Mayor Nancy Vaughan wants to set aside a separate fund for minority owned and led businesses and nonprofits from the $56.6 million American Relief Act money.
But her plan may have hit a bump in the road to her plan to distribute some American Rescue Plan money based on race.
Vaughan went over her plan again at the work session on Tuesday, May 11. She said the money would be in the form of grants, not loans, and would only go to “minority owned and led businesses” and later added “nonprofits and businesses.”
Vaughan said, “The idea would be that we don’t make the awards, there would be a panel similar to the community resource board, so that there would be other people who would make them on our behalf.”
Councilmember Sharon Hightower suggested that $1 million might not be enough for minority owned and led businesses and also said, “A lot of these don’t want to go through all the hoopla to get $10,000 or $25,000 and make them get an audit that costs $10,000 and that’s unnecessary.”
Vaughan said that the plan would require the businesses to complete a “financial literacy” program before they could get the money and they would have to report back on how the money was spent.
City Councilmember Justin Outling, who is running against Vaughan for mayor, suggested that there were some problems with the legality of giving money to people based on their race. Outling is a partner in the Brooks Pierce law firm.
Outling said, “There have been increased discussions about providing grant moneys and other things to persons or businesses in accordance with their race.”
Outling added, “As an attorney it is generally my understanding that even where you may want to do to something in giving benefits or grants based on someone’s race you are not legally able to do so. So I would be interested in the city attorney kind of providing guidance so that everyone on council understands exactly where the law falls in that connection. So that we can figure out other ways not making decisions based on race that can have the same effects that we desire.”
Outling noted that the city had discussed a program earlier and found a way to work it out so that the benefit was not based on race or gender.
Mandate Mayor is once again pushing illegal maneuvering like when she was going to ban gun shows from the coliseum(illegal), require panhandling licences (illegal), setting up illegal curfews and teen curfews, or the almost weekly abuse of flouting open meetings laws and allowing public comments to be silenced.
No friend to the rank and file but lovely to the woke oligarchy and their cabal. An grade school understanding of law would prevent such shenanigans, but not when Mandate Mayor does whatever she wants then retroactively back pedals on her illegal designs.
Sugar coated reparations. What a slap in the face to the taxpayers! When Vaughan gets to hell may Satan quench her thirst with gasoline.
Once again, cue the reverse racism commentary. So predictable, folks.
Reverse?
Hey Pal,
There’s no such thing as “reverse racism.” Its either racist, or its not. Any of these programs that isn’t all inclusive is racist. If it excludes any party based on race it is racist. Greensboro may want to take a hard look at their census numbers before inappropriately using words like “minorities” and applying them incorrectly. Hightower might do well to look extra close and realize that there are almost an equal number of blacks and whites in the city. So in all fairness, “minorities” include neither of those two groups of people based on race. I guess a lot of other folks from around the globe can enjoy tge “minority” benefit for a while. By the way, in a few more years when the blacks outnumber the whites, will they be screaming to give stuff away to white folks? If their goal is to help “minorities” seems like that makes perfect sense. But we all know that isn’t the real reason at all. It’s all about making themselves look great for that next campaign ad, and they couldn’t care less about the population.
To “just saying” – according to pewresearch.org, in the year 2050 Whites will be 47% of the population, Hispanics 29%, Blacks 13.1%, Asians 9%, etc. so “in a few more years” Blacks will not outnumber Whites (unless you are grouping all the minorities together). Another source reports “way in the future/2060” Whites will be 36% of the population, Hispanics 32%, etc. Regardless of these numbers, Mayor Vaughn’s suggestion doesn’t work for a number of reasons.
Do you think they should be punished for speaking their minds, or, for being so predictable?Do you think grants from taxpayer money should be based on race or gender?
Maybe a certain race and a certain gender both could get granted double?
How about we help people who need a leg up without considering their melanin or their hormones?
Who said anything about punishment? Stop being so kinky, you don’t have my consent.
Up yours namestar karma will land on your head one day
The whole idea is racist.
No….No…its “progressive” there is a massive difference…..just ask the council.
What a joke. This is like the program in California that only gives money to black farmers.
Why must this council niggle with such nonsense at every opportunity?
This is our wonderful Democrats at work !!!! Has there been anything useful from this Board/Mayor????Lets clean house in 2022.
This City Council is soo desperate to stay in office that they will PAY people to vote for them. Their only interest is themselves and not the citizens of Greensboro. Any decisions made on the information in this article is totally racist and damaging to our City. Focusing on only one race brings HATE and disgrace to that race. It does NOT help the people that is mentioned in this article. Quality and kindest and empathy will give us ALL a better life together and give our City a better chance to prosper and become a better place to life and enjoy life together. How hard is that to understand.
And we wonder why “race” is always around. Then to add insult to the black business holder, HIghtower adds that ” a lot of these (THESE) people don’t want to go through the hoopla (fill out the proper forms) or give accounting to how the money is used (basic business principles) . So she just called them lazy and/or stupid. Please, when November comes around, get this person OUT OF THE COUNCIL and elect someone that thinks people are people no matter their color or background and want to succeed by hard work and abilities.
disparate impact…not intended to discriminate, but the end is sure fire discriminatory. Seek legal counsel Ms. Mayor.
Not intended to discriminate. Intended to just buy votes with taxpayer money. Obvious, basic political math. She is fooling no one.
OK…..I have to ask this. if I am white, own a business but I “identify” as a minority…..can I get the money ??
I have been following this for about 48 hours and I WONDER if Name Star is ON the City Council. I do know that anytime you group one group of people in a pile because of their skin color YOU ARE A RACIST.
“Name star” probably (just a guess) lives in his parents basement and just likes to take jabs at those who respond to articles. Sad really. He (or she) needs to read the book “How to win friends and influence people”
Oooo, the conspiracy theorists peak their heads out of their (a)holes.
To be clear, putting people in a pile is usually more of a sign of being ready to commit genocide. But if you think acknowledging race somehow defines someone as racist, you’ve got a lot of learning to do. Maybe I misunderstood what you were trying to say.
And for Joe (below), I haven’t lived with my parents since I graduated high school. I do enjoy taking jabs at the racists that respond to articles with racist comments. Nothing sad about that. Finally, I don’t actually want you or the other racist, xenophobic, hate spewing people that say things like “up yours” and “there’s no such thing as reverse racism” on here as friends so I don’t think I need to read your pre-World War II self-help book for making white folk more powerful. Thanks for the suggestion though.