Have you done your homework David?  Haven't heard that since Junior High School but Jinni is gently prodding me about all that I have to do.

An amazing amount of information is coming in, all of it important, all of it pertinent.  In addition to the input I am getting hourly from my crew, City Manager Ed Kitchen and his staff went down for some serious postage and graciously provided yours truly and all other Council candidates with a packet that would choke a horse!

The demographic information by Council District and the various other data is interesting but the Bible is Greensboro's FY 03/04 budget.  While I have stumbled through it online several times, having the book is much easier to deal with. 

Did you know that we receive more revenue from user fees/charges/licenseses ($112.5M) than we do from property tax assessments ($103.6M)?  I suppose I knew it on some level, but it just goes to show you that little nibbles at your wallet can exceed the big checks you write when property tax bills are due.  (Got one of those today too, a little past due for my old Saab, guess I better pay it before the newspapers begin their background checks for closeted skeletons.)

Also in the last two days: a position questionaire from the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition (TREBIC) and a request for a candidate interview forum from the News & Record came across my desk and this is just the beginning.  I am considering posting the questionaires on the blog to demonstrate what I will be going through and what is on everyone's minds.  Comments?

Anyway, my parents are driving in from Kentucky today and should be here soon.  Looking forward to a great visit and many words of advice and wisdom.  My band director father served two terms on Hodgenville, KY (pop.2600) City Council and ran an unsuccessful campaign for mayor many years ago.

12:05:30 PM     comments to the above post so far, join in.   Trackbacks

Good news for downtown Greensboro!  Apparently Cherokee Investment Partners out of Raleigh is going to purchase the ten-year-vacant Wachovia Building according to this N&R article.  I am sure that Wachovia will be pleased to get the building renamed.  Why it has bever been labeled as the "empty JP building" is a mystery.

Known for re-developing contaminated buildings and "brown-field" sites, Cherokee mentioned plans for a mixed use development including first floor retail, businesses and housing in the structure.

As evidenced by this and other recent TRULY private investments into our center city, downtown is making a comeback with little governmental intervention.  Greensboro is basking in a national trend that is driven by the perception that downtowns are becoming "cool" again.

Despite the fact that there was no mention of Action Greensboro having anything to do with the transaction, the N&R took the opportunity to give them and the baseball stadium a plug that was completely out of context in my opinion, "In the past two years, nonprofit Action Greensboro has raised millions of dollars for a downtown park, a minor-league baseball stadium, the International Civil Rights Museum and other projects."

They could just as easily mentioned The Aycock Neighborhood or DGI as engines for change in downtown Greensboro, but Noooo!

8:47:07 AM     comments to the above post so far, join in.   Trackbacks