With election day a week away, it was no surprise that the campaign raised its ugly head at the Greensboro City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 19.
The two mayoral candidates, Mayor Nancy Vaughan and District 3 City Councilmember Justin Outling, have been having a back and forth on recusals during the campaign.
Vaughan has made the point that because Outling is a partner at the Brooks Pierce law firm, he frequently has to recuse himself from votes because of the involvement of his firm.
Outling has responded that most of the recusals are for routine matters on the consent agenda that pass 8-0-1 when he is recused and it wouldn’t make any difference if instead they passed 9-0.
But as Vaughan notes, Outling has also had to recuse himself from all the many votes and discussions having to do with the Toyota battery plant coming to the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite and about Boom Supersonic coming to the Piedmont Triad International Airport.
Outling, in a campaign email, has questioned Vaughan’s failure to ask to be recused on matters that involve companies where her “significant other” worked.
When asked about that accusation, Vaughan said that she had privately asked City Attorney Chuck Watts if she could be recused from votes because her ‘boyfriend’ did parttime consulting work for the company and according to Vaughan, Watts said, “No.”
However, at the Tuesday, July 19 meeting, after Outling had asked to be recused from four votes concerning the water and sewer extension to the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite, Vaughan asked publicly about being recused.
Vaughan said, “Mr. City Attorney, you and I had discussed earlier that my ‘boyfriend’ is a parttime consultant for Davis, Martin and Powell Associates, and we talked about whether or not I would need to recuse myself from this item and your answer was?”
City Attorney Chuck Watts responded, “No.”
State law requires members of the City Council to vote on matters, unless they have a direct financial interest and have to be recused. In other words, a member of the City Council, unlike other elected officials, cannot simply choose not to vote. If they are present and are not recused they must vote, and if they refuse to cast a vote, their vote is recorded as a yes vote.
Write In Chris Meadows for Mayor. I HAVE NO CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS. http://www.chrismeadows4greensboro.com
The conflict of interest is a distraction from their awful policy of raising taxes by 30% during the worst inflation seen in decades. Vote Chris Meadows!
One would think that as long as these 2 individuals have been on Council, they would know the rules.
Obviously NOT!
I sure hope Chris Meadows pulls this out of a hat, but not optimistic that we won’t have the same group of worthless councilmembers after next week.
How about we leave the bickering about conflicts of interest behind and elect Chris Meadows mayor? He has no conflicts that would engender such a conversation.
Write in Chris Meadows for Mayor to end this nonsense.
This is why people should vote for a non-partisan, non-conflicted Mayoral Candidate Write In, Chris Meadows.
The issue of conflict isn’t just with the mayoral candidates but with council members themselves who sit on non profit boards and yet still vote on funding for non-profits including their own (yes, I am talking about Johnson). So when Mr. Meadows said he was not in favor of closed council meetings, he earned my vote!
What does Chuck Watts know? He has been wrong before. On information and belief, he is not abiding by the terms of his city contract, which called for him to move to Greensboro by December 2019 and yet still does not live on Greensboro. Will City Council void his contract, as they should? No. Why trust Chuck Watts? Why trust Nancy Vaughn? Vote for Chris Meadows, write-in candidate and at-large candidate, Katie Rossabi.
The best solution for the good of the GSO tax payer is that neither become Mayor. They both have too many irons in the fire. Write in Chris Meadows for mayor!
Also vote Katie Rossabi, Tony Wilkins and Thurston Reeder for council.
Problem solved: Chris Meadows, write-in candidate Mayor GSO 2022
Now boys & girls, you need to behave.
Solve the problem by not voting for either of these candidates. You have the option of a write in candidate which will be better for Greensboro.
Conservative write-in candidate Chris Meadows has absolutely NO such conflicts of interest. He’s also in favor of lower taxes and more responsible spending of your tax dollars .
Please spread the word, and get out to vote for Chris Meadows for mayor.
That is why NEITHER NEED TO BE MAYOR!! Elect Mark Meadows (Write In) And while I am at it….Vote for Phil Byrd for Sheriff!
No question. Phil Byrd has my vote come November.
Whoops I meant to say CHRIS MEADOWS FOR MAYOR, (WRITE IN)!!!!
Write in Chris Meadows.
Spread the word for a vote for Chris Meadows and Katie Rossabi. We can do this.
And Tony Wilkins
If you watched the mayoral debate between Vaughn and Outing all Outing wanted to talk about is the disparity between East and West Greensboro. WOW, now does he have his priority right? Pleaseeeee!