At the City Council retreat on Thursday, Feb. 2, councilmembers heard a report on the “Community Value Survey & Listening Tour.”

This report was based on the “listening tour” made by City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba in February and March 2022, along with a survey and stakeholder interviews.

The list of stakeholders who were interviewed included:

  1. Atkins Ole – Asheboro Neighborhood Association

Brent Christensen Greater – Greensboro Chamber of Commerce

  1. Bradley Hunt, President – Greensboro NAACP Branch 5400

Pat MacFoy – Cottage Grove Neighborhood Association

Board Members – Greensboro Business League Inc.

James Basnight – Randleman Road Association

Bob Davis – Concerned Citizens of Northeast Greensboro

Derrick Joyner – Willow Oaks Neighborhood Association

Franca Jalloh – Immigrant Community

Walker Sanders, CEO – Greater Greensboro Community Foundation

Mac Sims – East Greensboro NOW

Zack Matheny – Downtown Greensboro, Inc

So according to the report, representatives of four neighborhood associations in Greensboro were interviewed, all representing predominately black neighborhoods.  Greensboro is a minority majority city, but it appears that in this case the white or majority neighborhoods – which are in the minority in Greensboro – were ignored.

Usually when citywide stakeholder groups are consulted, there is an effort to have equal representation from all five City Council districts. But in this stakeholder group City Council District 1 and District 2 are overrepresented and City Council District 3, District 4 and District 5 have no neighborhood associations listed as stakeholders in what was supposed to be a citywide survey.

District 1 City Councilmember Sharon Hightower and District 2 City Councilmember Goldie Wells would never allow their districts to be left out of stakeholder interviews conducted by the city of Greensboro, but there wasn’t so much as a peep out of District 3 City Councilmember Zack Matheny, District 4 City Councilmember Nancy Hoffmann or District 5 City Councilmember Tammi Thurm about the list of stakeholders interviewed.

The stakeholder list becomes kind of wonky, but it appears that also interviewed were five of the nine members of the City Council and Dawn Chaney.  There is a listing for “Former Leader – Chamber of Commerce” and then a separate listing for “Peter Reichert.”  It appears this may refer to Peter Reichard, former president of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce.  The stakeholder list also includes “Various Members – Arts Greensboro, Various Members – Board of Realtors, Housing Developer, Real Estate Developer and Various District Residents.