Former Guilford County Commissioner Mary Rakestraw jumps to the front of the pack in the field of at-large candidates for Greensboro City Council, while “second-tier candidate” Bill Knight remains in the mix for the general election. (As the old Shake-n-Bake commercial says, “Ah helped!”)
Rakestraw, 59, attributes much of her success to her position on ongoing problems within the Greensboro Police Department.
She’s been critical of City Manager Mitchell Johnson, who she said mishandled the departure of former police Chief David Wray.
Wray resigned in 2006 after allegations that the department’s special intelligence unit targeted black officers for unfair internal investigation. That, coupled with accusations of mismanagement, prompted Johnson to ask the city’s legal office and a private consulting firm to ferret out what, if anything, ailed the department under Wray.
In September, two former members of the special intelligence unit were indicted on felony charges, culminating a yearlong investigation into alleged abuses of power.
Rakestraw — like fellow victor Knight — has made that her campaign’s centerpiece, criticizing Johnson for changing the locks on Wray’s office and hammering council members for not releasing more information about the controversy.
“I think the Mitchell Johnson situation is a huge issue and will continue to be,” said Rakestraw, who waited for the election returns in the office of Paul Gibson, chairman of the county commissioners.
The N&R acknowledged that Johnson will be a campaign issue in its lead editorial:
The preliminary voting, although only a 7 percent turnout, might send a few jolts through the municipal building, where leaders are still dealing with the aftershocks of former police Chief David Wray’s resignation in January 2006 and the long SBI investigation that resulted in indictments of two lower-ranking officers on obstruction of justice charges.
Rakestraw cited “the city manager situation” — how Mitchell Johnson forced Wray’s departure — as one of her motivating issues.
Bill Knight, a retired accountant and first-time candidate who finished fourth Tuesday, goes further.
“I’d like to see him resign or transferred to another department,” he said of Johnson. Knight called himself “an advocate for David Wray.”
Meanwhile, Johnson supporter Sandy Carmany trails another former county commissioner, Trudy Wade, in District 5.
Note that, generally speaking, Rakestraw, Wade and Knight are conservative candidates, which is a strong indication of which direction voters want to take the city. All 7 percent of them, that is. I was the only voter at my polling place at 6:00 pm. The whole process took about five minutes.
