A lot more than simply the timing is unusual about the Greensboro City Council election on Tuesday, July 26.
Early voting opened on Thursday, July 7, so even though most people in Greensboro seem unaware that an election is being held, for those involved it is crunch time.
Greensboro City Council elections are nonpartisan and usually the political party organizations don’t have much involvement. But this year the Guilford County Republican Party decided to take an active role in the nonpartisan City Council election.
The GOP may have been influenced by the fact that the current City Council is made up entirely of Democrats. The last Republican elected to the City Council was former District 5 City Councilmember Tony Wilkins in 2015. In 2017m Wilkins lost his reelection bid to District 5 City Councilmember Tammi Thurm, who is a Democrat, so it’s been over four years since there was a single Republican on the City Council.
This year the Guilford County GOP voted to spend $12,000 to send out a mailer to Greensboro Republicans to support the three of the four Republicans on the ballot, and the one Republican not on the ballot running as a write-in candidate for mayor.
The Republicans on the ballot are At-large City Council candidate Katie Rossabi, District 4 City Council candidate Thurston Reeder and District 5 City Council candidate Tony Wilkins.
On June 13, almost a month after the primary on May 17, at the Guilford County Republican Party meeting, Chris Meadows announced he was running a write-in campaign for mayor and the mailer sent out by the GOP includes Meadows with instructions on how to vote for a write-in candidate.
Voting on paper ballots instead of electronic machines has made voting for a write-in easier. One write-in candidate in the era of electronic voting machines handed out pencils along with complicated instructions on how to cast a write-in ballot.
District 3 City Council candidate Zack Matheny has no opponent on the ballot and is not listed on the GOP mailer. Since Matheny has almost no chance of losing the City Council race, the newly elected City Council should include at least one Republican.
The GOP sent out over 12,000 mailers, mostly to voters who are registered Republican but also to voters registered as unaffiliated and some registered Democrat.
The GOP mailer has also caused some confusion. Several Republicans who don’t live in Greensboro have contacted the Rhino Times with questions about why they were receiving a mailer when they aren’t eligible to vote in the election.
The mailers may help. Only 12,000 registered Republicans?
Must be a bunch of yeller dogs still on the Lefty-Rolls.
Kudos to the GCRP. Hopeful that folks will get out and vote for the Republicans! Republican majority on Council is the only way to stop the wasteful spending.
Time to get rid of the entire current city council and Mayor. We need a new direction, new thinking, reasonable spending, support for our police depart with NO interference, being accountable for our tax dollars going to good causes with those groups receiving our tax dollars being accountable to the citizens of Greensboro with monthly or quarterly reviews and citizens that need the assistance, not private groups such as cure for violence.
Communities with high crime rates need to wake up and see your current council is not providing you the best protection or funding to improve your community.
I remember when Hammer was on pace to win a write-in campaign for mayor. Would have been amazing. Good luck to all this election.
It was high times that the Republican Party got involved in the city council race. The Liberal Democrats on the present council have manipulated the GSO tax payers to sponsor programs and charities that the tax payer should not be involved in. The spending of 400,000.00 to buy a gun show and then hide the paper trail is a good example of how this council works. It is time for change and the flyer just points out the candidates that will usher in change for the better for the GSO taxpayers. It also points out that this is an off schedule election that many folks are not even aware of.
I appreciate that Mr. Meadows stepped up to the plate and put his name out there as another option. Frankly, most of those that have been in local leadership have been there for years and just rotate seats or positions. And where has that got us? Nowhere! Or some will say even backwards.
In a time of record high inflation, highest gas prices in history and our recent reassessment of on property tax they decide to increase our tax anyway.
The Mayor and Council say that funds are needed to improve local projects; well then why did the Mayor pay the vender of the annual Gun Show $400,000 to NOT have the show for the next 4 years? The Coliseum loses money each year while local people who depend on part-time work at the coliseum lost out on potential income as well while struggling local restaurants and hotel employees. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were loaned out to local developers and special interest groups with little to no interest rates on repayment. That’s were our tax dollars went! And we as local citizens paid for it with no voice.
Mr. Meadows stated on a local FB interview that he believes that transparency is needed and I agree. Also, we are at record high crime rates with shootings and assaults on record pace! Living near Battleground and Cone Blvd sounds like a NASCAR track and sitting on my front porch I can hear gun fire nightly.
I am asking readers to consider Mr. Meadows as an alternative to the same downward spiral we’re in otherwise it’s only going to get worse.
Simple question, simple answer. The Republican receiving the mailer, although not a resident of Greensboro, may share the mailer information about the write-in candidate, Chris Meadows, with residents of Greensboro, which is exactly what should happen, increasing exposure and, hopefully, a vote for Chris Meadows.
I will write in Chris Meadows, and vote for Rossabi.
I’m in District 5, in the Cardinal. I’m seeing Tammy Thurms signs.
I would like to tell Tony Wilkins to come out here and campaign and get some signs up.
Thank you in advance for your Meadows and Rossabi votes. Spread the word!
Please one vote for Katie, it will increase her odds of winning in the at-large race. This is the strategy used by Yvonne Johnson so that she will get the most votes.
It would’ve been nice to be privvy to this information before my mother completed her Absentee ballot; we checked on line to see where candidates stood on issues but had no idea on the write in candidate for Mayor, etc. Perhaps a pre-emptive strike prior to the start of ABS voting next time will work more favorably to the Republican party.
Bless their hearts
BigCity, bet you are not from the South.
He could be but I’ll bet he still lives off the democrat tit. Owns no property no job pays no taxes or child support but lives high on the hog of Republican taxpayers who support him and his baby mamas children
Bless his little heart.
Owns a home in SE Greensboro married 5 kids under one roof so no need for CS we own two business. Sir this is Greensboro educated mobile black people like Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston etc
Actually I’m from south side Greensboro
If a yard sign for Chris Meadows is needed, make it or have it made. Get creative. Make calls to your friends and family who want change in Greensboro. There is a lot that voters can do to help Chris Meadows. Sitting at home and not voting rather than casting a vote for write-in candidate Chris Meadows removes your right to complain about election results if Chris Meadows does not win.
Unlike unemployed Nancy Vaughn, Chris Meadows is employed. Justin Outling is a lawyer who works for a large law firm that has as a client the City of Greensboro. Enough said.