...almost half of DGI's funds come from taxpayers, and so those crying my BID money, my party, my downtown are wrong to exclude the rest of the city from decisions made about downtown. Downtown is comprised of people (some owners, some renters, mostly visitors), buildings (some private, some public), and a lot of public space - streets and sidewalks. DGI is simply too insular - representation on its board needs to be broadened to reflect, not just the moneyed interests, but the interests of everyone. If DGI's budget continues to be about 50-50, shouldn't a board reflect that balance?

We learned in school that taxation with representation is bad. Of course, we also learned cursive.

I've tried to bring out this idea of downtown as public space, but nothing makes it realer than putting a dollar sign on it. 

Comments

[Hartzman]

"Ain't No Reason"

There ain't no reason things are this way.
It's how they always been and they intend to stay.
I can't explain why we live this way.
We do it every day.

Preachers on the podium speaking of saints.
Prophets on the sidewalk begging for change.
Old ladies laughing from the fire escape,
Cursing my name.

I gotta a basket full of lemons and they all taste the same,
A window and a pigeon with a broken wing,
You can spend your whole life working for something,
Just to have it taken away.

People walk around pushing back their debts,
Wearing paychecks like necklaces and bracelets,
Talking about nothing, not thinking about death,
Every little heartbeat, every little breath.

People walk a tightrope on a razors edge.
Carrying their hurt and hatred and weapons.
It could be a bomb, or a bullet, or a pen,
Or a thought, or a word, or a sentence.

Working your fingers bare to the bone.
Breaking' your back, make you sell your soul.
Like a lung, it's filled with coal,
Suffocating slow.

The wind blows wild and I may move.
But politicians lie and I am not fooled.
You don't need no reason or a three piece suit,
To argue the truth.

The air on my skin and the world under my toes
Slavery stitched into the fabric of my clothes
Chaos and commotion wherever I go,
Love I try to follow.

There ain't no reason things are this way.
Its how they've always been and they intend to stay.
I can't explain why we live this way.
We do it every day.

Brett Dennen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXMqrbi-rSY

[Hartzman]

"Councilmember Wade made a motion to put a referendum on the November ballot
and make sure that we designate it was for the Greensboro performing arts center; I don¹t know the amount of money, it keeps changing, but it is hard not to promise the public when this process started, that they would have a chance to have this on a referendum; that we would have a volunteer group go out and do a study and come back and present it to Council; then if Council felt the need to move forward with a performing arts center, then they would have an opportunity to vote on this on the ballot; whether it was April or November, I prefer
November so we don¹t have to pay an extra $250,000. Councilmember Wade continued that she thought Council promised that to the people, and we need to deliver on that promise, and it seems that I have not really heard anyone say that it¹s a terrible thing to have a performing arts center, I think the task force did a great job; I am just hearing it is not the right time and people
deserve to weigh in on it, because ultimately, whatever happens, the people are going to be left paying the bill if everybody else does not come through with the funding. If people have to
put in $10 million or $70 million, they still deserve the right and we promised them that in the beginning. That is my motion and it was seconded by Councilmember Abuzuaiter.

The motion was adopted on the following roll call vote: Ayes: Abuzuaiter,
Johnson, Kee, Matheny, Perkins, Vaughan and Wade.

Noes: Bellamy-Small and Hoffmann.

http://greensboro.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=greensboro_26f92dc578
fc896435f2f117f872d989.pdf&view=1&showpdf=1
.
.
.
Houston?

[Spag]

On that taxation civics lesson, didn't we also learn that the power to tax was vested in the Congress and not the President? The President is the executive, the Congress is the representation.

FWIW, Brian is right on this DGI issue.

[Hartzman]

[A]city contracts with a nonprofit organization that promotes arts in the community. If not for this contract, city employees would carry out this function. The city appoints three of the five members of the nonprofit board. The city owns the property the nonprofit uses for its offices, and leases it to the nonprofit for nominal consideration. The nonprofit receives most of its funding from the city. Is the nonprofit organization subject to the transparency laws? The answer is probably: yes."

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2013/02/notice-to-dgi-no-taxation-without.html

[Ed Cone]

I think the rules allow for a significant presence on the DGI board for people who don't own property downtown, so some number of stakeholder seats seems realistic.

[Hartzman]

From: Henry Isaacson
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2013 3:53 PM
To: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Meeting with Club Owners

XXXXX, I heard from Roy Carroll over the weekend to the effect that Nancy Hoffman, City Council person, is also trying to arrange a meeting between Roy and club owners. Roy asked if I would let you know this and to advise that he would like to see where her efforts lead. Thanks for your interest and I will keep you informed if I receive further information.

Henry H. Isaacson, Esq.
Isaacson Isaacson Sheridan Fountain & Leftwich, LLP

[Roch]

"The city owns the property the nonprofit uses for its offices, and leases it to the nonprofit for nominal consideration." -- GH

Uh, no. But you probably knew that already.

[Hartzman]

Roch, the qouted quote is from Frayda Bluestein, NC School of Government
.
.
"1. Cooler heads seem to have prevailed and the DGI issue has been assigned to a joint committee.

5. Local gadfly-on-steroids George Hartzman continues to toss grenades on the Internet, but has yet to accept my invitation to call me. So I’ll let him carry on without me. In the meantime, George, please stop carpet-bombing me with hyperlinks. I’m deleting them as fast as they arrive."

Allen Johnson

http://www.news-record.com/home/821296-63/more-thoughts-on-dgi

"It looks like it is only a matter of time before Downtown Greensboro Inc. (DGI) President Ed Wolverton is gone."

John Hammer

http://greensboro.rhinotimes.com/Articles-Articles-c-2013-02-27-214929.112113-Council-Shows-DGI-Whos-Boss.html

Quite the contrast

I guess I am going to call Allen today to tell him the lie wasn't about Eric Robert's letter, but in not reporting and withholding a whole bunch of truth about our local political environment.

Lying to protect Greensboro's old money status quo.

Lying about Robbie by not reporting the truth to his readers during the election.

The News & Record is in the cesspool with these folks who have run roughshod over Greensboro's taxpayers.

[Ed Cone]

George, can you state simply your concern about Allen Johnson and Eric Robert? I gather that it has something to do with Allen publishing, or not publishing, material from Eric?

[David Hoggard]

Please don't confuse the issue with verifiable facts, Roch. Takes all of the fun out of being blissfully ignorant and espousing volumes of nonsense.

[Roch]

"Roch, the qouted quote is from Frayda Bluestein, NC School of Government" --GH

Yes, we get that. And you pretend it applies to DGI, which it doesn't.

Ed, it's pretty blatant what Allen Johnson did: aware of Eric Robert's letter—it having been submitted to him for publication—Allen turned around and said he wasn't aware of any legitimate complaints about DGI. It could be that he didn't find anything legitimate in Eric's letter, or it could be he forgot about Eric's letter, or it could be he's more interested in manipulating opinion than informing it.

[Hartzman]

Just got off the phone with Allen Johnson.

The lie Allen told had nothing to do with Eric Robert's letter, other than it being evidence of Allen's purposeful ignorance and willful misleading of his readers as to what is happening with DGI;

"Council members have quietly indicated their problems with DGI for months."

Amanda Lehmert today

"I don’t get it...Even more befuddling were the reasons given. Maybe there are some more specific and legitimate concerns about DGI that have gotten the council’s goat.

I just haven’t heard them yet."

Allen Johnson last week after publishing propaganda missives on Ed Wolverton and Roy Carroll

That Allen didn't know of concerns about DGI when he wrote "I just haven’t heard them yet" after going through multiples of problems with Eric Robert beforehand is clear evidence that Allen did not tell the truth.

It's blatant.

It is a verified fact.

[Ed Cone]

I still don't know the basics, George. What letter from Eric? What did Allen do with it? Please help me catch up on the plot so far.

[Hartzman]

"If not for this contract, city employees would carry out this function. The city appoints three of the five members of the nonprofit board. ...The nonprofit receives most of its funding from the city. Is the nonprofit organization subject to the transparency laws? The answer is probably: yes."

Roch, I think these sentences apply to DGI.

[Roch]

"Roch, I think these sentences apply to DGI." -- GH

Well, that's simple, does DGI lease space from the city or are you a prevaricating moron? One of the other.

[Roch]

Ed, it's the piece you published on your blog, to which I link above, about which Allen said, when I brought it to his attention: "I've seen the Robert piece before and discussed it with him. Thanks."

[Hartzman]

Roch, DGI uses our money to lease space.

I believe it should apply for public records and transparency purposes.

No?

[Roch]

George, I'm not segueing from your deceptions to a change of subject.

You rightfully despise when people manipulate the facts to make a point (you're complaining of it in this every thread), when you do it, it's just as obnoxious. When you further try to cover your tracks by doubling down, using ellipses to leave out information that contradicts you, it's worse than obnoxious. It's contemptuous.

[Hartzman]

Good one.

Agree and despise at the same time.

I copy and paste something from Billy Jones that points to precedent and you respond with insult.

What did I leave out that's contradictory?

I will be happy to address your contempt if you would be so kind as to identify the contradictions.

[Roch]

Nope. This thread speaks for itself and you do not qualify for any more of my time today.