The Nov. 2, 2021 City Council election is now a definite maybe.
The Greensboro City Council has no lack of indecision, and while, on May 11, holding the City Council election on Nov. 2, 2021 appeared to have nine votes, at the “hybrid” City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 18, holding the election as scheduled on Nov. 2, 2021 had zero votes.
There was no change in the Census data or the law between May 11 and May 18, but what did happen is that the Greensboro Chapter of the NAACP came out against holding the election in 2021, and evidently that was enough to change nine votes.
After the City Council voted unanimously on May 18 to delay any decision on when to hold the election, NAACP President Rev. Bradley Hunt spoke to the City Council and said that since there was a possibility that the Census data would show that Greensboro required redistricting, the election should be delayed until after the Census data was released and the City Council could be certain that the districts were in compliance.
Gary Kenton also read a letter from the League of Women Voters in favor of delaying the election until after the Census data is released and redistricting, if necessary, could take place.
It is expected that the Census data will be released in late September, which completely rules out any chance of redistricting before a Nov. 2, 2021 election. But it would also create a real problem for the City Council if it decides to postpone the election to March 2022, the same time as the primary for the 2022 statewide election. Greensboro City Attorney Chuck Watts informed the City Council on May 11 that there is barely enough time to redistrict and meet the filing deadlines in time for a March election.
The saving grace here is that the City Council has no authority to postpone its own election. What the City Council could do – if it should ever reach a decision on how to proceed – is ask the North Carolina General Assembly to pass a bill delaying the election until March or November 2022.
And for Greensboro to get such a bill passed by the legislature is a long shot. The City Council has not been shy about condemning the actions of the Republican majority in Raleigh, which makes getting favors done by the same Republican majority difficult.
Even for this City Council, with its well deserved reputation for indecision, the turn around on this issue was stunning.
On May 11, Councilmember Tammi Thurm said, “I personally feel like I was elected for a four-year term.”
She added, “Without knowing or having a really strong indication that we are out of balance, we need to go forward.”
Thurm also said that delaying the election until 2022 would be “doing a disservice to the people of Greensboro and those considering running.”
At the May 18 meeting, Thurm made the motion to delay any decision until the next meeting, which is June 1.
Mayor Nancy Vaughan, on May 11, when there was no objection to holding the election as scheduled, asked that the resolution setting the election for Nov. 2, 2021 be placed on the agenda for the May 18 meeting.
At the May 18 meeting, where Vaughan participated virtually, she threw another variable at the City Council. She said, “The NAACP brought up the issue of who would do the redistricting.”
Vaughan said, “It needs to be an independent commission. It needs to be independent.”
And Councilmember Sharon Hightower suggested that the election be delayed for an entire year.
So it’s pretty clear from the City Council indecision that the City Council election will either be held in November 2021, March 2022 or November 2022, and if redistricting is required it will either be done by the City Council or by an independent commission.
So , let me go over this in my mind . The Mayor ( just when we think she’d be out of tricks ) and the council members have decided there will not be an election ..
So does that mean the clown car had even more time to turn Greensboro into a bigger mess than they already have ??
Going to court.
Does the concept of law have no bearing on these people? Redistricting is a time consuming process. There is nothing in the laws of North Carolina that says if census data is forthcoming which might indicate redistricting in the future, local elections must be delayed until the redistricting takes place. Thank goodness the guys in Raleigh will not endorse this concept. After all, who is running the city, the council, the people or the NAACP?
Mandate Mayor and council members of the soon to be murder capital of NC want more than their elected terms so the can continue their March to the bottom. So incompetent and nontransparent.
Once again the tail wags the dog .
If any group can easily sway such an important decision (or the decision makers) perhaps all of Greensboro should vote as to when the election is.
We did hire representatives for ALL the people, oh wait, never mind.
Gary Kenton..?
Isn’t he a Communist?
Austin Morris, isn’t that the boy that cried wolf?
I think you’re confusing communism for people not waiving Trump 2020, Don’t Tread On Me, and Confederate flags variants.
I’ll be at the playground at 2. Let’s go.
Watch out folks! The internet bully is fake challenging people to fake fights. That’s all he has left.
Isn’t that what we all are doing? Did I miss a memo?
Name stupid I will bring all my flags
Numb nuts there was a time you would have been tarred and feathered. Let’s turn back the clock
No delays. Throw the bums out.
The NC State legislature needs to refuse to delay this election. Of course Hightower wants another year of free insurance and the ability to vote against anything that would move the city forward. This council is a joke. We did not elect certain special interest groups to dictate policy. Grow some stones and put yourself up for reelection. I believe this council knows that at least half of them will be gone in November.
The most ineffectual council I’ve seen in my 40 years of living in this city wants to delay the election???? Just continue to destroy what was once a beautiful city! These folks need to go!
How on earth is it legal for them to vote themselves to stay in office another year??? Why do we even have an election? ALL the citizens of Greensboro are not being respected and they want respect. The decisions they make are hurting ALL of us. We have a legal right to know where and how our tax money is being spent. This is NOT the American way.
I forgot to remember to forget.