After I got slammed last week for some comments I made both here and on the ABC of Guilford County discussion forum, Michael Murphree, the group's Director, sent me an email for the record.  It states, in part...

"I have followed your site and the dialogue on the Yahoo forum for the last few days with some interest. In spite of a few "tactical" differences, I believe that we (ABC) might be closer than either of us thinks to agreement on most issues.

Please keep in mind that the Yahoo forum is something that was set up in the early beginnings of ABC. It is not an official site, is not maintained by ABC, and is an open forum. As such, much of the dialogue that you read or engage in is clearly not representative of ABC's position as an organization. There are a lot of very passionate people out there, many of whom are members of ABC, many of whom are not.

I would hope, however, that you would not draw your conclusions about ABC based on conversations you have with a small, vocal subset of folks who might or might not be associated with ABC...."  Read the whole thing

I wrote Murphree back that I took none of the flaming personally and certainly don't ascribe the tone of the folks who stridently took issue with what I had to say to the official ABC entity.

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Mr. Sun made me spew coffee on my computer screen AGAIN just now.  I need to keep a roll of paper towels on my desk.

He explains the reason why he won't be supporting W for president and why his penis is just out and out too big, "I'm talking huge".

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I ran into Business Journal publisher Doug Copeland during yesterday's Men Can Cook fundraiser.  He was giving out free copies of his publication.  I get their online updates but rarely am able to read all of their print edition - I need to change that habit.

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An opinion piece written by frequent contributor Ian Joyce was of interest to the blogger in me. Entitlled, where mainstream media falters, bloggers rush in, Joyce laments the lack of in-depth reporting on economic issues by "big media".  He then gives some cautionary advice to the traditional news outlets:

"... many established journalists look at bloggers in the same amused way that an anthropologist might observe "less civilized" societies, totally unaware that they are being sized up as a meal."

The article is a good read, so I suggest you do so.

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On the front page in the weekly Triad Talk column, associate editor Justin Catanoso talks about the leadership void that may be shaping up (again) in Greensboro. 

The trio of foundation heads who spearheaded Action Greensboro have said all along that their goal was to be a catalyst for change in Greensboro - not a permanent fixture.  Catanoso correctly points out that The Weaver Foundation's Skip Moore, Cemela's Priscilla Taylor and The Bryan Foundation's Jim Melvin, "voluntarily stepped up to fill the city's leadership vacuum" in 2001. 

Say what you will about Action Greensboro, but you must include the fact that they have made things happen around the Gate City.  But the problem is, now that the foundation's leadership and dollars are drying up... we will probably be facing the same dearth of leadership that spurred them to take the reigns in the first place.  Catanoso again:

"... the foundation trio has contentedly occupied center stage for so long that they've let traditional leaders off the hook while usurping some of the authority of organizations such as the chamber, the Greensboro Economic Development Partnership and Downtown Greensboro Inc." 

"... Also, the fact that both Greensboro and Guilford County are without a single elected official who has the ability to galvanize the public and rally a large constituency to a particular cause could also prove a drag on Action Greensboro's future progress. The foundation trio, using their own money, has largely worked around council members and commissioners."

From my view, Catanoso has nailed it.  Our elected officials continue to follow insead of lead.  The closest thing we have to a governmental leader is Greensboro City Manager Ed Kitchen - who, of course, serves at the pleasure of the City Council.  By all indications, Kitchen not only pleases our City Council - they would be lost without him.

I am sure that an initiative or two has actually been added to our City Council's agenda by a member of that body, but it was probably more in keeping with authorizing a study to discern if the sewers need upgrading than how to insure Greensboro's future economic viability.

In Greensboro, we have elected officials, what we desparately need are elected leaders. 

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