The City of Greensboro government – under the direction of City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba – is becoming more opaque.
The members of the Greensboro City Council campaigned on transparency in government but haven’t done much about it.
At the end of the Tuesday, Sept. 20 City Council meeting, Jaiyeoba reminded the City Council of the work session on Thursday, Sept. 29. Jaiyeoba said that the work session would be on housing.
However, not only is there no agenda for the Sept. 29 work session on the City of Greensboro website on the Council Meetings page, there is no work session listed at all.
According to the City of Greensboro web page, the next meeting of the City Council is on Monday, Oct. 3 at 5:30 p.m.
The City Council calendar has nothing listed for Sept. 29, but the work session on Thursday, Sept. 1 and the non-meeting on Monday, Sept. 19 are both listed.
During the March City Council retreat about two months after Jaiyeoba was hired, Jaiyeoba attempted to confine the journalists covering that meeting to a table so far away from where the City Council was meeting that the comments by councilmembers could not be heard.
In that case, Mayor Nancy Vaughan stepped in and overruled Jaiyeoba, but since then the availability of information on City Council meetings has continued to be more difficult to obtain.
Jaiyeoba also attempted to ban journalists from the floor of the Katie Dorsett Council Chambers during City Council meetings.
In the past, reports and presentations for City Council work sessions were posted on the website before the meeting. Then the reports and presentations were posted on the city website after the meeting. Currently they have not been posted on the website at all.
According to a schedule provided to councilmembers, but not the public, there is a City Council work session on Thursday, Sept. 29, but it is listed as being on a downtown parking plan and a strategic energy plan, not on housing, as Jaiyeoba stated at the Sept. 20 City Council meeting.
The city manager has to go! Council is being led about by the nose. This guy is not a positive asset for the city, he is nothing but problems!
He is not doing his job and should be removed. But this is a heavy democratic led council and a mayor that has a history of back door dealings….no one should be surprised.
So, the current City Manager has kept his job? God bless Greensboro.
It seems to me the City Manager’s plan is going exactly as he intends. Smooth, real smooth. You’ll have your “15 Minute City” in no time and like it!
Well, we can’t have any complaints or suggestions about the city council, can we?
The council clowns hired him, you voted for the council clowns…ENJOY!
Ok, now we getting serious. Why the big secrets? Reminds me of Christmas song, do you hear what I hear ?, Or lack of. Do you see what I see? Or lack of.
I know stakeholders and city employees from many different subject areas who have been in meetings with the city manager. He has no clue what he is doing, comes to meetings unprepared, and generally has no input. That’s why there is less transparency. He has no clue what he is doing I’m “managing” a city. He will be here a few years, F a bunch of stuff up, and fool some other city. We always get Charlotte rejects.
Just one thing to say: 400,000.00 paid because Fancy Nancy did not want GSO to have a gun show but then tried to hide the transaction.