News-Record.com

As planning director, Niles was one of the top dogs in county government. Rezonings on any controversial issue that's not in one of the cities went through his office. He was working on a master plan for the county as well.

A planning director, as much as nearly any developer, businessman or elected official, is one of the key people in steering how a community takes shape and maintains its character.

"He was such a pleasure to work with, and we heard that on a regular basis. And I think that was a real tribute to him," said Kirk Perkins, chairman of the board of commissioners.

Commissioner Linda Shaw said that news of Niles' death jarred county business this week. And this is high time for county work, too. Budget season is upon us: a workshop was held Monday, and a public hearing is scheduled tomorrow.

Shaw and other commissioners plan to be at his service tomorrow, she said.

"He was one of the best planning directors that we ever had," Shaw said, "maybe the best in the state."

Here's some of my impressions:

Since I started this gig about five years ago - covering politics and government - I've known planning directors to be some of the most helpful and knowledgeable folks in any bureaucracy.

Some are more technical than others when they talk with you. Some only make time for you when they want. Niles spent the time with me to break down an issue until I understood it well.

When I needed information from his department, which is in charge of inspections, planning and guiding the county's growth, he pushed things along for me several times. His brand of helpfulness is not always commonly found in government, especially for need-it-now reporter types like myself.

Guilford County officials are, by and large, a helpful bunch. Niles often went out of his way to assist me.

Now let me take off the reporter hat for a moment.

When first I met Niles, we spent as much time joking around as we did talking about serious county business. We were far from being best friends, but I did manage one night to have a beer with him and our photo editor, Rob Brown.

I'm a few years younger than both of them, and had just come back from playing a basketball game. I complained of a blister on my foot and an achy knee. So I got to hear Rob and Greg go on about growing old, creaky joints and using your body while you still have it.

The two also gave me a couple of insider tips about Greensboro that I might pass along someday to a lucky young reporter.

In all of that, the three of us had a few hearty laughs. And Niles picked up the tab.

Enough from me, though. Commissioner John Parks said that Niles' smile might be the way that most people remember him.

"He was a very compassionate person, and a caring person, and a person that was always willing to give his time. Time is something that a lot of people hang onto, and this is something that he was always able to give to the public and the community," Parks said.

"He was a very sincere person, and a person that you'd never hear anything negative about," Parks said, speaking to the difficult position that government leaders can be put in, especially those that help make decisions affecting people's lives or property. "When you're working with the public, and there’s always the public contact, and you can’t satisfy everyone. He was one of the unique people that could."