There were two main themes that ran thick through the Wednesday, Sept. 20 “State of the County” address given by Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston.
One, Guilford County is doing very, very well right now and, two, we are all One Guilford, and therefore, all in this together.
During the address, Alston was very animated at times while speaking from a podium in the Commissioners Meeting Room in the Old Guilford County Court House in downtown Greensboro. He spoke to county commissioners, other state and local elected leaders, county staff and interested people who showed up just to hear what Alston had to say. The presentation was also livestreamed on the internet and broadcast on Spectrum’s local government television channel.
Alston spoke passionately about all the economic development success the county has seen in recent years – as well as the passage of one of the largest school bond referendums in the country.
He spoke of the many other ways the county has been making big moves lately.
Toward the end of the one-hour presentation, Alston also hit on some of the areas – such as homelessness, mental health issues, the substance abuse crisis, and other challenges – that the county and its municiple partners need to address.
“We’re still feeling the impact of the opioid epidemic,” he said.
Alston went on to speak about the proactive ways the county is confronting all of those problems.
In the speech – which was interlaced with videos of other commissioners and community leaders making comments themselves – Alston spent a good deal of time talking about the projects around the county made possible by the $104 million of American Rescue Plan (ARP) money that Guilford County government received and handed out. The money is now being used to support community-based services and infrastructure projects across the county.
“I am more optimistic today about our county’s future than ever before,” Alston said during the speech. “We are poised to welcome thousands of new jobs, open the first schools built with the $2 billion voter-approved school construction bonds and expand access to care for thousands.”
Alston also pleaded for people in the county to work to keep things moving forward.
“I call on every citizen to keep the momentum we have created in the last two years going, to innovate, to challenge the way things have always been done, and to build a stronger community, together.”
How about giving hard-working tax-paying folks their money back that you grabbed during the pandemic with a 60% tax hike and giving us back the city services you have taken away so you can fund your personal agenda? We need honest, fair, unbiased, truth-talking representatives across all points of government. WTH is going on with these high-minded, idealistic, rich representatives? I plan not to stay in Guilford County much longer unless these folks are voted out. They just follow along… drinking the Kool-Aid that pours down from democratic leaders, celebrities, and academia.
“Momentom”? You mean T-A-X?
So we take money from the federal government that should’ve been returned, and used to pay down the deficit, and it goes for Skippy‘s pet projects. Let’s also remember that he raised property taxes more than anyone in my lifetime. For more Skippy projects. How much more of our money do you need to spend frivolously or give away, Skip?
Lol…what a crock…you high ass taxes at work.
Alston displays the predictable perspective of the liberal. For him, Guilford County means Guilford County government and its public sector. And so by his own Weltanschauung (sorry, I’ve been dying to use that word) Guilford County is indeed doing “very, very well”. The Parasitic Sector is rolling in money. They have more money than they know what to do with.
I can tell Alston that it’s a very, very different story for the citizens and families of Guilford county. I meet them face to face every day, and they are struggling to hold everything together.
But that is the signature of Leftism isn’t it? Public prosperity and private poverty.
Those who are riding in the wagon are doing just fine…. “very, very well” in fact.
The people who are pulling it are in dire straits.
Good Job Skip Good Job maybe our Republican Neighbors can learn a thing or two. But they will get to eat at the table that Guilford county sets for them so maybe no need to work hard!
Big City 54 and counting you know what I mean and it’s only September 21
So did he mention property taxes going down? Most likely not and most likely they won’t go down. Tanks skippy
Notice that Alston chose an all black jacket over an all black shirt for the big occasion. He also drives (or drove) a Chevrolet Corvette. What color do you think it is? It’s “triple black” – black paint, all black interior and black wheels.
Alston’s race is central to his identity, and he sees everything through a racial lens.
If questioned on this he’d deny it, but then he would, wouldn’t he?
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I had hoped that we were able to leave partisan racialism behind us in the 21st Century. Alston demonstrates that I was wrong.
Alston will never leave his racist attitude behind. He, like the majority of Blacks, will never leave their racist attitude behind because it is a benefit, and an excuse for failure. Any accomplishments by Alston is done with taxpayer money, and with bully tactics. Alston is a charlatan. The bond issue is not an accomplishment. It must be repaid with a high interest rate. Review future county budgets and see a greater and greater portion of the budget going to bond repayment. Alston uses certain tactics to get warm bodies to vote. Some politicians have gotten voting down to a science. The only people who will benefit from the bonds are the investors who purchased the bonds creating a tax free return. Aren’t Guilford politicians great? Bonds are the closest Guilford County will come to printing money.