The Greensboro City Council met from 4 to after 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 19 and all the votes were unanimous.
Actually, the first hour and 40 minutes of that meeting was in closed session, so it is possible that some councilmember voted no on something in closed session. But during the open portion of the meeting over 20 votes were taken and they were all 9-0.
It is rare at a City Council meeting to have all nine members agree 100 percent on everything. Councilmember Sharon Hightower often casts the lone no vote on contracts if the Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise (MWBE) percentages don’t meet her personal quotas, regardless of whether or not they meet the goals set by the MWBE goal setting committee.
It was also unusual in that the consent agenda, which is supposed to be made up of noncontroversial housekeeping type items and is passed with a single vote, didn’t hold up the meeting. Usually Hightower asks questions and often interrogates staff about items on the consent agenda. And at most meetings Councilmember Justin Outling, who is a partner in the Brooks Pierce law firm, will have an item or two from which he asked to be recused because one of his colleagues in the law firm is involved.
But at the Oct. 19 meeting, Hightower didn’t ask questions and Outling didn’t ask to be recused.
A potentially controversial item, approving a loan of over $3 million to Partnership Homes Inc. to purchase the Regency Inn and Suites motel at 2701 N. OHenry Blvd. so it could be used as a winter homeless shelter, was continued to the Nov. 1 meeting.
The long term plan for the property is to spend about $13 million to rehabilitate the old motel for permanent supportive housing.
Mayor Nancy Vaughan said that after the Rhino Times ran an article about the city’s plans for the site, the city received a number of calls and the decision was made to do more “outreach” before approving the loan.
All nine members of the City Council agreed on every other item on the agenda.
Of course it’s unanimous. Decisions are made outside of meetings so the public doesn’t know the real conversations.
Elections cannot arribe soon enough.
I would think that we would reach unanimity if we were to back up the dump truck full of offal in the city council chamber.
What is “permanent supportive housing”? Will the tenants have to pay anything? Right now, if people would get off their behinds, they could find employment. I am tired of supporting useless individuals who are willing to live in poverty because they are too lazy to work. Lets replace welfare with workfare. I’ve always said that the Andy Griffith show told life lessons. I remember one episode where Otis Campbell, the town drunk, was assigned to “Aunt Bea” because the jail was full and he came in quite inebriated. Aunt Bea decided the way to take care of Otis was to put him to “work”. His response was “WORK!!!!” No, I just want my breakfast! Well, as it turns out, “WORK” did the trick. Let’s get these deadbeats on the “WORKPLAN”. No work, no benefits. Now, I am not totally heartless so if a person is sick, injured or has a disability, I am glad to support them. But if a person is just lazy, put them to work or cut them off the welfare train. The only guarantee you have if you are born in America, is the opportunity to make it on your own-nothing else.