Summerfield Mayor BJ Barnes said this week that he’s exasperated by the negativity that’s constantly coming from former Summerfield Mayor Gail Dunham and other well-known critics of the town’s current leadership.
Barnes said the constant criticism detracts from Summerfield’s image and causes unfounded division in the town of about 11,000 people.
This week, three town employees who worked at the town’s Saturday, Nov. 20 Christmas tree lighting celebration tested positive for COVID-19 after the event – and Dunham criticized the town’s handling of the situation and warned the ceremony could turn into a “super-spreader” event.
Barnes said that was a typical type of alarmist and hyperbolic criticism that always comes from Dunham and a group of her political allies in Summerfield.
He said that the group of naysayers are constant critics and are always trying to stir up baseless fears about things like a town water system for fire protection, a proposed extra-territorial jurisdiction around the town, and potential tweaks to planning and development ordinances.
“They are always saying this may happen, or this could happen – this may lead to uncontrolled development or this could turn out to be a super-spreader event,” he said.
Barnes said it’s highly regrettable that the group stirs up some of the town residents and creates fear where there should be unity and cooperation. The mayor said the highly negative energy hurts the town’s image and hinders the current leadership’s efforts to move the town forward in a positive and unified way. He said it’s hard to bring the town together when one group is constantly on the attack using deceptive statements, fear-mongering and outright lies.
Barnes said it’s regrettable that several town employees tested positive for COVID-19 after the recent tree lighting ceremony.
“It was an outdoor event and the town has been taking the same COVID-19 precautions as everyone else,” Barnes said.
He also said the town followed the county’s mask mandate when it was adopted this summer and the town does things like make hand sanitizer readily available at public meetings and other events and offers masks to those who don’t have one.
He also said that the virus tests failed by some town employees at the event were home tests and that it was even possible those could have been false positives.
He said new results from more accurate tests are on the way.
“I hugged one of them and I’m fine,” Barnes said of an employee at the tree lighting who had tested positive.
Barnes said the coronavirus is something to be concerned about, but that Dunham’s “super-spreader” remark was way over the top.
BJ: Just recognize that loud mouths do not represent the citizens and do nothing to provide positive input. They simply talk and talk out of both ends of their bodies. Keep up the good work and do not get discouraged. This is the type of people that are simply detractors and are not part of the solutions.
The group that Barnes demonizes absolutely do not live in fear, nor do they spread negativity. They want their community to remain the same serene bucolic village that it is, and always has been. That’s why they chose to live here. Are their rights and wishes worthless?
Do they fear the wholesale development that Barnes desires? Yes, of course they do! Hey, if you want to live in Greensboro, it’s just down the road.
Why don’t you go live there, BJ?
It suits you.
Mr. Morris,
If you want serene & bucolic, you better move. I live south of Whitsett, I was raised where I live at & we are going on our 5th generation. I’ve seen traffic go from 5 John Deere’s ad to 600-800 vehicles a day. Guilford county is growing whether you or me want it to. Mt. Hope Church road east to the county line will be the new ORD. So just wait it will happen to you too, once the taxes get raised again to pay for the new bonds.
Oh I know. You’re right. When I chose Greensboro out of the whole US, arriving at UNC-G in 1983, it was a beautiful small Southern town of 155,000 (1980 census). No crime, no traffic, no problems. An Indian (Asia) friend of mine was once decrying Southerners as uneducated hillbillies as we drove off campus. So I conducted a little experiment to demonstrate to him how civil and considerate these people were. As we waited at Tate St and Lee Street the light changed to green, and as the front car I refused to move, keeping my foot on the brake pedal. “Watch this, Calvin”.
Not a single person behind me blew their horn. “Bloody hell man, we’re not in Bombay!”. Nor Leeds.
That’s how decent and classy the people of Greensboro were.
It wouldn’t happen today, would it?
We don’t have to encourage the debasement and destruction of our communities, however inevitable it might be.
I moved to Greensboro around the same time 1988 for the same reason. Go Spartans! But I disagree on the crime perspective as many of my friends had their cars broken into as car radios where hot items back in those days. It got so, many friends worked out deals to park their cars at friends apartment buildings where they had an extra space.
That was also the era of crack cocain and petty theft was a big issues across Greensboro but especially around the college communities as cars were left alone for extended periods of time.
I never heard of any such problems, and I parked my Chevy Nova on Oakland Avenue where it sat for a week at a time without moving (just drove at weekends).
Crime is much worse in today’s Greensboro.
Mayor Barnes is absolutely right. We’ve been hearing Gail Dunham and her friends do nothing but complain for YEARS! I swear not one positive word comes out of her mouth, or Don Wendelken. If you are so unhappy just move. Is there anything you can be positive about? That said, why weren’t Town Employees vaccinated against Covid? They interact with the citizens every single day. They should have been vaccinated.
Mr. Barnes said –
“He also said the town followed the county’s mask mandate when it was adopted this summer, and the town does things like make hand sanitizer readily available at public meetings and other events and offers masks to those who don’t have one.”
Quoting Mr. Barnes, I would say his comment “is an outright lie.”
A local search of news in Summerfield shows the mayor and council ignoring the mask mandate from Guilford County at their 11/9/21 meeting talking about the ETJ; the county said no way with a 9-0 vote.
See video – https://youtu.be/4Gqgiz7JnHM
“Shaking my head”, an observation of Mr. Alston at a Co. Commission meeting I attended in August had him wearing his mask uselessly on his chin. So, since he was the one pushing for mask use and failed to follow his own mandate; it’s no big deal to me if Mayor Barns compliance didn’t happen to meet your criteria.
I was only pointing out the hypocrisy of what Mr. Barnes said.
BJ just needs to sit down and shutup!! I think Guilford Co. and its citizens have seen and heard enough of this right wing wingnut. Just go and enjoy your retirement and quit stirring up unnecessary bs. Go on with your life and let the rest of us enjoy ours. This is NOT your town and it needs to stay this way.Enough is enough from you.
Now now Stevie just calm down or you may have a stroke. BJ for governor
Which is worse; a “right wing wingnut”, or a “left wing poo-bah”.
I believe they are from the same .
Would you believe that Gail Dunham just may be a Demo-cray.Their belief is that all Republicans are bad and no redeeming value.They can’t look at data about where the Covid was contractedLook at the number of people attending football games.I am not hearing of any super spredder Covid person at these games.Also statistics do indicate that it’s almost impossible to spread Covid in the outdoors.She could be sore because she is still mad because BJ and the locals Fired her.This is just her way to show her true nature of using the media to show her Stupidity.You Go BJ and run Summerfield as you did as sheriff of Guilford County.
I agree. Early on during the peak of the pandemic, my daughter was exposed during an outdoor church event. We discussed with our family doctor and he stated that we should not be worried as being outdoor was a ‘game changer’ when it comes to transmission of the covid virus. He was right. Although she was around her friend without a mask for over 2 hours she did not become infected.
As always. If you have concerns about the virus, speak with your local doctor.
The annual tree lighting event is wonderful and a time for so many children and their families to enjoy the music and have photos taken with a very nice Santa and Mrs. Claus, treats to eat, gather together for smores and more. Town manager Scott Whitaker reported on Tuesday that they learned on Monday that FOUR town staff tested POSITIVE for COVID after the town event. Posted on facebook and town website and maybe he hoped that with Thanksgiving on Thursday people would not notice that those who attended were not safe. Looks like “lame duck mayor” BJ Barnes wanted it a secret too and Barnes resorts to demonizing those who feel the safety of our families and children is most important and he sees no problem with FOUR town staff postive for covid. I personally enjoyed the community event in the past and especially watching the children have so much fun — and it was always a very ‘together” event. Shame on Whitaker, BJ and town officials who think FOUR TOWN STAFF POSITIVE COVID at the event was ok “because maybe they were not serving food.”
Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Event
Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 5:30 PM
Join us for Summerfield’s Christmas Tree Lighting Event!
There will be carols by Northwest High School Honors Vocal Ensemble, a performance by Bella Ballerina dancers, light food, drinks, S’mores by a cracklin’ bonfire, and Santa & Mrs. Claus!!! This free event is at our Athletic Park (5200 US-220N).
Please join the Town and Summerfield Merchants Association in collecting food for the Backpack Buddy Program and the Northwest Guilford Area Backpack Ministry Program. These programs work directly with local schools in helping families in need. We will be collecting canned vegetables (14.5 oz); canned fruit (14.5 oz); canned ravioli (15 ox); canned tuna (5 oz); pork & beans (15 oz); spaghetti sauce (can only, no glass); mac-n-cheese (7.25 oz box); Knorr Pasta Sides (4.5 oz pouch); microwave popcorn; crunchy or chewy granola bars; and peanut butter crackers.
So sorry to learn last Tuesday before Thanksgiving that FOUR of the ten town employees tested positive for COVID.
One employee who had been off the week before was apparently the only employee considered safe to be in the office for those three days. Town needed a much better policy during the pandemic to keep staff, those who do town business, and the children and families that attended the town Christmas Tree Lighting SAFE.
You mean the nattering nay-bob naysayers?
Truth that FOUR town staff of 10 employees tested POSITIVE For covid, that we know of, and BJ Barnes and manager and Tim Sessoms and elected officials support BJ Barnes hyper-criticism — they think it is OK and no one should complain!
They just did not want you to know!
Only one town employee who was out of the office the week before appears was safe enough to work in the town office for Thanksgiving week. Why was Scott Whitaker at home? Town staff, and all who visit town hall for business or meetings, and children and adults who attend town event should all be SAFE. And concern for everyone’s safety during this pandemic should not result in hate-filled personal political attacks.
Exactly!
Well said.
Gail you and Nancy p. Should get together I think you’d make a nice couple.
Wow Gail. You need to wake up. Statistically, the flu is more deadly than Covid. Covid is just an excuse to have control over the people and was created for the vaccines. Nurses all over are whistleblowing how the protocols and vaccines are killing people, not Covid itself. Ridiculous. You and others are pushing fear for a virus with a survival rate of over 99%. The vaccinated are superspreaders. Be concerned with that. Florida has the lowest Covid rates and they have no mask mandate or vaccine mandates. Israel is freaking out due to their over the top Covid rates and they are almost all mostly vaccinated! Open your eyes!
Statistically you are a fool. Covid is far more deadly than the annual flu.
In the US alone, COVID-19 has caused nearly 45 million confirmed illnesses and more than 726,000 deaths. In comparison, the estimated annual burden of the flu in the US is between nine million and 41 million illnesses, and 12,000–52,000 deaths each year.
In case you are not good at math, that is a death rate 16x higher for covid than the flu. Sure, covid only has a 1.6% chance of death but also note the hospitalization rate for covid is 20x higher for covid and has put a real stress on our healthcare system (AND THAT INCLUDES THE RESTRICTIONS).
But that if you think 750k dead versus 50k dead is no big deal or that you think hospital stress hasn’t impact many more lives, you are a fool. Statistically speaking of course.
How about you open your eyes and use a little compassion for others and do you part to help put this pandemic behind us and stop with the lies and misinformation.