Incumbents: Marikay Abuzuaiter, Mike Barber, Yvonne Johnson
Challengers: Irving David Allen, M.A. Bakie, T. Dianne Bellamy-Small, Jodi Bennett-Bradshaw, Tijuana Hayes, Sylvine Hill, James Ingram, Dan Jackson, Michelle Kennedy, Andy Nelson, Lindy Perry-Garnette, Dave Wils
There are four challengers for every incumbent--that alone should say something about how fed up people really are with Greensboro's business as usual government. 2015 was the first time since the current 5-3-1 system was implemented in 1983 that there were no primaries for the at-large seats as there were only three challengers
Obviously, it would be a horrible outcome if all three incumbents prevail in November. However, there's another outcome that would be arguably worse: the city's political clans co-opting the anti-incumbent sentiment by deeming one of the incumbents expendable (likely Abuzuaiter or Barber) and using an outsider to further their corporatist ends.
Rather than break down every single candidate running in this race, I have decided to place the 15 candidates into five tiers and provide explanations for some candidates. The first tier will be my official endorsements, the second tier represents candidates I would like to see advance to the general election, and the last one automatically includes the three incumbents.
There are four challengers for every incumbent--that alone should say something about how fed up people really are with Greensboro's business as usual government. 2015 was the first time since the current 5-3-1 system was implemented in 1983 that there were no primaries for the at-large seats as there were only three challengers
Obviously, it would be a horrible outcome if all three incumbents prevail in November. However, there's another outcome that would be arguably worse: the city's political clans co-opting the anti-incumbent sentiment by deeming one of the incumbents expendable (likely Abuzuaiter or Barber) and using an outsider to further their corporatist ends.
Rather than break down every single candidate running in this race, I have decided to place the 15 candidates into five tiers and provide explanations for some candidates. The first tier will be my official endorsements, the second tier represents candidates I would like to see advance to the general election, and the last one automatically includes the three incumbents.
Tier 1: Allen, Hill, Kennedy
Tier 2: Wils, Perry-Garnette, Hayes
Tier 3: Bennett-Bradshaw, Bakie, Nelson
Tier 4: Ingram, Jackson, Bellamy-Small
Tier 5: Johnson, Abuzuaiter, Barber
Allen: He was a panelist at Elsewhere's election night party last year and is a cool guy.
Bellamy-Small: She needs to figure out whether she wants to represent the county's schoolchildren or return to the Melvin Municipal Building.
Bennett-Bradshaw: I wanted to support her but her platform is very vague despite her saying all of the right things.
Ingram: He's backed by the some of the very state legislators responsible for dragging the state's reputation through the mud.
Jackson: In the mold of Wilkins? No thanks!
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