Speaking of the Greensboro City Council, the Rhino’s John Hammer pens a lamentation for the government that was not to be:
The year 2010 was a year of missed opportunity for the Greensboro City Council.
In November 2009 the voters of Greensboro elected Greensboro’s first Republican mayor and five Republican councilmembers. In fact, this council has only two registered Democrats – Councilmembers Jim Kee and Dianne Bellamy-Small. Councilmember Nancy Vaughan, who was a Republican, is now a registered independent.
The message seemed clear that the voters wanted a more conservative city government, but it was not to be. Mayor Bill Knight immediately got off on the wrong foot by seating councilmembers in a fashion that was designed by Knight and Councilmember Danny Thompson. Unfortunately Knight and Thompson ignored the cardinal rule of five on the City Council: Five votes rule.
All is not lost —-as Hammer concludes, the council “still has a year to fulfill some of the expectations of the voters.” Tomorrow night’s meeting will be an indicator of things to come. In addition to the GTA software, the council will also ponder the sustainability plan that “will cost a minimum of $12.3 million.”
