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City Council members dropped a pretty big hint on the Commission on the Status of Women last month: Do something substantial, or the commission's days are numbered.

In an e-mail to council members, Commissioner Shirley Ballard Foster predicts dire consequences should this occur:

"While we do have in place many female organizations, some of which were organized by CSW, we will be fragmented if we choose to eliminate the Comimssion on the Status of Women.

"This will be the beginning of the regression of women in Greensboro."

Oh, there's this her next sentence: "I am aware that six women make up City Council and bravo for us."

Available at your local curb, landfill or drop-off site.

The particulars from your governments.

A recent Inside Scoop column had the wrong time for the Guilford Delegation’s “Take it to Raleigh” meeting, which is a chance for residents to come and tell the honorables what they should do here in Cap City when legislative festivities begin later this month.

The right time is in the following news release from Rep. Maggie Jeffus’ office:

The Guilford Legislative Delegation is scheduled to have a Public Hearing on Tuesday, January 9, 2007 in Greensboro. This hearing titled, Take It To Raleigh, will provide an opportunity for the delegation to receive input from citizens about their concerns and issues, as well as provide opportunities to receive input from local municipalities and other entities representing Guilford County”, said Representative Maggie Jeffus, Delegation Chair.

The Hearing, which will be held at the Greensboro City Council Chamber in the Melvin Municipal Building on Eugene Street from 6-8:00 p.m., is open to any citizen who would like to address the delegation.

Citizens are encouraged to come and share their thoughts with the Guilford County elected members of the North Carolina General Assembly. Speakers will be given a limited time and are asked to call (919) 733-5191 to sign up giving name, organization, address, phone number and e-mail. Organizations and individuals who need additional information are asked to contact Representative Jeffus’ office at (919) 733-5191.

It's only January, but Democratic Guilford County commissioner Carolyn Coleman has been named 2007 Humanitarian of the Year by the state NAACP.

From the press release:

Coleman, the first African-American woman elected as chair of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners has a long history of contributing to civil rights and to humanitarian efforts in the state and in the nation. Active in the NAACP Youth Council in Savannah, Georgia, Coleman was one of the first sit-in demonstrators to be arrested in her hometown in the 1960’s. Coleman has held several positions as a part of the NAACP national staff---Regional Youth Director, Alabama State Director, Southeast Voter Education Director and serving as the North Carolina State Executive.

When asked about some of her accomplishments, she recounted how she led the North Carolina State NAACP in filing 13 lawsuits challenging the at-large elections of Judges, County Commissioners, City Council and School Board Members, which resulted in the election of 10 African-American Superior Court Judges and over 100 new African-American officials including the election of former U.S. Congresswoman Eva Clayton, and U.S. Congressman Mel Watt. She also noted her coordinating efforts to defeat David Duke in his bid for Governor of the State of Louisiana. As the former Special Assistant to Governor James B. Hunt for eight years, Coleman advised Hunt on policy, personnel, legislation and concerns pertinent to the minority community.

Many commissioners, including some Republicans, praised Coleman's leadership during her recent chairmanship, though Billy Yow isn't a big fan.

Click below for the whole release.

Guilford County commissioners hold their annual retreat tomorrow. Like you, I'm stoked.

First, the agenda, which arrived in my e-mail box late yesterday afternoon. Excitement started building as I read the retreat theme, which was wrapped in the kind of attention-grabbing, I've-got-to-read-this-right-now language every headline writer would be proud of:

"Pursuing and Maximizing Our Potential in 2007"

Yes!

And now, to the agenda.

Discussion topics include rejiggering the speakers-from-the-floor section at meetings (a measure aimed at the high-volume harangues of longtime county nemesis E.H. Hennis) and moving closed sessions to the end of the agenda so other folks don't have to wait around for commissioners to emerge from the back room.

Then commissioners will discuss future meetings with other local officials including the school board, which will want another bond referendum and money for the Eastern Guilford High School project, along with its regular 'ol operating budget.

Needless to say, another property-tax increase is on the way.

Commissioners will also hear from a group of community leaders about their vision for the county. These are some of the same folks who told commissioners in July that their behavior at meetings was hurting business recruitment.

Oh, and commissioners chairman Paul Gibson wants the county to do more long-range planning.

Look for a wrapup in Saturday's paper.

Remember Larry Moore, the lawyer who defended Guilford County commissioner wannabe John Parks during that seemlingly endless election dispute?

The man is owed some serious money. From a fundraiser announcement sent to local Dems:

It is asked that attendees make a minimum contribution of $50--every dime of which will be used to honor the obligation to Larry Moore. The legal costs of the battle to make sure every person's vote does count are substantial--almost $90,000--and about $45,000 must be raised to fully honor the obligation to Larry Moore and his firm.

Said Guilford Democratic Chairman Paul Mengert: "I think when Larry got started with it, everybody assumed it would take a week or two of dispute, like most election controversies, and then be resolved."

Not this one. It dragged on for 18 months before a series of N.C. Supreme Court rulings in May forced Trudy Wade, Parks' Republican opponent, to concede. Parks is serving an abbreviated term that ends in 2008.

Scoop heard that Greensboro Coliseum Director Matt Brown made some strong statements about two failed bond projects earlier this week, during a Greensboro Rotary Club meeting.

Unfortunately, Scoop is neither a mover nor a shaker and wasn't invited. Since we didn't hear his speech first-hand, we asked Brown to summarize it. This is what he sent:

"My comments were directed to those in attendance who did not support the War Memorial Auditorium or Swim Center bonds. I said they failed to do what their parents and grandparents did in 1956, when they voted to provide for their children and their children’s children at the time a new PAC to insure that everyone had a chance to enjoy a variety of cultural entertainment.

"I chided them by saying shame on them for failing to provide for the next generations what their parents and grandparents provided to them for the sake of less than $20 a year. I am sure (former) community leaders such as Mayor Bill Sullivan, Charlie Hagan, Sidney Stern were equally concerned about the impact such a facility would have on their taxes, but chose to believe that having such a venue for our community would be more than worth it.

"My comment about the Swim Center was that it should never have been a single focal issue. What Parks and Recreation administrative or commission priority process went into thinking that our community needed a skate board park for hundreds of participants but not a year round indoor Swim Center which would be used by tens of thousands?

"Had the Swim Center been included in the P&R bond, it would have likely passed at $14.5 million, as it did at $5.5M.

"How sad to have missed such a great opportunity to provide our community with functioning, year-round recreational, teaching and therapeutic facility and a potential signature architectural building to start the revitalization of High Point Road."

Guilford isn't the only county considering a sales-tax increase. The folks over in Catawba County like the idea too. (Hat tip to the ROD).

But Catawba needs help from its state legislators to install a sales-tax hike. Included in the county's 2007 legislative agenda:

The first piece related to the sales tax and introducing legislation that would ask the General Assembly to consider a one cent sales tax increase. This one cent sales tax would yield about $13 million for Catawba County revenue and it would avoid ten and one-half cents on the tax rate. Significant revenue will be needed for jail construction debt and operational costs, school construction and additional funds for teacher supplements.

Ten and one-half cents on the property-tax rate! Sounds like another county I know.

But the sales-tax idea is going nowhere with the honorables.

Some Guilford commissioners have been floating a sales-tax increase to pay for a new jail. But if they can't get the local legislative delegation to take it up with folks in Raleigh, commissioners will have to raise property taxes through voter-approved bond debt or certificates of participation, a type of debt that doesn't require say-so from voters.

Commissioners will likely get the latest and greatest price tag for the new jail tomorrow. Then the debate over how to pay for it will really heat up.

Residents of the College Hill Historic District won a small victory on Monday: A developer withdrew a rezoning request that could have brought to the neighborhood a three-story building for living, shopping and working.

Developer Larry Wallace has dropped his plan for a sprawling building at the corner of Spring Garden and Mendenhall streets. He cited concerns from residents of the community, one of three historic districts in Greensboro.

Oh, they were concerned all right. Last week, dozens gathered for a community meeting about the project, signing petitions and voicing concerns. Many said the proposed building was be too long, too tall and too dense for the neighborhood. They were concerned about traffic, noise and the loss of historic houses.

Wallace said Monday he hopes to build something on the spot that doesn't require rezoning.

His old plans for the building included:

• A first level with 6,000 square feet of retail space facing Spring Garden and Mendenhall. There also would have been 58 parking spaces underneath the building, and seven more outside.

• A second level with 12,000 square feet of office space and 24 parking spaces.

• A third level with 18,500 square feet for up to 20 apartments or condos.

The proposal had detractors beyond College Hill residents — namely the city’s zoning staff. It recommended that the Zoning Commission deny the request, since the development "is not in keeping with existing adjacent and nearby buildings."

In October, the Historic Preservation Commission was unanimous in its opposition to the development.

I ran into Marilyn Baird at tonight’s “Take it to Raleigh” meeting, which gave local residents a chance to sound off about things they’d like to see legislators do over the next year.

She came to ask for help with a different problem, but happened to mention that she was helping to circulate a petition to raise the minimum wage in the city.

This is not the proposal the City Council rejected in 2000, which would have mandated a minimum wage of $8.03 for all city government workers.

The current proposal would raise the minimum wage on all businesses operating in the city limits and is being done by initiative petition, a process laid out by the city code that allows residents to propose new local laws. The process was last used here in an attempt to stop construction of the downtown baseball stadium. Voters rejected that 2003 effort.

From the petition document:

“We now adopt a Minimum Wage Ordinance that will ensure that all business in the City pay a decent minimum wage of at least $9.36 per hour. The increase will be phased in to give small business more opportunity to adjust to the change in the minimum wage.”

State legislators raised North Carolina’ minimum wage a dollar to $6.15 last year. The change became effective Jan. 1.

And Congress is considering raising the national minimum wage from its current floor of $5.15 an hour. According to an e-mail from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D of my home state of Maryland, the U.S. House will take up H.R. 2 on Wednesday. That bill would phase in a $7.25 national minimum wage.

Baird said there would be a meeting of those circulating the minimum wage petition at Faith Community Church on Thursday night. Once the group gathers enough signatures, the City Council will have to adopt or reject the ordinance. If they reject it, the ordinance will be put to the voters.

More to come on this, I’m sure.

On the first and third Tuesdays of the months, it's as though time stands still. The City Council meeting last night was deathly - dull and serious.

Except for one little bright spot, courtesy of Council member Tom Phillips.

Here's what happened:

Council member Mike Barber and his wife, Mitzi, own property on Fleming Road. They petitioned the city to annex it, which is pretty routine stuff, and certainly nothing anyone would oppose. In fact, after Barber recused himself, there wasn't anything for council members to talk about.

So the eight remaining members cast their votes. And Tom Phillips voted no.

Hilarity ensued.

"I'm very upset," he said, laughing. "You guys chickened out on that one."

Keith Holliday wants you to lose 10 pounds.

This arrived via e-mail today from Greensboro Coliseum Director Matt Brown. The heading: "One Man's perception of a News & Record Staff meeting on 1/17/07."

*******
Ok folks let’s settle down please. We have only a two remaining items on our agenda today. The next item is from the Lifestyle Editors. They need to decide on what to put on the cover of Go Triad magazine this week.

"What options are they considering"?

Well we could either put an unknown jazz artist who is playing in a small 400 seat venue in our competitor’s home town or we could put the legendary Country artist who is performing his only North Carolina date here in our hometown Coliseum in front of over 19,000 patrons.

Well, have you considered any other information to help you make your decision?

Well sir, the Country star’s promoter has already spent a lot of money with our paper promoting the show here in our community as he has done every time he brings a show to Greensboro and he has another major concert scheduled for April. Also our Marketing/Branding/Advertising Department is currently in sensitive and difficult negotiations trying to convince the Coliseum Management to renew their $150K annual advertising deal with us to advertise Coliseum events in our weekly Entertainment tabloid even though we don’t highlight Coliseum events on the cover or feature their events in our magazine.

Well have you reached a decision?

Well sir, we think its a no-brainer, we should definitely go with the unknown Jazz musician that know one has ever heard of who is playing a small venue who will likely only draw a couple of hundred patrons in our competitors market and who did not spend a dime with our paper. Duh?

The last item on our agenda?

Sir, Local News wants to put a story on A1 about the possibility that our local Baseball Team “may decide 10 years from now” according to the principal owner to buy the Stadium they play in and Local News thinks that since the print version of our newspaper industry may not be in business 10 years from now that we should reports this story now on A1.

That’s settled, START THE PRESSES!

(The author, a frustrated local Coliseum Manager trying to bring economic vitality and a Hockey team to his community, is considered by many to be a cynic, although he tries sometimes to get his point across with humor, many people don’t seem to appreciate it. Mr. Brown, who is a frequent but often unwelcome guest contributor to this Newspaper, invites your suggestions and comments. He can be reached via email at matt.brown@greensboro-nc.gov)

"I respect them, but I don't like them."
- Mayor Keith Holliday on open meetings and public records law, during a discussion on how to skirt those laws.

Yvonne Johnson: "First off, there are no dumb questions."
Mike Barber: "I disagree with that. There are dumb questions."

"The public is saying, 'Why pour more money into this when we haven't seen anything done?'"
- Tom Phillips on the International Civil Rights Center and Museum

"It seems like what they've been doing hasn't worked."
- Goldie Wells on the museum's fund-raising efforts.

"If you want to write the obituary for Greensboro, let us drop out of that third spot."
- Barber on the potential for Greensboro to drop from the state's third biggest city after the 2010 Census.

"I think we need to address it, because Goldie (Wells) is going to keep bringing it up until we do."
- Holliday on Wells' efforts to force council members to discuss the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 400-page report on the 1979 Klan/Nazi shootings.

"It's the same little three black folk who are on the council."
- Wells about the council members who are willing to discuss the commission's findings, referring to herself, Johnson and Dianne Bellamy-Small.

"I've just been a little bit distressed because I think everything has been so secretive."
- Sandra Anderson Groat on her impressions of the city's "upper staff."

Poor attendance, oversight and record-keeping plagues several boards and commissions that make up the second tier of government in Greensboro, High Point and Guilford County.

Check out our story in today's paper for more.

Some local officials say they just need to enforce the rules for booting off members, while others suggest eliminating some boards.

We welcome your comments and suggestions on how to improve attendance.

Greensboro City Council member Dianne Bellamy-Small didn't want to play by the rules Tuesday, when her fellow board members were picking offices.

Here's what happened:

Workers are in the process of creating individual offices for the council members, something they haven't had in recent history. Previously, they had shared small work stations.

Anyway, the council members had to decide on a process for divying up the space. Ever the problem solver, Florence Gatten decided members would draw numbers to determine the selection order.

Bellamy-Small refused to draw. She said she wanted the corner office. Period.

Mayor Keith Holliday tried to reason with her, explaining that other members might want that corne office, too, and the only fair way to decide would be to draw numbers.

Bellamy-Small still refused.

"We've got a process," Goldie Wells said, in her loud "I-am-very-passionate-about-this-issue" voice. "You go with the process!"

Bellamy-Small: "Just forget it. Forget it!"

Then emerged an unlikely hero - Tom Phillips. He had drawn a low number, and with his early pick secured the corner office for Bellamy-Small.

"I put Dianne's name in my spot, because I don't care," he said.

And thus endeth the Great Corner Office War of 2007.

The Greensboro City Council and Guilford County commissioners will hold public hearings next week to consider $1.2 million in incentives to Honda Aircraft Co.

Council members will hear from the public at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Melvin Municipal Office Building, 300 W. Washington St.

The commissioners will hear comments at 5 p.m. Feb. 8 in the Old County Courthouse, 301 W. Market St.

Each board is considering giving the company $600,000. In exchange, Honda would employ 300 people at an estimated annual salary of $72,000.

The company, whose corporate offices are based at Piedmont Triad International Airport, has not begun assembling its HondaJet, which is expected to begin delivery in 2010.

The HondaJet, which still needs federal approval, features a radical design with engines mounted above the wings and will be sold in the "very light jet" market. It would seat about six people and sell for about $3.65 million. The company estimates sales of 70 jets a year.

The Greensboro Coliseum made nearly $67,000 on something called Disney's High School Musical, which came to town in December.

It appears to involve very excited teenagers engaged in wholesome activities. It was the coliseum's biggest money-maker of the month.

Scoop approves, but choses not to participate.

City leaders have narrowed to 12 the number of candidates for chief of the Greensboro Police Department.

They're not releasing names.

Interviews should be finished by Feb. 9. By Feb. 27, the city expects to identify the finalists.

If all goes according to plan, the new chief should be offered a job in early April.