The Greensboro City Council included on its Legislative Agenda a request for a law that would only benefit former city councilmembers.
The Legislative Agenda is a list of items that the City Council requests the legislature pass and that the City Council pays a lobbyist to promote.
This item on the City Council Legislative Agenda is to grant former city councilmembers health insurance benefits for life.
As a result of that request, bills have been introduced in the state House and Senate that would grant all former city councilmembers who served at least eight years on the City Council coverage for life on the city’s health insurance plan.
When this was discussed by the City Council, Mayor Nancy Vaughan stated that former city councilmembers would have to pay for their insurance, but this would allow them to remain part of the city’s healthcare plan.
However, House Bill 393 and Senate Bill 215 state, “The health insurance premium may be paid entirely by the city, paid partly by the city and former city council member, or paid entirely by the former city council member at the option of the city.”
The bill only applies to the Greensboro City Council and if it becomes law the City Council would have the right to decide to pay the full health insurance costs for all former city councilmembers who served at least eight years.
For those who don’t support paying for health insurance for life for former city councilmembers, there is good news.
Senate Bill 215 has two primary sponsors, Sen. Gladys Robinson (D-Guilford) and Sen. Michael Garrett (D-Guilford).
In the 2019-2020 legislative session, Robinson and Garrett were, along with 44 of their Senate colleagues, listed as primary sponsors of the COVID-19 relief bill. The state Senate has 50 members, so all but four senators were primary sponsors of that bill and the bill passed.
Garrett had no other bills for which he was the primary sponsor pass in the 2019-2020 legislative session.
However, Robinson was the primary sponsor for a bill to honor the North Carolina A&T State University football team and that passed.
So, having Robinson and Garrett as primary sponsors of a Senate bill almost guarantees it will wind up in the Rules Committee, which is where the Senate sends bills to die.
In the state House the primary sponsors are Rep. Cecil Brockman (D Guilford), Rep. Ashton Clemmons (D-Guilford) and Rep. Pricey Harrison D-Guilford).
Please, can I get on, too? I know a Democrat who will vouch for me.
Not to worry-the City of Greensboro will pay for it.
Relocating is always an option.
Isn’t that special? Of even more value, would be free cable TV/Internet for life. I exactly one years’ time, I have received the gift of the FOURTH stealth rate increase from my local Provider, + $5/mo for TV services. Obviously, they think that this nickel & dime-ing four times in a year works better than one giant GOTCHA on your anniversary date. More, what they call, retention. Oh, if you need “service”, have you been to their Friendly SC office?
North State is gone. Only left are Spectrum & AT&T. Since AT&T owns Spectrum, there is now NO competition. Cox cable just south of us is cheaper, and better – for the same services.
More and more of us are using an antenna, and commercial wifi availability for our phones or laptops. People are being priced out, of what is now, a utility. This is an obscenity.
This all as a result of one major problem. Inflation. Do you see what stuff costs lately?
Really!!! City Council is here to serve you, don’t worry
“Are you being served?” George Carlin will tell you where and how you are being served.
No benefits for council members this this is insane
And sending it to a Committee that will let it die is exactly where it should be sent.
I agree 100% percent. This is a disgrace and proof of an ELITE CLASS. Let is die.
Retro benefits? Just what the citizens need these days. . . . .more ways to screw the public at the benefit of politicians. My thoughts are they run for office, without any benefits, other than the check they get while on council. Just another wish list to enrich themselves as special important people who need to be entitled till they die. Wouldn’t you know this would come from the “democrats” on the council. Sad!
Seriously, when did the Rhino begin printing satire?
Well they voted themselves numerous pay raises, extended terms to four years, refuse to properly allow time for citizens to publicly address them, and have turned a what should be a part time job for a citizen into a full time career for decades. Well, how can someone support themselves as a councilmember?
Most have other jobs, are retired, head nonprofits funded by the city, or like our Mandate Mayor (whose office should be part time as well in a city government system like we have) are career volunteers. Being a politician is not a career it is public service.
So GSO city council wants to vote themselves health insurance for life after 8 years! Meanwhile, their own retired employees have to work 20-30 years just to get insurance to age 65, and no raises!!
This is some crazy s____ right here!
No politician at any level should be getting lifetime benefits of any type. Very few politicians’ jobs should be full time. NO politician’s financial status should increase while they’re in office. And last, but not least, politics should NEVER be a career option.
This is the major source of the problems we’re seeing in our country these days. Too many politicians leave office way more rich than when they were elected, and too many are career politicians who have forgotten (if they ever knew) what it’s like to have to provide for yourself and your family. When their one or two terms are up (yes, term limits), they should have to exit politics for good, and go back to living normal lives, being forced to provide for them and theirs, under the policies and changes enacted while they were in office.
Our representatives (not “leaders”) are supposed to serve and represent, but these days, they think they are all dictators in some fashion, and because the people allow it, I suppose they are.
We need to get rid of them all. They should be promoting this was policeman’s ,deputies, firemen.
They don’t have a dangerous job. They only think of their self. They need to get a real job plus they can go on Obamacare.
While those with “ruling privilege” believe they should be further rewarded, me thinks TERM LIMITS would be better!!
This is absolutely ridiculous. What makes them feel they deserve this benefit for doing NOTHING. Please don’t let this happen
They are weak minded crooks. Throw them out. But that will not happen. Nancy the Pious and her harpies will never be removed from office.