Greensboro City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba presented a bizarre plan to spend over $2.6 million of the $59.4 million in American Rescue Plan funds the city has received.
Before Jaiyeoba was hired as manager, the City Council had a plan on how to spend the $59.4 million and city staff spent months answering questions about the application process and grading the applications from nonprofits and small businesses.
Jaiyeoba has a different plan, which was presented to the City Council at a work session in the Plaza Level Conference Room in city hall on Thursday Nov. 3.
Part of Jaiyeoba’s plan was to create what Councilmember Marikay Abuzuaiter termed “a slush fund” for the mayor and each member of the City Council.
Jaiyeoba’s plan was to allow Mayor Nancy Vaughan to allocate $500,000, Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson $375,000 and each councilmember $250,000 to the nonprofit organization or small business of their choice.
The Jaiyeoba’s proposal ignores the basic premise of the council-manager form of government.
Neither the mayor nor any individual councilmember has the authority to allocate a dime from the city budget. The authority to take action, such as allocating money, must be approved by the majority of the City Council. No individual councilmember can allocate funds, whether the money comes from the federal government or from city taxes.
When the idea of individual slush funds was presented, Vaughan said, “I am not comfortable with that.”
She added, “I would rather see this money allocated in a different way instead of looking like it is earmarked. I don’t like that.”
Vaughan said that years ago there were council contingency funds and said, “that is something we were trying to get away from.”
Abuzuaiter said, “To me that would be like each councilmember has a slush fund and I don’t like that.”
Councilmember Sharon Hightower disagreed. She said, “I do like the $250,000. I understand the intent and applaud the idea.”
Councilmember Tammi Thurm said, “I’m not really comfortable just taking $250,000 out for a small business or a small nonprofit.”
Councilmember Nancy Hoffmann said, “I’m not comfortable with that either.”
Councilmember Zack Matheny said to Jaiyeoba, “I get it. What you’re saying is before we pitch and ask for another $14 million for us to balance our budget fixing up city owned buildings, we’re going to make y’all feel good and give you $250,000 apiece. That will excite y’all and get you distracted so you don’t pay attention to what else we are recommending.”
Matheny also described the presentation as “pretty awful.”
Can we get another picture if the City Manager’s smile after that plan was nixed?
Askin for a friend.
Lookie they knew what they were getting when they hired this guy! Didn’t they?
Too transparent for experienced grifters.
Brilliant! Ha, ha, ha….!
If this plan was approved would Yvonne Johnson be able to give part of her slush fund to ” One Step Further “, her cash cow non profit ?
Yes.
And why not? That’s the way it’s done in Africa (where the City Manager comes from).
Just don’t mention “The C Word” – – CORRUPTION.
This is what you get when you take Charlotte’s rejects. Several council members already extract tax payer money to non profits that they so call work for and at least one member lives at a non profit retirement community that pays no city taxes. Sharon would love this slush fund with little or no accountability. The liberal voters of GSO put this bunch in office for the next 3+ years so don’t be surprised of more of the same to come.
This describes the mindset of City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba. He cannot be trusted and deserves to be fired. Councilmember Sharon Hightower is cut from the same cloth as Tai Jaiyeoba. Sharon Hightower is an example of the importance of term limits for City Council.
Complete idiocy on the part of the manager. He must go. Please take Hightower with you.
Not only am I shocked that so many council members put down this ridiculous idea, but I am not surprised at all Ms. Hightower wants to go along with it. She has always been one to grab every dollar she can get her hands on, and now we understand her enthusiasm for Greensboro City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba .
Talk about the fox guarding the hen house! Believe council needs to nix Obegonekanobe and his stupid ideas. I do understand Hightower liking the idea..lol! You voted em in…enjoy!
I have been keeping up with the happenings in Greensboro. My daughter and son-in-law are begging my wife and I to move here in retirement.
But with all this taxpayer money being spent on frivolous things, I’m thinking we’ll stay in Tennessee. Plus there’s no income tax in Tennessee.
“You have chosen wisely….”
Life in Little Baltimore
Move to Summerfield , Oak Ridge, or Stokesdale, NC. Low taxes and all well managed. Only a short drive to GSO and our roads are good.
The “council Crooks” are even easier to identify. Why is it the EAST SIDE council is always looking for handout(s), free money, no accountability and yet we, the citizens of Greensboro see nothing they have done to show for it? City manager your time is limited.
Throw the bums out!
But the African socialist is used to the way things are done in Africa…
If they had all this money to freely spend why was it necessary to have the highest increase in property taxes ever? No, individual city council members do not need a “slush” fund. Enough of them already are unethically compensated with $ going to their non-profits.
“I understand the intent and applaud the idea”…..really…..my guess is Ms. Hightower was in on this plan already.
Dumb and dumber!
I remember seeing Vaughn saying after she won the election, that she was so happy that in her words, “my city council” is still with me. Look out people. They are coming for your hard earned money. They do not work for us. They work for themselves.
We have finally reached the level of “The Peter Principle.” The. City Council has outdid themselves. They have found their match in the The African King of all Spenders” Big Jai “. I knew that with the Democrats in charge of everything,taxes will go through the Roof and the Democrats will give away everything.
Just look at the Big Mouth in East Greensbori, bring it on Jai -,give me more to spend . If not for several on board this would be a sad day for Greensboro.
When is that swinging door going to Push out that Spendthrift from Africa.
I have been asking for several months that Greensboro vote Republican in for a change. You don’t know about till you try it. Look at what. The commissioners of 2010 did to the county, NO TAXES for 8 years. Why not give it a try.
The council should fire the city manager for presenting such an idea. This shows that he is not qualified for the job.
If the council doesn’t take action immediately on this it will show all the people of Greensboro that they also are not up to the job of overseeing the City.
If Obama had a son……
Wow. Does that guy have true honest government experience? What about rules for that federal money? Why not think big and fast and efficient broadband for everyone — a system schools could rely on when they go for “remote learning.” Not spectrum or at&t….. overpriced and poor service. This may not be legal for each elected official to spend part of the money their own way.
WOW…just…WOW…