Senate Bill 722, which postpones municipal elections in cities including Greensboro that elect councilmembers from districts, has passed the state Senate and state House.
It is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper this week.
If Cooper signs the bill, the Greensboro City Council elections for the five district city councilmembers will be postponed, with the primary held March 8, 2022, at the same time as the primary for state and county offices.
However, the bill provides the City Council with the option of going ahead and holding the election for the mayor and the three at-large councilmembers in October and November this year as scheduled.
If the City Council votes to go with that option, the election for mayor and at-large councilmembers would be held this fall and the five district City Council seats would not be up for election until March 2022. So the seats held by Mayor Nancy Vaughan and At-large City Councilmembers Yvonne Johnson, Marikay Abuzuaiter and Michelle Kennedy would be up for election in November. The seats held by District 1 City Councilmember Sharon Hightower, District 2 City Councilmember Goldie Wells, District 3 City Councilmember Justin Outling, District 4 City Councilmember Nancy Hoffmann and District 5 City Councilmember Tammi Thurm would not be up for election until the spring of 2022.
Outling has announced he is running for mayor, so in this scenario he would be running in November and the candidates running for his District 3 City Council seat would run in March 2022.
This kind of split City Council election would add even more variables to what is already a confusing scenario.
Voter turnout for City Council elections have traditionally been extremely poor, with less than 20 percent of the eligible voters casting a ballot in the election. If the election is split, it is hard to imagine that taking five races off the ballot would do anything but reduce voter turnout.
Vaughan, who has announced she is running for reelection as mayor, said, “I think the council needs to run together.”
An item on the City Council election is on the agenda for the June 15 City Council meeting, so the decision on when that election will be held could be determined at that meeting, ending months of speculation.
Nancy do not delay the inevitable- let your election be held in November! Councilwoman Johnson and Kennedy elections shall also be held in November. Councilwoman Johnson should be required to return all money from the cure for Violence inefficient program to the citizens of Greensboro so we the police department can obtain more police vehicles to park on the East side per councilwoman Hightower’s request.
Confusing and risk of low turn-out are reasons for the Mayor and at-large candidates to get an extra 6 months in office? What a joke. Every election has the risk of being confusing and having low turnout. Progressives and conservatives should be able to unite on this one. Politicians whose districts are not impacted by redistricting should not be able to give themselves a free 6 months in office.
This is a mess,yes? But shedding Vaughan as soon as possible is worth the trouble.
You can’t make this stuff up.North Carolina should be a mini series.
You really think they will vote to split the election? H no. They have already had a secret meeting or private phone calls to make this happen. So if we have an election in March when 29 people vote expect more of the same. Maybe they can hold off on public comments for another year. Counting days until I can get out of this whole state.
“A secret meeting or private phone calls”
You mean the GOP state legislature passing?
Yes Name Star. I know you think I’m a Republican but I’m not. I’m a libertarian. I consistently disagree with how things are run in Raleigh on the state level. The state legislature should not have voted to delay any elections. In the underworld of politics there are no Democrats or Republicans. Only those who are in concert with keeping power.
I didn’t assume anything about you Mary. I pointed out that this was passed by a GOP legislature and not taking place in “secret meetings”. You can identify as whatever type of political witchcraft you prefer, but laws are not passed in secret meetings, they are voted on publicly by our representatives. Everyone should Keep that in mind when you think about who you vote for next time. Look at voting records like voting against a stimulus package followed by behavior to take credit for that same stimulus package that passed in spite of your representatives opposition. Or saying on Thursday “back the blue” and on Friday voting against a bill to honor Capitol Police because they were “lying in wait” and “executed” very good citizens.
I’m calling it as I see it – the GOP passed that bill and don’t forget it.
Oh Nancy…I’m sure you would LOVE to run together. What you don’t get is alot of us (The citizens of Greensboro) are sick and tired of your lame excuses about why YOU can’t perform for the people that voted for you. And Ms. Johnson if you can’t explain EXACTY who benefited from YOUR program and explain how their life has improved for them and the taxpayers why in the world you you think you should receive MORE MONEY? Sorry to go on a rant here BUT I CAN’T DO IN PERSON AT A PUBLIC FORUM.