On Monday, March 7, the US Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by the North Carolina legislature challenging the constitutionality of the North Carolina state courts drawing and then approving their own congressional redistricting maps.
That appeared to be the final appeal, which means at long last the date for the 2022 statewide primary (which this year includes the Greensboro City Council primary) is set for Tuesday, May 17.
The courts also set the date for the municipal general elections in the state to be held on Tuesday, July 26. The choices for the general election were Tuesday, July 5 or July 26. Neither date would be much help in voter turnout, but the voter turnout on Tuesday, July 5 – the day after the July 4 holiday – would have likely resulted in voter turnout so low that the candidate with the larger family might win.
Finally having a date for the City Council primary, Tuesday, May 17, and the City Council general election, Tuesday, July 26, means the City Council has to make some adjustments. One of those adjustments is on the agenda for the Tuesday, March 15 City Council meeting, and it may be somewhat confusing.
On Nov. 11, 2021, when the City Council primary was scheduled for March 8, the City Council voted to hold a $135 million bond referendum during the general election on either Tuesday, April 26 or Tuesday, May 17.
The item on the City Council agenda for the March 15 meeting is to rescind that resolution.
However, that doesn’t mean the City Council is giving up on the $135 million bond referendum, even though not much has been heard about the referendum since that vote in November.
The plan is that, in April, the City Council will vote to put the $135 million bond referendum on the ballot for the July 26 City Council general election. The resolution actually states either the July 5 or the July 26 general election, but the date of the City Council general election has been set by the court for July 26, so it is likely the resolution in April will reflect that.
Usually there is a big push to promote city bond referendums starting months before the vote but, in this highly unusual election year, who knows what might happen.
Citizens are tired of bond referendums, simply because the current council does not know how to say “no” to those asking for our money. Ask Yvonne and other free-loaders to give back their 501C-3 money first. I will vote NO on any and all bond issues and hope everyone does so the politicians can learn how to govern.
Take back the “cure for violence “ money freely given to councilwoman Johnson and her not accountable staff to include fellow council.