News & Record (Greensboro, NC), November 6, 2005, Sunday

Copyright 2005 News & Record (Greensboro, NC)
News & Record (Greensboro, NC)

November 6, 2005 Sunday News & Record EDITION

SECTION: TRIAD; Pg. B1; None

HEADLINE: At-large hopefuls air their thoughts

BYLINE: BY ERIC SWENSEN

DATELINE: GREENSBORO

BODY:
GREENSBORO - The three sitting City Council members seeking at-large seats appear to be facing their toughest challenge from a home builder and political newcomer.
Six candidates are battling for the council's three at-large seats. Incumbent at-large members Yvonne Johnson and Don Vaughan are joined in the race by current District 4 Councilwoman Florence Gatten, Sandra Anderson, Joel Landau and Diane Davis.
Based on fund-raising totals and October's primary results, Anderson is in the thick of the contest with Gatten, Johnson and Vaughan. She finished third in the primary - behind Johnson and Vaughan but ahead of Gatten - and has the third-highest fund-raising total among council candidates.
In recent interviews, the candidates outlined their philosophies and priorities, with economic development and job creation a near-universal issue.
Sandra Anderson
Anderson thinks her chances of winning a council seat depend on whether people want change.
"I'm the fresh face and new energy," she said.
While a political newcomer, she believes the experience running her home construction business has given her a solid background in budgeting and measuring productivity and efficiency.
If elected, she said, one of her priorities - along with focusing on affordable housing for city residents - would be to make sure the city is operating as efficiently as possible with taxpayer dollars.
To bring more jobs, Anderson believes the city should focus on encouraging the growth of small businesses.
"If you're dependent on one big business and that business pulls out, then you've got a big hole," she said.
To help improve public safety, Anderson would like to see more police officers leave their patrol cars and either patrol on bike or on foot. She believes that will help "build trust and relationships (with residents) - they can't do that riding through in cars."
Diane Davis
Davis, a retired downtown business owner, pledges to be more responsive to residents' concerns than the current council. Responsiveness now depends too much on who you are and not enough on the quality of your ideas, she said.
She's also opposes the city's plan to mostly replace the White Street landfill by shipping garbage outside the county, instead preferring the city work to reduce the amount of trash buried.
"It seems like a bad and expensive solution," Davis said.
The city needs to build more sidewalks and bicycle lanes, she said, to make the city safer for pedestrians so residents "can actually use their bicycles for transportation."
Instead of paying incentives to companies, which she views as bribes, the city should do a better job of promoting its attributes such as its road network, labor pool and low tax rate, she said.
Florence Gatten
Gatten highlighted her accessibility and willingness to speak out.
"They'll always know where I stand," she said. "They may not agree with me."
Her priorities include changing the city's budgeting process to "zero-based budgeting," where all spending would have to be justified each year.
For every item in the budget, Gatten wants to ask the question: "Is that expenditure still needed?"
She would hope to streamline government and make it more efficient. The number of employees may not change, she said, though they may be redeployed.
On public safety, Gatten said she wants to evaluate the impact of recently hired police officers before deciding whether there's a need for more officers or other police personnel.
As growth continues across the city, Gatten said open spaces need to be preserved. "The desire to build on every square inch should be resisted," she said.
Yvonne Johnson
Johnson believes she has "a gift for service."
"I'm very serious about service, in terms of what people expect and what I try to give," she said.
One of her priorities is to try to give a lift to small businesses that employ the bulk of the city's work force. Johnson has suggested running a list of the city's small businesses with a one-line description on the city's cable-access channel. She also believes the city needs to better sell itself to prospective businesses and zero in on what industries the city should target.
She wants to engage students and faculty from the city's colleges and universities, in part by holding one council meeting per year at each campus. Representatives from the schools could also get involved, for instance, in creating outdoor art for the city.
She'd also like to see the city expand its transit system, which she believes is more important now thanks to higher gas prices.
Joel Landau
Landau pledged to bring new ideas to the council if elected. "If someone is happy with the status quo ... don't vote for me," he said.
He wants to provide residents with more information on how city government works, such as posting more financial information on the city's Web site. He has also proposed informing residents of upcoming elections by mailing postcards or including inserts in water bills.
He wants the city to get more resident input. One of the reasons he supports the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission - which is investigating the 1979 Klan-Nazi shootings that killed five people - is because it's "a great example of getting groups talking to each other."
He'd like to create an overall energy policy for the city that would range from buying more hybrid vehicles and expanding the use of biodiesel to focusing business recruitment on low-polluting companies. He also would like to see the creation of a retail business incubator for east Greensboro and find ways to get the city's colleges and universities more involved in economic development.
Don Vaughan
Vaughan, an attorney, touts his responsiveness to constituents, his experience as a small-business owner and his 14 years on the council, which he said has helped him build knowledge on how the city works.
His top priorities include bringing more jobs to Greensboro. One tool he believes could be of help is the economic development power given to localities last year by the passage of Amendment One, which gives localities the authority to borrow money for economic development projects without going to a bond referendum. The authority is restricted to projects that wouldn't happen without public help and that will improve the tax base enough to repay the bonds.
Vaughan pointed to his work as chairman of a Greensboro committee that was part of a statewide effort backing Amendment One as an accomplishment from his last term.
He also believes the city needs to work to continue the growing momentum in downtown Greensboro.
Greensboro , Vaughan said, should continue its work on changing traffic patterns to make it easier to get in and out of town. Another key, he said, is to "find a way to make the Wachovia building a viable entity again."
Contact Eric Swensen at 373-7351 or eswensen @news-record.com
DOUBLE-EDIT Six candidates are bidding for three seats on the Greensboro City Council.

NOTES:
SANDRA ANDERSON Age: 60 Address: 505 Daybreak North Occupation: Owner, Sandra Anderson Builders. Political experience: None. Civic leadership: Member of Greensboro Board of Adjustment; board member, Family Life Council; board member, Guilford County Senior Services Committee Education: Graduate of Lenoir City High School, Tenn.; attended UNCG and Greensboro College Family: Two daughters, one son Web site: sandraandersoncitycouncil.com DIANE DAVIS Age: 63 Address: 905 Fairmont St. Occupation: Retired small business owner Political experience: Candidate for the City Council, 2003 Civic leadership: None listed Education: High school graduate, attended UNCG Family: Married, five children, three grandchildren Web site: greensboropeerpressure. blogspot.com FLORENCE GATTEN Age: 59 Address: 3507 Smoketree Drive Occupation: Public policy and media relations consultant Political experience: City Council member, 2001-present Civic leadership: Board member, Moses Cone Health System; board member, Greensboro Economic Development Partnership; founding director, Greensboro Public Library Foundation; board member, Canterbury School Education: Bachelor?s degree in English, College of William and Mary Family: Married, two children, one grandchild Web site: www.florencegatten.com YVONNE JOHNSON (i) Age: 63 Address: 4311 King Arthur Place Occupation: Executive director, One Step Further Political experience: City Council member, 1993-present Civic leadership: Chairwoman, Bennett College Board of Trustees; co-founder, Summit House; board member, Delancey Street Foundation Education: Bachelor's degree in psychology, Bennett College; master's degree in counseling, N.C. A&T Family: Married, four children, six grandchildren Web site: None

JOEL LANDAU Age: 54 Address: 6 Collwood Court Occupation: Home-based distributor of wellness products Political experience: None Civic leadership: Former member of the Deep Roots Cooperative; founding member of Citizens for Waste Reduction and Recycling; board member of Resources for Artful Living; former president, Brandywine Homeowners Association Education: Bachelor's degree in industrial and labor relations, Cornell University Family: Married, two stepchildren Web site: www.joellandau.com

DON VAUGHAN (i) Age: 53 Address: 2603 W. Market St. Occupation: Attorney Political experience: City Council member, 1991-present Civic leadership: Member, N.C. Banking Commission; former chairman of Parks and Recreation Commission Education: Bachelor's degree, UNC-Chapel Hill; master's degree in public administration, American University; law degree, Wake Forest University Family: Married, one daughter Web site: www.votedonvaughan.com Voters will choose three at-large candidates for Greensboro City Council on Tuesday. MORE ONLINE Go to www.news-record.com and click on the Vote 2005 link to read more about City Council candidates. You can find biographical information and their responses to a questionnaire about issues in Greensboro. Coming Monday: A guide to municipal elections, and listings of candidates in all races in the area.