When the Guilford County commissioners voted on the fiscal 2025-2026 budget on Wednesday, July 18, some items had to be voted on separately because, while Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston could vote on the overall budget, he could not legally vote on one budget measure on which he had a conflict of interest.
Alston, who co-founded the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in downtown Greensboro, had to recuse himself when the board approved giving $200,000 to the museum.
The money is meant to help the museum at 134 S. Elm St. pay for the 2022 purchase of the former First Citizens Bank building next door as well as the purchase of the rest of that entire downtown block.
The $200,000 is part of a series of big payments from the county to the museum over the years to help implement the museum’s big plans.
The museum is housed in the Woolworth’s building where four A&T students conducted a sit-in at an all-white lunch counter and started a movement of sit-in protests that took place across the South in 1960.
The civil rights museum is hoping to expand greatly and become a UNESCO World Heritage Site and join company with the Grand Canyon and Statue of Liberty. Those sites are recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Currently there are only two dozen sites in the US that have been designated World Heritage sites.
Museum officials say the site of the historic 1960 Sit-in in downtown Greensboro can become the 25th one.
Alston, as a co-founder of the museum who serves on its board, could not legally take part in the vote Wednesday night, so, despite being chairman, he didn’t conduct that part of the meeting nor did he vote on the item. Vice Chair Carlvena Foster ran the meeting for that moment.
The giant county budget was adopted by the board in a separate vote soon after the museum money was approved.
The purchase of the property and building next door cost just over $10 million and the museum is undertaking renovations that will cost millions more.
In 2022, the Board of Commissioners gave $1 million to the museum and “committed” to giving the museum another million over a five-year period. Past boards cannot commit future boards and this is a different board so the commissioners could have voted otherwise. However, Alston, the most powerful Democratic leader in Guilford County, almost always gets what he wants. In the past the Guilford County Board of Commissioners has gone back on commitments made by previous boards plenty of times.
However, at the June 18 meeting, they continued to make good on that promise.
Alston said last year at budget time of the money going from the county’s taxpayers to the museum he co-founded: “This is to pay down on the mortgage for the building we purchased last year. Since the commissioners approved a five-year commitment last year, we just had to reauthorize it again this year for this budget.”
As long as Alston is in charge, future boards will continue to give the museum $200,000 a year three more times.
Once again, this proves the majority of county commissioners are afraid to disagree with Skip. It’s time the citizens of Guilford County put an end to the emperor vis the ballot box.
I’ve often wondered what actually would happen if a democrat didn’t go along with whatever Skippy “Da Kingfish” Alston wanted….
Skip Alston plans to remain as Chairman of Guilford County Commissioners until certain Woolworth Museum events are realized. I say remain because his reelection as a County Commissioner is inevitable. His District 8 will continue to re-elect him. If one of the criteria for inclusion into UNESCO World Heritage Site is interest, support, and the number of yearly visitors to the Woolworth Museum, the Museum will fail to be included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is only one UNESCO World Heritage Site in NC and that one is shared with TN: The Great Smokey Mountains with over 11 million visitors yearly. Skip Alston is a bully, that’s how he gets what he wants. Open the financial books and the visitor logs to the public, after all it is the taxpayers’ money and the corporate donations that are keeping the museum afloat. Alston has a long reach but probably not long enough to reach the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. How does the Museum compare to the Great Wall of China (10 million visitors yearly,) the Taj Mahal (8 million visitors yearly,) Versailles (7.5 million visitors yearly,) and the Forbidden City (14 million visitors yearly?)
I agree. I support the idea of the museum but can’t see how it would ever qualify as a World Heritage site given the relative low traffic of visitors to the site. It doesn’t even attract enough visitors to supoort itself.
Skip is delusional about this just the same as he is that people will ever vote for a slaes tax increase.
Yes, you’re right. Skip has a need to be the person in front of the camera, all of the time. The City of Greensboro (and Commissioners) have been giving him money for a long time and my guess is it’s more of a shakedown, that is, giving him our tax dollars to keep him off of their backs. He is the epitome of what you don’t want in government.
Agree
I’m going out on a limb and say less than 5-600 paying visitors a year, If skip was to be honest but we all know that’s never going to happen.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was under 500 per year after you exclude the school field trips.
I’m shocked…SHOCKED to find this out.
How dare people imply Chairman Alston could be involved in something like…….like…..OK, I can’t do this anymore.
Once again we have been presented with an excellent reason for term limits in local government, not that that would help much. But then again, I’m really not surprised.
Pay those taxes peasants. Don’t stand in the way of progress.
Even if Skip was not elected for another term, his minions would still follow his wishes and he’d be the backroom czar calling all the shots in east Greensboro, kind of like the “Mob” in large cities such as Chicago, New York etc.
More piss into the wind waste for a racists joke of a museum.
What is racist about a museum that marks Greensboro’s historic role in civil rights? Sure it was sold on a false promise of being self funding but that doesn’t justify the label of racist?
Weird
It is amazing that the world is struggling financially, a lot of the people trying to provide food for their families, pay taxes, and the Idiots in Greensboro giving $200,000 for a stupid museum that only certain people care about.
A World Heritage Site? Only Skip Alston could have an ego that big.
this international ‘attraction’ can’t attract people who pass it often let alone tourist travelers. sort of like old bottle or hubcap museums in the middle of nowhere.
We’d better be careful here or there might be a tax increase.
No need for care. We are going to get one regardless. So, look at the good side. In the old days it was “forgivable loans” (that were always forgiven) for millions. $200,000 per year is real moderation, especially when you take inflation into account. (You know, the inflation that will get you a 50% tax increase next year)
If Skip Alston thinks his museum is going to be such a big draw, why doesnt he ask some of the rich philanthropists in this city snd state to donate instead of taking taxpayer money?
The rich philanthropists want to stay as far away from Skip as possible. It’s about the optics of being friends with Skip, and they would be front page news if they did. . .so they’re smart enough to know when a fish starts to smell bad.
People welcome to Blacksboro not Greensboro!!!!!!!
Mr. Yost, In reviewing the Wednesday “budget meeting” (I watch them via television so I can fast forward through certain parts, or rewind) the vote was split by a 7-2 margin was it not? Republicans Perdue and Tillman opposed it. It seems you would report these sorts of specifics for your readers so the fuller context is provided. You do a great job but I suspect Conservatives might appreciate seeing how all Commissioners vote on all issues large and small
1Summerfield you are right. I should certainly have included that vote count especially on a budget vote. I was trying to get the story out quickly and not including it was just an oversight. But, yes, Perdue and Tillman voted no on this budget and the seven Democrats voted yes.
I’m not sure public money ( citizens tax dollars) should be going to a 501C (tax free) corporation. I really don’t care what the 501c represents it’s not something our tax money should be going to unless you want to add a percentage sales tax that everyone could vote on. If people will not vote yes for a sales tax to support schools it’s highly certain that they would not support this as well. The bottom line is is we don’t have the money to contribute to any thing that can’t support itself.
What a continuing waste of taxpayers money. What kind of traffic do they have there?
They have absolutely no traffic except for the schools when the schools do field trips. And the only reason the schools do it is because the County commissioners demand it as part of giving them tax money. That museum is dead as a doornail most days of the week. It is nothing but a joke. Nobody cares about it. Nobody wants to go see it or hear about it. Because everybody already knows about it. We respect the sit-in and what the 4 did. That’s not even an issue. But Skippy acts like our building is the only one where that happened. It is not. The sit-in movement happened all over the United states. This joke of a museum will never be a world heritage site. I don’t care what Skippy boy does or who he sleeps with, it is never going to happen. Everyone knows it’s a joke and a money pit. They can’t pay their bills. They beg local businesses to either give them stuff for free or give them a giant discount. They act like that museum is so important to the country. It’s not! It never will be! Just because Skippy is in charge of it don’t mean that it’s important. Everybody knows what skip-boy is anyway. He’s a joke. His non-profits are a joke. His museum is a joke.
It’s not about the traffic of visitors to the “museum”, it’s about the dollars going into Skip’s pocket since he owns it. For those who think giving money to Skip is OK, I’m reminded of the oft quoted saying which is “a fool and his money are soon parted.”
that would be nice to know, should be easy to know, is certainly known by every similar ‘operation’ with eyes on ‘the door’. how much help$ did the natural science museum get with their big attendance & amazing exhibits & no ‘indoctrination’ ?
that would be nice to know, should be easy to know, is certainly known by every similar ‘operation’ with eyes on ‘the door’. how much help$ did the natural science museum get with their big attendance & amazing exhibits sans ‘indoctrination’ ?
So well stated Scott “Guilford County Commissioners Give Civil Rights Museum $200,000”. No accountability, no expectations, just keeping on throwing Guilford County Taxpayer’s Money away. If we had a Greensboro City Council, Guilford County Board of Commissioners, and Guilford County Voters with the least bit of wisdom, foresight, and leadership a Guilford County Historical Museum would be built downtown incorporating the International Civil Rights Museum and the Greensboro Historical Museum into one entity. The Greensboro Historical Museum has been run very professionally and responsibly for years! I understand they only have room to display 50% of their historical Guilford County artifacts. Just think about all the significant contributors to Greensboro and Guilford County that could be honored here?
Julian Price
The Cone Family
The Sternberger’s
Dr. George Simpkins
The Greensboro Four
The Richardson Family
Astronaut Ronald McNair
J. Spencer Love
The Benjamin Family
These are just a few of the heroes that have made this City Great!
Excuse me, also should have been included in my list of Guilford County significant contributors are:
Joe Bryan
The LeBauer Family
Jim Melvin
And many others!
Does anyone here remember the kids’ TV show “Skippy the Bush Kangaroo”?
Aussie…?
do u remember diver dan ?
Is anyone really surprised about this? This is just yet one more way for Skip away with your money Alston to put money in his pocket! His head over that museum so where do you think that money is going? In. His. Pocket. We all know it. He must have one hell of a power bill on that travesty of a house he built with museum money. Skippy is nothing but a thief and everybody in Guilford County knows it. I don’t know how he keeps getting elected. It truly makes no sense because everybody knows exactly what that man is. And I use the term man extremely loosely. He is a crook. He is a nightmare. He is a con man. That money pit of a joke of a museum is nothing but a way for him to put money in his pocket. I hate to break it to you Skippy boy but that museum will never be a world heritage site because it’s a freaking joke! Nobody but nobody wants to go to that travesty of a place. It is a slap in the face of the 4 that sat there! Every time you steal money from that place you are slapping them in the face. Nobody goes to that joke of a museum. The only reason people go is because Skippy boy blackmails them into it. The only reason the schools go is because the County commissioners make them. None of these kids are interested in that museum. None of the adults in Guilford County are interested in that museum. Nobody but nobody but nobody is interested in that so called museum. All it is is a money pit and yet one more way for Skippy to steal money from the taxpayers. There has to be a way we can prevent our money from being used for that. There has to be a way we can demand they can’t use our hard-earned money for that so-called joke museum or those so-called joke nonprofits. There can’t be a legal way they can just do things like this. I’m really wish I was an attorney so I could find out about this and understand it. There has to be a way this crap can be stopped!
I suggest that everyone reaches out to the White House for an investigation of skin and these crooked commissioners. I have done that and overshoot as well so there can be some accountability for our taxpayer money that is getting squandered.
busing public school kids to it is abuse ? do they get a vote or other choices ?
Before giving money to NGOs and non-profits, the commissioner should consider that their actions have caused Guilford County Reserves to fall below what the State considers to be a proper reserve level. The commissioners recently entered into a bank loan for 2 plus million dollars to buy vehicles for the sheriffs department and other county agencies. They could have used this non-profit and NGO money to rebuild the county reserves or purchase needed vehicles. The commissioners have now entered into a deficit spending program this year and are hoping that the future will be better since the re-evaluation of property has taken place. Chances are the county will not be revenue neutral during the next tax season. They will continue their spending spree for NGO groups, use the money to pay back the interest on the taxpayer approved bonds, and make payments on the vehicle bank loan. They will probably not try to pay off the vehicle bank loan early because their excuse will be that they have to rebuild the county reserves to the state expected level.
Just think. If the commissioners had not voted to give the museum $1,000.000.00 in 2022 and another $200,000.00 annually for an additional 5 years, the commissioners would have had enough funding to purchase all of the county vehicles in 2025. They would not have had to get a bank loan for these vehicles and pay interest over the life of the loan from the bank.
This reminds me of the old days when Duke let all the local kids into their home football games free so there would be someone in the stands. Maybe they still do.
The museum has a “need”, according to our govt. We pay for it. See next years’ tax bill. I can’t come up with an adjective to reflect my disgust with all this. By the day, I grow more happy to have chosen to avoid Guilford County.
Our local voters are responsible for this, or just those who bothered to show up.
I don’t think many people read this forum, or the Fishwrap. They get their news from the media & social networks.
Close the doors for a year and see what sort of outcry occurs. Place the service counter and stools in the front glass window for all to see. It won’t please everyone but what does? Let everyone view the historic assets at no charge but allow the history to remain and carry on.
what a heroic story – they persevered & got that hot dog ! skip’s hot dog no good ? did he give up that business or just fail ?