Part of me finds Rhino exit interviews with former City Manager Rashad Young and former Mayor Bill Knight intriguing, and part of me says who cares they’re outta here. Those now in charge are going to do what they want to do.
I realize Young was targeted as a young man on the move right from the start was not expected to stick around for very long. No doubt Young was a vast improvement over Mitchell Johnson, and I have no doubt he gave Greensboro his very best. But the Gate City will be nothing more than a blip on his resume.
Old news that’s Knight’s vision for the city was rejected by voters. During his interview, John Hammer noted there “is a lot to juggle up there in the center seat, and Knight, who had never been on the dais except as mayor, struggled.” I was hoping Knight would provide strong leadership from the mayor’s seat, something that noticeably lacking during Yvonne Johnson’s tenure as mayor. (For those uninitiated, Johnson is back on the dais as mayor pro-tem. That’s the definition of change around here.) Unfortunately, Knight— decent man that he is— focused too much on compromise, and political opponents hone in on that quickly.
What jumped out at me during the interview was Knight’s recollection of a community watch meeting “when a woman came up and begged him not to raise taxes.” With an 8-1 liberal majority dominating the council, that might be our last resort.
