There’s been a whole lot of fallout from the shooting at the Electric Tequila establishment earlier this month that left a slew of bullet casings on the ground and two women injured – and Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan has been very outspoken regarding the incident.
Kotis Properties, the landlord of the building on Battleground Avenue in Greensboro, is objecting to some remarks Vaughan made this week – arguing that the mayor is attempting to make a scapegoat out of the landlord.
At the Monday, Nov. 6 Greensboro City Council meeting Vaughan, while speaking of the shootout at Electric Tequila said: “I believe that the landlord finally cancelled the lease with Electric Tequila, but I believe that he did it for one reason and one reason only, and that was because he knew that we had all the reason we needed to declare them a nuisance. And when we declare a nuisance, it means that building can never have an ABC permit in it again, not for that owner or any other owner.”
Greensboro Attorney Chuck Winfree, representing Kotis Properties, said essentially that the mayor was purely speculating – and speculating incorrectly at that.
Winfree said it’s unusual for the landlord to comment in a situation like this, but added that it was necessary after Vaughan’s public statements.
“Out of respect for our tenants, we are not in the habit of discussing our business relationships with our Tenants with either the Mayor or the media,” read a Monday, Nov. 13 statement issued by Winfree after Vaughan made her comments. “However, we can confirm that we terminated the Electric Tequila’s possession of the premises following uncured defaults by the tenant, as provided by the lease.”
The statement continues: “We regret that the Mayor wishes to speculate about motivations. Just as we would not speculate that the Mayor’s scapegoating of Kotis Properties is driven by political concerns, we would hope that she would refrain from rhetorical excesses that impugn Kotis Properties. Unlike the City, which has police powers, a landlord in a lease is constrained by the terms of that lease, of which the City and the Mayor have very limited information.”
Vaughan was terse when asked her response to Kotis Properties’ reaction.
“I stand by my statement,” the mayor said.
Vaughan, who occasionally rides along with police to keep her hand on the pulse of the city, happened to be in a police car on a ride along the night of the shooting. She was at the scene not long after it happened.
The mayor said that, after witnessing the aftermath, she presumed the establishment would temporarily pause business while things got sorted out; however, the business was back up and running in no time.
Winfree noted in his November 13 statement that, “Kotis Properties has made important contributions to the City of Greensboro for over sixty years, including constructing the building in question that was completed 60 years ago. Kotis Properties is committed to fostering growth, opportunity, and safety within the City, and we stand ready to work with the City to achieve these important goals.”
What if someone gets shot outside a Harris Teeter? Would Mayor Nancy expect the landlord to instantly terminate Harris Teeter’s lease?
What do you think? When our govt shut down businesses during the pandemic; big box retailers like HT, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Target, Walgreen’s etc. were allowed open – with foot traffic.
If you are in, you are in; if not, you’re not.
Life is not fair; but our govt squares that precept.
Miller, haha…
MILLER FORESTER on November 7, 2023 at 7:06 PM
Rehab or jail. Or bus them to our sanctuary city: CHapel Hill.
This was his comment about unhoused people in Greensboro. Clearly a person that cares about this city and its residents regardless of their situation. His suggestion is to institutionalize them all?!?!
“Unhoused” = Homeless
I’m here to help, folks.
Point taken. What do you suggest? What are you doing about it? Are we just expecting that money extorted from us by our local govt, who should address these problems, thereby relieving us of the responsibility? My point is that our local govt is responsible for these problems.
Good point. Nancy must have a short memory. An armed transport guard was murdered outside of the Old Navy store at Friendly Shopping center back n 2008. No mention of “public nuisance” or comments about the landlord.
ken…if you remember correctly, that guard was approached and murdered Outside of Old Navy. What did Old Navy or the landlord have to do with that? There was a full blown western style shoot out that night between idiots shooting blindly with no regard for all the people that were there that night.
But the shooters were outside in the parking lot what could the bar owner or landlord possibly do to stop that you and lord nancy are such morons
So is Nancy saying landlords can’t rent to clubs, or clubs with a certain clientele?
Vaughn is nothing but a loudmouth liberal democrat. She wouldn’t know the difference between a horseshoe and a horse’s a$$
I believe the phrase that you were looking for was “takes umbrage” –not “Takes Umbridge”. Don’t know what “Umbridge” is unless it is a small village somewhere in the British Isles.
In the view of this Mayor and this Council, the criminals are all victims, and the taxpayers are the perpetrators.
I have spoken out repeatedly about NC Landlord Authority with virtually unlimited powers and each time I do I’m met with deaf ears. Nancy, stay out of this just as you’ve stayed out of every unethical eviction that occurs in this city. All you do is pass the buck to the police and they, in turn, reply with, “I’m not sure I can assist you.” Well, who is sure?
The mayor should not bark quite so loudly. Until she and the liberal east greensboro council members accept that they are the problem due to intentionally defunding the police, wasting tax payer dollars on frivolous council member pet projects that show no positives, only $900k of waste. Until she and her liberal cohorts put a stop to the pipeline of homeless coming here for the handouts, nothing will change. You voted in this mess which is only going to get worse and cost more. It’s your tax dollars and only you can change the way your money is spent. If you’re happy with the direction this once nice city is heading, then keep on voting the same power hungry liberals into office. If you are scared to go out at night then thank your city council if you feel unsafe. It’s your vote…use it wisely.
I fault the voters of Greensboro for continuing to re-elect this grossly incompetent buffoon.
What Nancy? Aren’t these people your kind of people?
A part of me says shut them all down. What good comes from any establishment that serves alcohol, plays loud music, and has obnoxious lighting? But then my inner Libertarian says it’s free enterprise. Just stop responding to calls for police altogether and let whatever happens happen at these establishments. Eventually the business owners and customers will grow tired of the drama and find a way to end it.
These Democrats seem think government involvement is the solution to everything. Government isn’t the answer, it’s a large part of the problem. Reagan explained it clearly when he was in office & one would think Vaughan is too old to be this dumb.
Mandate Mayor wants all entertainment to go thru city owned entities…..that are immune to her proposed onerous and ridiculous “nightclub and bar” proposals.
Nanny Nancy needs to go. Vote her out at the next election.
I honestly think that whatever did happen started at Havana Phil’s and spilled over to neighboring businesses.
It seems to me that this is a direct result of the city’s actions over the years of criticizing police and allowing a certain set of citizens to criticize police on an ongoing basis for trying to maintain order. This has caused and continues to cause a shortage of police officers and endangers everyone in the city. Police are more heavily concentrated in other areas of the city where even more shootings, stabbings, and beatings occur. Many of these higher crime areas happen also to be where the city or its funded subsidiaries are the “landlords”. Perhaps they should implement the same policies for their properties as they have expected of Kotis Properties….and/or pay the police officers adequately to fully staff the force.
oh sure…it’s the landlord…certainly not the culture of a demographic that votes for Dems to get all-free-everything….
Geesh repubs or whatever you call yourself…THIS INCIDENT WAS A FULL BLOWN WESTERN MOVIE SHOOTOUT BETWEEN IDIOTS BLINDLY SENDING BULLETS EVERYWHERE!! Did anyone actually watch the videos??
Aahhh…and of course you repubs HAVE to say “certain people”, “specific clientele”, “East Greensboro”…get off your racist elephant and just say what you REALLY mean!! MOVE yourself to a field, desert, mountain top, HELL another country might be even better!
Educate yourself about the history of this city. Pull up a satellite view of this city and its “districts” and “lines” and creeks and zip codes…Just because your zip code may be 27410, 27455, 27358, 27409 does not give you a High Chair to sit in and disregard and disrespect those of us that do not or CHOOSE not to live where you do.
You can’t choose to live where we live, there’s nothing FREE in our neighborhoods.
Mayor Vaughn gave an opinion, it was not proven as fact. Facts should determine administrative actions; not opinions and speculation.
When I was a kid, “umbrage” was place where you went to do things you weren’t supposed to.
Regardless of zip code, the behavior of the residents determines what happens in that zip code. If there is an inordinate amount of crime committed in a certain zip code, it is not the address but the people living there committing the crime.