News-Record.com

Do you think you should contrast the municipal election competition with that for School Board?

Good point. So few willing to serve on the school board, so many for city council.

One impression: Mike Barber's started a trend of ex-Commisioners running for city council.

Also, I hope the news departments works EXTREMELY hard at coming up with a significant way to introduce voters to all of the candidates.

Beyond articles about who each individual is and what his/her background is, a significant analytical chart of candidates' backgrounds and views might be useful. (Or another creative format for conveying more information than a space-limited traditional article might.)

Some candidates have an automatic advantage because of their names, views, and reputations being well-known; the other candidates will have to work exceptionally hard within a relatively short time-period to make themselves and their views commonly known among interested voters.

I mentioned the news department figuring out ways to provide more extensive pre-election coverage, but if memory serves me, the Ideas section has been used for some elections to provide more details about candidates.

That might be a good idea for this year's city council election, if it's not already planned.

We're working on it. One thing is for sure: we will present much more information online than in print. Some of the online material will be generated by the candidates themselves.

Hey Doug,
I have always been disappointed at news reports about local elections --even before I ran for City Council.
Sometimes a reporter will give several paragraphs to one already well-known candidate and only one or two sentences about another candidate.
This is usually done in the context of only one issue. One candidate's views are aired and the other candidate's are only mentioned slightly as being for or against that one issue. The lesser-known candidate's primary issues are seldom or never aired in the N&R.
Even in the personal interviews, lesser-known candidates are not allowed time to explain their ideas.
I understand that some of y'all try, but others seem to have their minds made-up before the interview. The questions often seem to be based on the editors' pre-conceived notions about the issues and candidates.
I think if y'all would truly listen to new or even old recycled ideas from all candidates your endorsements would reflect better choices.
Of course, this is just one view from one lesser-known former candidate who might have a bit of a chip on her shoulder, but I don't think so. Thanks for letting me vent.

See ya,
diane

I think that the size of the field of candidates is an indicator that people feel the city of Greensboro is on the wrong track. I do not pretend to know how the campaigns will unfold and become resolved; but the number of people running seems to be a collective expression of heightened concern.

Thanks, Diane. Despite the large number of candidates, our editorial board is leaning toward interviewing candidates one at a time, which should be more fair to newcomers.

Thanks, Joe. We'll have to see how many candidates express that view, and how voters respond. In school board races last year, it's hard to believe that the scarcity of candidates indicated almost universal satisfication with school policies.

Most Triad elected officials appear to be operating with a conflict of allegiance and a total disregard of the ethical codes presented by the NC Board of Ethics. Deceptive government allows legislation without representation. Land-use and transportation planning should not be controlled by committees of developers, bankers and businesses with financial self-interest.