I was confused when I read today’s N&R lead editorial hed:
Tussle in District 3
Who the heck’s Tussle, I thought to myself. Then I read on and realized the editorial was a left-handed endorsement of incumbent Zack Matheny in Tuesday’s City Council race against challenger Jay Ovitorre.
The N&R says Matheny “deserves another term, but there are two things he ought to learn from this testy campaign: to grow thicker skin and to realize that the middle isn’t always the right place to be.”
True enough. But while Matheny has his flaws, his opponent —as John Hammer points out in the Rhino endorsements— “is about as liberal as we get in these parts.”
So it is as conservative Greensboro citizens approach the polls on Tuesday. In my my mind, the only true conservative candidate is District 5 incumbent Trudy Wade. I base that conclusion on Tuesday’s council vote to approve a high-risk loan for developers hoping to rehabilitate a shopping center in east Greensboro. Wade was the lone ‘no’ vote, meaning District 4 incumbent Mary Rakestraw and Mayor Bill Knight voted for it, while at-large incumbent Danny Thompson recused himself due to a business conflict, something that should leave a bad taste in the mouths of those around here bemoaning Greensboro’s endless entangling alliances.
So it’s not a pretty picture, leaving conservative citizens the choice of either staying away from the polls —-not really a viable option —- or holding their noses when they vote.
