Catching up with the commissioners
Today we called several county commissioners about some issues that are hanging out there: the jail construction, picking a chairman for 2009, building a health clinic for southeast Greensboro and a few other things.
We heard back from all of them, except for missed connections from Commissioners Kirk Perkins and Carolyn Coleman, and John Parks, who is out of the country, according to Kay Cashion.
Commissioners Steve Arnold, Bruce Davis and Mike Winstead didn't return a voicemail left at each cell number.
That they didn't call is no big deal, people get busy. We're just looking for the overall sentiment of what their plans are for the coming year, since all incumbents won in the election and the board will be the same as it was before the election until at least 2010.
And in our chatting Tuesday, we learned a few other tidbits about the next potential chairman (or chairwoman) and a few other things...
Kay Casion, vice chair of the Board of Commissioners, is the early favorite for the seat currently held by Chairman Kirk Perkins. If she's selected, that would move another cool-headed commissioner to hold the gavel. Some members on the board tend to be fierier than others.
Cashion is one of the board's less-confrontational members, but is also unafraid to speak her mind and give directions to the staff. When we asked her what she thought of the chairmanship, she said she hadn't made up her mind whether she wanted it or not.
Skip Alston told us today that he's planning on looking for more chances to work with other commissioners, and not only fellow Democrats.
"It’s going to take some conservative Republicans to work to communicate," he said, speaking to a change in attitude toward the opposite party, "and it's not always just writing-off (Commissioner) Steve Arnold for his less government (ideas) … and it's not always writing off myself and Bruce (Davis) and Carolyn (Coleman) for at the same time being protective of those who need protecting.
"We need to work together and listen to each other and more as a board than have the hidden agendas there," he said. "I’m going to be working initially on that premise."
Commissioner Paul Gibson talked to us on his way back from the High County around Blowing Rock, and told us that he's behind Cashion-as-chair. He also plans to work on finding support and money for a homeless shelter in Greensboro in the coming months.
Linda Shaw looks forward holding town hall meetings with groups across her western Guilford County district to prepare for the county's annual retreat.
"It will be new for me," she said, "And Trudy (Wade, a Greensboro City Council member) and I talked, and she’s got some of my district and I want to maybe get Trudy out there."
Commissioner Billy Yow, pointing back to Thursday's meeting, said that while the county offered incentives to larger businesses, he felt that a smaller business was penalized.
A1 Sandrock went to request an update to a contract with the county that would let the county hold $1.5 million of its money in the case of a problem with the landfill. But the state now ensures that landfills are properly closed.
Instead, the county will collect a 40-cent per ton fee from A1 Sandrock, to which the company owner obliged. But Yow said was not happy with the call, that A1 Sandrock should receive incentives, too.
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