t the way the country is supposed to be set up. The property owner is supposed to get to call the shots on his own property as long as it doesn’t damage the value of the other property owners or prevent them from enjoying their property. Go to a few Zoning Commission or Board of Adjustment meetings and see just what your property rights actually are. The Zoning Commission has not started asking property owners what color towels they plan to put in the bathroom, but it is only a matter of time.
,,, The $800,000 party that the General Services Administration (GSA) had is being investigated now, but an $800,000 party doesn’t just happen overnight. The head of the GSA didn’t just wake up one
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morning and say, let’s fly everyone to Las Vegas and have a party. It took months of planning and budgets had to prepared and approved. How did that happen? The top three people at the GSA have resigned, Congress launched an investigation and everybody is happy again. The GSA is supposed to streamline the work of other agencies. Is there absolutely no check on that agency? If the agency that is supposed to be overseeing the spending of other agencies believes that it is acceptable to have an $800,000 party, what are the agencies that it oversees doing? They spent over $100,000 flying to Las Vegas to set the whole thing up. But maybe if someone actually investigated the government they would find that $800,000 was low for a party. Think about the party that Homeland Security might have. Just the prostitutes and alcohol for the Secret Service might cost $800,000.
,,, Just when we thought we knew as little about our president as possible, we find out that we know even less. The girlfriend that Obama writes about in detail in Dreams From My Father, which is still being called an “autobiography,” doesn’t exist. Obama is now saying this woman who he wrote about in the book is just a composite of women that he knew. He says that the incident he wrote about going to see a play by a black playwright where most of the audience was black did happen, but he’s not saying who it happened with. The problem that Obama is having is that he did have a girlfriend in New York and she has been interviewed by David Maraniss for his biography of Obama, and she says that it never happened. What would be interesting to know at this point is what in the book that is supposed to be an autobiography did happen. Perhaps Obama didn’t realize that an autobiography is supposed to be factual, while books that people make up are called (Continued on page 62)
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Page 64
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Rhinoceros Times Greensboro
Mike Causey for Insurance Commissioner
✓
MAY 8 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY Vote to Lower Car Insurance Rates Vote to Modernize Our Auto Insurance System Vote to Create A Free Market System Mike Causey has the right experience for Insurance Commissioner
Vote for experienced insurance executive and lifelong Guilford County resident Mike Causey for Insurance Commissioner
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30 years in the insurance business MBA studies – High Point University AAS Civil Engineering Technology – UNC-Charlotte and Wake Tech Executive Management Certificate – Purdue University
Mike Causey is one of us CURRENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: • Guilford County Agricultural Advisory Board • Guilford County Environmental Review Board • Public Officers’ and Employee Liability Insurance Commission - NC Department of Insurance
(Appointed by Speaker Tillis and the NC General Assembly)
Mike Causey has been endorsed by Conservatives for Guilford County, Senator Lauch Faircloth, Fred Preyer, Senator Jerry Tillman and Jim and Anita Schenck
Lifelong resident of North Carolina Born and raised in Guilford County Served in the United States Army Attended Guilford County Public Schools Graduated from High Point University
“A common-sense conservative for ALL the people”
(336) 210-1947 www.GoCausey.com Paid for by Causey for Insurance Commissioner