It’s difficult to follow what’s going on at a Greensboro City Council meeting and it’s even more difficult when the City Council doesn’t follow its own rules.
The Tuesday, Jan. 2 meeting had two controversial items on the agenda and also was the monthly public forum where the public is invited to speak on non-agenda items.
People are free to speak on agenda items at any City Council meeting, but the first meeting of the month the public is invited to speak about items not on the agenda.
The two controversial items were a resolution calling for an end to the “conflict” in Gaza and the financing of buying yard waste carts in order to end loose leaf collection.
The speakers about the conflict in Gaza all spoke during the public forum even though almost all of them referred to the resolution that at that point the City Council had already passed.
According to council policy and common sense, the City Council should have heard from those opposed to and in favor of the “Resolution For Peace And Support” before voting on the resolution. The fact that the speakers were only invited to speak after the City Council had considered and passed the resolution certainly sends the message loud and clear that the City Council doesn’t care what its constituents have to say about this issue.
The other controversial topic was ending loose leaf collection. Most of the speakers opposing loose leaf collection spoke long before the issue came up on the agenda, during speakers from the floor on non-agenda items, even though the item was on the agenda.
However, some speakers on ending loose leaf collection actually spoke during the discussion on loose leaf collection. Notably Isa Abuzuaiter, the husband of City Councilmember Marikay Abuzuaiter, who spoke in favor of ending loose leaf collection spoke during this time.
Candidates in the March 5 primary should be lined up to give campaign speeches at the Tuesday, Feb. 6 meeting. In the past candidates have not been allowed to give campaign speeches at City Council public forums, but at the Jan. 2 a candidate for District Court judge did just that.
And this is why I shall vote against every City Council member currently seated. What a crock.
Provide a one way ticket to Gaza so they can show everyone their resolution. How about supporting our police department instead of defunding it?
What did/do you expect from a bunch of Communist Democrat Party COG Council members ?? Time to vote them out
What a Circus.
No one should be surprised, this council never listens to the tax payer and has usually decided on a vote before the council meeting. The listen to staff and take their word for issues that have not been investigated. A good example – staff claims 10 million saving over 15 years on the loose leaf issue but in council meeting stated 250,000 per year not 10 million. After purchasing 5 trucks and 75,000 bins there will be no savings.
The Office Sustainability and Resilience is one of the biggest waste of money the tax payer has ever funded.
Vote them out in 2025
With these people in charge anything is possible!
Maybe the council needs to set up a non profit to teach tree planting techniques and might also teach yard mowing for any interested citizens.
The council has made a start in this direction by lending tools for yard work and gardening during the summer months.
It is also noted that the council has already started a school by teaching the citizens how to mulch leaves.
The low class persons ruling Greensboro are not educated enough to understand the damage they are doing to Greensboro. And they don’t care. It is only about themselves. Things are going to get much worse. The quality citizens of this City are going to have to take control and bring things under civil control before we are able to live in peace.
This was expected from the Royal Council of the Kingdom of Greensboro.
Most likely, this Resolution was driven by Marikay Abuzuaiter and her husband. Does anyone really believe that if Hamas were winning, the Resolution would have been written?
it is time for a clean sweep change with our council !
Hopefully the environmentalists and people who like see trees in Greensboro will realize that ending loose leaf collection will incentivize us to chop down more of our trees, or at a minimum, not to replant them.