News-Record.com

UPDATE: Our rockin' board of elections is updating its Web site in real time. Awesome.

Today is the first day people can file for local elections - Greensboro City Council and nine other races in the county. Filing ends July 20.

Zack Matheny just sent out a press release that he filed today for District 3 (Tom Phillips' seat).

Pass along any other filings you know about. Nate and I will check with the Guilford County Board of Elections several times today, but early notification is encouraged.

Marikay Abuzuaiter, who filed today for one of three at-large seats on Greensboro City Council, will formally announce her candidate at 6 p.m. tonight at a meeting of the Women Over 40 Meeting and Networking. The announcement will be at her restaurant - Mahi's, 4721 Lawndale Dr.

There are going to be a lot of these types of candidate things in the coming months. Let us know about them, and we'll post them on Scoop. E-mail me at mbanks@news-record.com

You might have squirmed when Guilford County raised property taxes for the sixth time in seven years.

So did lots of other Tar Heel dwellers, particularly in the state's larger counties. From the N.C. Association of County Commissioners:

At least 48 counties have raised property taxes for 2007-08, the largest number of counties with an increase in a single year in at least five years. These counties represent nearly 6 million of the state's projected 8.86 million-plus residents.*

Read the whole thing.

As of this moment, eight people have filed to run for Greensboro City Council at-large. One incumbent, Sandra Anderson Groat, hasn't filed yet but plans to. Scoop has heard rumblings that former Councilman Robbie Perkins is considering a run at-large. David Hoggard still hasn't said yay or nay for certain.

Whether there are 11 candidates or 111, only the top six vote-getters will move on to the general election on Nov. 6.

Here's a list of people who have filed at-large (listed alphabetically):

Marikay Abuzuaiter
Kevin Green
Bill Knight
Joel Landau
Joseph W. Rahenkamp
Joe W. Venable
Janet M. Wallace
Greg Woodard

The much-discussed Jordan Lake rules have arrived at the Guilford County commissioners' chambers.

From tomorrow's agenda:

Adopt Resolution opposing the draft Jordan Lake Rules as proposed. On June 15, 2007 the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources presented draft rules for the management of nutrients entering into the Jordan Lake watershed. These proposed rules could have a significant fiscal impact on future growth and development in Guilford County. The resolution seeks modification of the proposed rules by the Environmental Management Commission to resolve factual discrepancies (data), inequitable application, and long-term economic impacts. The PTCOG membership recently adopted a similar resolution in opposition to the rules as presented. (Greg Niles)

Some background:

The rules, courtesy of the Cap Beast.

Lots of linkage from the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments, which opposes the rules.

More info from state environmental groups that back the rules.

Rockingham County didn't like the rules. Our own Gerald Witt has the story after the jump.

Update: The Greensboro City Council didn't like the rules either, voting unanimously on a resolution to oppose them last night.

Local arts groups are miffed about losing their Guilford County funding this year. Skip Alston wants to give them some help, but it appears unlikely that the board will reverse its decisions.

Now comes an email from Debbie Lumpkins, the executive director of the High Point Area Arts Council who's urging arts supporters to give those cocos a call:

Hello everyone. This is a CALL TO ACTION regarding Guilford County arts funding!

You are probably aware that the County Commissioners eliminated funding to arts on June 21, without prior notice, which resulted in a loss of $73,500 to the High Point Area Arts Council. As a united arts council, this loss of funding will affect 7 arts organizations in High Point: Carousel Theatre, High Point Ballet, High Point Community Concerts, High Point Community Theatre, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Piedmont Artists, and the arts council itself. The United Arts Council of Greensboro loss $145,000 which impacted 14 arts organizations for a total of 21 in Guilford County.

Thank you to everyone who has made phone calls and written letters to the newspapers and/or our county commissioners. Your voices are being heard! Now it is more important than ever that you pick up the phone or e-mail one or all of the county commissioners listed below ... I need for you to do this today.

Commissioner Skip Alston will be making a motion at the county commissioner's meeting this Thursday, July 19, to restore funding to the arts councils in Greensboro and High Point that have proven to be excellent stewards of county funds and have provided arts services that benefit everyone in our county.

Also, we need our Friends of the Arts to attend the County Commissioners meeting at 5:30 p.m. on July 19 at the Old County Courthouse on E. Market Street in Greensboro (coming from High Point, it will be on your right after you go through the intersection of Eugene and before you get to Greene Street - turn right onto Greene to park in the parking deck). Although you will not have an opportunity to speak to the agenda, your presence will demonstrate your support for the arts.

See you soon!

Debbie B. Lumpkins, Executive Director
High Point Area Arts Council
200 Fisher Avenue
PO Box 5526
High Point, NC 27262

336-889-2787 ext. 22
336-889-2789 (fax)
website: www.highpointarts.org

It's been rumored for months, but former District 3 rep Robbie Perkins called a little while ago with the official word: He's running for Greensboro City Council for one of three at-large seats.

Perkins, who served from 1993 to 2005, said he's ready to return after a two-year break.

Hope he's ready to campaign. He'll face at least 10 candidates, including Councilwoman Sandra Anderson Groat, who was the top at-large vote-getter in 2005 (her first-ever election). I say "at least" because filing doesn't end until noon Friday.

Six people will move past the primary and three will win on Nov. 6.

Let's see ...

Recall on Aug. 21
Primary on Oct. 9 (as of today, for at-large, District 1 and District 3)
Election on Nov. 6

No shortage of work this fall.

In a word: Wow.

Thirty-three people are running for nine seats on Greensboro City Council. Here the final list:

Mayor
Yvonne J. Johnson
Milton Kern

At-large
Marikay Abuzuaiter
Sidney C. Gray
Kevin Green
Sandra Anderson Groat (i)
Bill Knight
Joel Landau
Robert V. (Robbie) Perkins
Joseph W. Rahenkamp Sr.
Mary C. Rakestraw
Donna Riechmann
Joe W. Venable
Janet M. Wallace
Greg Woodard

District 1
T. Dianne Bellamy-Small (i)
James W. Carpenter Jr.
Tonya Clinkscale
Charles Dayton Coffey
Luther T. Falls Jr.

District 2
Lance A. James
Goldie Wells (i)

District 3
Berkley Blanks
Bobby Coffer
Cyndy Hayworth
Zack Matheny
Gary Nixon
Joe Wilson

District 4
Mike Barber (i)
David Crawford

District 5
Sandy Carmany (i)
Angela Carmichael
Trudy Wade

Other races ...

GIBSONVILLE CITY COUNCIL
Mayor
Leonard (Lenny) Williams (i)
Aldermen (three seats)
Fred Barringer (i)
Scott Hendren
Sandi Moulton (i)
Clarence A. Owen
Mark Shepherd (i)

MAYOR OF JAMESTOWN
Susan Dewar
Keith L. Volz

JAMESTOWN TOWN COUNCIL
Four seats
Summer Connor
Frank Gray
Larry M. Lain
Karen Lisenby
Georgia Nixon Roney
Lawrence C. Straughn
Brock Thomas (i)

OAK RIDGE TOWN COUNCIL
Three seats
Ray Combs (i)
James Kinneman
David Rowe (i)

PLEASANT GARDEN TOWN COUNCIL
Three seats
Chris Johnson
Alan D. Marshall
Glenn L. Morgan
Edgar G. Phillips
Nancy Smith
Ron H. Surgeon (i)
Bob Wyrick

SEDALIA TOWN COUNCIL
Two seats
Willie Breeze Jr. (i)
Clarence A. Meacham
Howard J. Morgan (i)

SEDGEFIELD SANITARY DISTRICT
Bob Davis
Dennis G. Howard (i)
Eugene Mozzoni (i)
Bob Stout (i)
Hub White (i)

STOKESDALE TOWN COUNCIL
Three seats
James P. Attaway
Norman Cook
Thearon G. Hooks Jr.
Stephen Louie
Bobby H. Richardson (i)
Kenneth P. Simpson
Cheryl S. Steele
Robert Wurz

SUMMERFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
Mayor
Mark E. Brown (i)
George C. Waldrep Jr.
Council (three seats)
Dena Higgins Barnes (i)
Doug Canavello
Carolyn Woodside Collins (i)
Alicia Flowers
Roxanne Gilgallon
Clancy Laizure
Richard Paul Lovett
Peggy McPartlan
Don Wendelken
Bob Williams (i)
Adrian Williamson

WHITSETT TOWN COUNCIL
Four-year term (three seats)
Andy Brown (i)
Richard Fennell (i)
Jerry Rice (i)
Two-year term (one seat)
Cindy Wheeler (i)

He just doesn't want to.

The Guilford County commissioners chairman says he doesn't read blogs, and isn't interested in maintaining his own. His first post, on May 15, was also his last.

"I realized very quickly that that was going to turn into a 'he said, she said' kind of thing," he told me last week. "And I'll tell you what, I don't have time to do that."

He also mentioned Democratic rival Skip Alston, who, as far as I know, is the only blogging commissioner.

"I just don't feel the need to start blogging," Gibson said. "And I don't want to get into a blogging contest with Skip or anybody else."

So if you want to catch up with him, you'll have to do it some other way.

"Pick up the phone," he said, "and call me."

Now here's something I didn't think about until today, when I saw the Guilford County Board of Election's ad on Page B7:

Voters in District 1 can participate in early voting Aug. 2-18. Check out more information here.

Also, unregistered voters in District 1 who want to vote in the recall have until Friday to register.

The Washington Post had an interesting story today about ambassadors getting political briefings:

White House aides have conducted at least half a dozen political briefings for the Bush administration's top diplomats, including a PowerPoint presentation for ambassadors with senior adviser Karl Rove that named Democratic incumbents targeted for defeat in 2008 and a "general political briefing" at the Peace Corps headquarters after the 2002 midterm elections.

The briefings, mostly run by Rove's deputies at the White House political affairs office, began in early 2001 and included detailed analyses for senior officials of the political landscape surrounding critical congressional and gubernatorial races, according to documents obtained by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Why are we, your local political enthusiasts, interested? Because of the list of those who got briefed:

The ambassadors included in the Rove briefing were Eduardo Aguirre Jr. of Spain, James P. Cain of Denmark, Alfred Hoffman Jr. of Portugal, Ronald Spogli of Italy, Craig Stapleton of France and Robert Tuttle of Britain. Gregory Slayton, the consul general to Bermuda, also attended.

Cain is a graduate of High Point Central High School and a one time executive for the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team.

Guilford County's elections director is scheduled to testify today on the Ballot Integrity Act.

This is all about voting machines. George Gilbert is no fan of the paper trail, or of paper ballots. And these folks are no fans of him.

I'm going to post all the information I receive about candidate fundraisers on the blog. And with 33 candidates - buddy, you'd better believe that's a lot of fundraisers. I'll try to do this on a fairly timely basis, too.

**************************************************************************************
AT LARGE - Joel Landau

"Deborah Fields invites you to 'Greening Greensboro' -- click here to view the invitation and submit your response:

"If you don't want to give out your personal info on the RSVP form on the Democratic website for the "Greening Greensboro" Democratic Reunion event at the Fields house at 902 Carolina St this Sat evening 5-7pm, just RSVP by replying to this email.

"Thanks and hope you can stop by to meet City Council Candidate Joel Landau and learn about the US Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement and the Greensboro Cool Cities Campaign.

Debbie and Bert Fields
Cate and Bob Wineburg"

*******************************************************************************
DISTRICT 3 - Zack Matheny

Click here for information about a fundraiser

GREENSBORO - The Pulpit Forum will announce Friday its strategy for opposing the Aug. 21 recall election of Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small.

Members of the predominantly black ministerial group will reveal their plan at 11 a.m. Friday at Bethel AME Church at 200 Regan St.

A spokeswoman for the group, Deborah Compton-Holt, declined Thursday to talk about the plan.

Pulpit Forum President Eva Ratliff, Vice President Nelson Johnson and Secretary Gregory Headen didn't return telephone calls Thursday. In a pamphlet published by the group, Headen urged the community to become involved the defeating the recall.

"The situation with T. Dianne Bellamy-Small is another glaring example in Greensboro of how those who speak out for the poor are demonized and marginalized by power," wrote Headen, pastor of Genesis Baptist Church.

Sorry I'm so late in posting this, but here's my Sunday story on dogfighting in North Carolina.

More on dogfighting from the Humane Society of the United States.

Read about pit bulls here.

And here's the latest on Vick.