Almost always, the Guilford County commissioners hold their regular meetings at 5:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month, however, once every two years, in election years, they hold a special morning meeting – called an “organizational” meeting – where newly elected Guilford County officials are sworn in and the commissioners, at that same meeting, select the person who will lead the board for the next 12 months.
This year, that meeting will be on Monday, Dec. 2 and, at that time, the seven Democratic commissioners and two Republican commissioners will vote for a new chairman. As has happened so many times in the past, that chairman, to the chagrin of many Republican residents in Guilford County, will be current Democratic Chairman Skip Alston once again.
Three seats on the board held by Democrats were up for grabs in the 2024 election; however, the incumbent commissioners were all winners and the board maintains a 7-to-2 Democratic majority.
One thing has held true over the years: When the board is controlled by Democrats and Alston wants to be chairman, Alston gets to be chairman.
Upon taking the position on December 2, that will be the tenth time Alston has served in the role.
As the chair, Alston will once again have the ability to set the board’s agenda, meet with staff often, establish committees he wants to see established and name the members who serve on those committees.
Alston will once again run the regular commissioners’ meetings. Whether one likes his politics or not, it is a fact that Alston runs meetings well – allowing all commissioners to make their points while keeping the meetings at a brisk pace.
About two decades ago, commissioners’ meetings could last well past midnight under other chairs; however, it has been a very long time since any meeting under Alston has approached that length.
Alston was first sworn in as a Guilford County commissioner in 1992 and has served on the board every year since with the exception of a five-year hiatus from 2012 to 2017.
Alston told the Rhino Times this week that most of the issues facing the board will be the same in 2025 as those the board has been dealing with in 2024.
He said he’d like to help see through in 2025 some of the projects the board began under his leadership. There are major capital projects in progress, such as the renovation of the governmental plaza in downtown Greensboro and the construction of a new administrative headquarters for the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.
“In the following year we need to continue what we’ve been doing,” Alston said.
He also said one thing that’s been happening is that Guilford County has been working more closely with the town and city governments inside the county. His motto for the last couple of years has been “One Guilford.”
“I want to make sure we continue to connect with all of our municipalities and continue working as one to solve some of the issues,” he added.
“Some points of emphasis,” Alston said, “will be economic development, providing affordable housing and working with community partners to make sure our youth have something to do when they are not in school.”
He also said that addressing the homeless issue in Guilford County will once again be a very high priority in 2025.
Alston added that the coming budget is going to be a major challenge because the voting public approved school bonds and wants to see higher teacher pay – but once again voted down a sales tax hike that would have raised about $25 million a year for higher pay for school staff.
“We’ve got to wrestle with how we are going to fund the schools and pay the school debt since the bonds didn’t pass,” Alston said.
Last year, when Alston was elected chairman, he wasn’t present at the meeting.
Sadly, Alston’s mother had passed away mid-week, so Vice Chair Carlvena Foster ran the board’s first meeting in December.
At that early December 2023 meeting, Foster asked for the room to engage in a moment of silent prayer for Alston and his family.
Then Clerk to the Board Robin Keller took control of the meeting and held the elections for the 2024 leadership.
Before the election, Guilford County Attorney Andrea Leslie-Fite explained to everyone in the commissioners meeting room that it was permissible to elect a chair who wasn’t present as long as he or she had expressed consent to serve. The attorney stated it was her understanding that Alston was willing to serve another term as chairman.
In the early part of this century, there were fierce political battles among board members over the positions of chair and vice chair leading up to and during the meeting. Sometimes, factions of Democrats and Republicans would cross party lines and play a role in who won the chair.
However, these days, the matter is always settled amicably well before the first December meeting.
Last year, after being nominated to the position by Foster, Alston was elected on a unanimous vote, which was 8 to 0 due to Alston’s absence.
