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We talked to Katy Harriger, chairwoman of the political science department at Wake Forest University on her take as to why the bonds passed in Guilford County on May 6.

And all the bonds passed, except for a $20.2 million parks bond, the runt of the bond litter.

“Well, parks are nice, but maybe they aren’t as important as jails and schools and the hierarchy of what’s perceived as being important,” Harriger said on what motivated voters.

Issues that lead to passing bonds are different than the issues on which people pick a candidate, she said. Often, bonds receive low voter turnout because they are not as high-profile as other choices in an election.

But the primary hit North Carolina this year with big numbers.

And the Democratic presidential primary may have helped the bonds pass as liberal-leaning voters headed to polls.

"Generally, anti-bond organizations tend to be anti-tax, and they tend do to be associated with Republicans," Harriger said.

Cross-posted from Inside Scoop

We caught up with Guilford County commissioners this week to see what they think now that the dust has settled on the May 6 votes for $671 million in bonds and the quarter-cent sales tax.

Guilford voters approved all the bonds except for the $20.2 million for parks. And they refused the sales tax.

But few commissioners managed to hold closely to what the voters wanted in their districts.

Below is the list of what commissioners said they wanted before the election, which excludes at-large commissioners John Parks and Paul Gibson:

District 1, Bruce Davis: No to the $412 million school bond and jail bond. Yes to other bonds. Undecided on sales tax.

District 2, Steve Arnold: Yes on Eastern Guilford. No to the other bonds and sales tax.

District 3, Linda Shaw: Yes to bonds and sales tax.

District 4, Kirk Perkins: Yes on bonds and the sales tax.

District 5, Billy Yow: Yes on the jail bond and sales tax. No for the other bonds.

District 6, Kay Cashion: Yes on bonds and the sales tax.

District 7, Mike Winstead: Refused to give his position on the bonds or sales tax.

District 8, Melvin “Skip” Alston: Yes to Eastern Guilford. No to the other bonds and sales tax.

District 9, Carolyn Coleman: Did not comment.

Bond money for schools? It has its detractors but what about when the school is recognized by economic development officials as a major driver in recruiting new industries?

That's the case GTCC officials are making with their $79.5 million bond request. The bond money will fund new parking, land acquisition, building a campus outside Oak Ridge, renovations at the Jamestown campus and a new classroom building at the Aviation Center to train future employees of Honda Jet, TIMCO and Cessna, among others.

The bond would mean the owner of a $200,000 home would pay an average of $24.83 more in property taxes over the next five years, ranging from a low of $9.26 in extra taxes in FY 2008-09 to a high of $33.94 in 2011-12, less in later years.

Here's how our editorial department weighed in. But what do you think? Are these projects worth the investment? Do you believe you'll see the benefit?

-J. Brian Ewing

Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes took this week's episode of "Sheriff's Beat" to look at what the jail does.

The movie comes from the National Institue of Corrections and has the feel of an educational video. In the intro, it borrows clips from several well-known jail movies: "The Shawshank Redemption," "Cool Hand Luke," "The Silence of the Lambs," and others.

Barnes bookends the video with an introduction and a closing statement.

"We need some additional space as it relates to our Guilford County Jail," Barnes said at the end of the video. And he stops just shy of telling people vote yes for the $115 million jail bond referendum.

So what do you think?

Cross-posted from Inside Scoop.

We're doing a story on the $671.6 million in Guilford County bonds that people will vote on in the May 6 primary.

So as we report this story, what kinds of things would you like to know about the bonds? Do you wonder if this a good time for bonds, considering the economy? Do you think that the schools, parks, jail and college are needed now - no matter what?

What questions and answers would help you make a better choice on the bonds? E-mail us or post a comment below, and we'll try to get to them along the way.

A billboard is going up along West Lee Street to sell county residents on two bonds for Guilford County Schools.

Vote Yes For Kids, the group behind the billboard, will unveil it during a Tuesday press conference at 10 a.m.

The group is one of several interests behind any of several bond referenda on the May 6 Primary Day ballot. Those include $412 million for school construction, $45 million for Eastern Guilford High School, a $115 million jail, $79.5 million for GTCC or $20 million for parks and recreation.

Are you for the school bonds or not? What about the other bonds?

You can find out what the proposed bond would buy for Guilford County's Parks and Recreation Commission in this brochure, which details plans for the money.

The document notes that Guilford voters have voted for $42 million in bonds since 1988. Do you think that the latest round, worth $20.2 million, will get the nod from voters in the referendum on May 6? How about when it's competing with all those other bonds?

A group of school bond supporters built a site with an overview of the bonds and the related projects.

The group, Vote Yes for Kids, gives a contact list and a link with frequently asked questions too.

While there's a $45 million bond for rebuilding Eastern Guilford High School, there's another $412 million general school bond for voters to decide on in the May 6 primary.

The group coordinator is Anita Bachmann, parent of a Page High School student.

Guilford County released figures this past week on what could happen to the property tax rate if all or some of the bonds passed in the May 6 primary. Check out the county release here.

Keep in mind that those figures consider the property tax rate impact in a world that asks only taxpayers to foot the bill for the bonds. Which could happen. Property taxes pay for more than half of the county's annual budget. Speaking of revenue, your May 6 ballot will include another decision on adding a quarter-cent sales tax that county officials estimate would generate more than $15 million in its first year.

The sales tax can't be designated for a use until (and if) it passes, but the tax could help pay for a good number of projects.