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News & Record election questionnaire - Greensboro City Council District 3

Office you seek
City Council District 3

Occupation
Real estate Broker / Developer

Age
45

Education
High School: NORTHEAST GUILFORD 2 yr Civil engineering GTCC

Address
210 West Cornwallis Drive

Web site/blog/email address
http://www.joewilsonforcitycouncil.com
http://Blog.joewilsonsblog.com
joewilson@sticks2bricks.com

Previous elective experience
No public experience

Other relevant experience (boards and commissions, etc.):
Board of Directors Greater Greensboro Jaycees in the 80's
Guilford County Transportation Planning Board

Family
I have 2 children, a son and a daughter.

Why have you chosen to run for this office?
I do not believe the needs of the public are currently being served by our elected officials. A small group of political activists are in charge of the decisions made in our city. Serving the needs of special interests is not conducive to the overall good of the city of Greensboro. I intend to represent all of the people of our great city, and see that they have the opportunity to be heard and represented.

Key qualifications you would bring to the job:
Small business owner in Greensboro for several years;
Parent (humility training);
Understanding the city development decision making process;
Thirty-nine years living in Greensboro watching it grow.

What distinguishes you most from your opponent(s)?
I have no hidden agenda or indebtedness to special interests!!
I have a valid reason for running for office. I am not doing it for self promotion, and I am most definitely not an "insider"!

Please list the top three issues in your district and your stances on those issues (briefly, please).
Law Enforcement, Taxation and Responsible Development!

Confidence in the City Manager's office and the Police Department is currently at a low point. Investigations must be allowed to run their course.
Law enforcement personnel in Greensboro need to know that we appreciate them. They need strong superiors who roll up their sleeves and go catch bad guys from the street not behind the desk. We must restore the confidence in our PD from the inside out. Growth of Gangs is possibly the number one crime issue in our city. This must stop now! Small fires get real big real fast, and these fires are now growing at a rampant rate!

Ever increasing tax valuations, hidden fees and the chronic spending of tax dollars is another major issue. The City Council must stop using the taxpayer as their piggy bank. We must get serious about rational spending, and take the necessary steps to eliminate inappropriate stewardship of our taxpayer's money! Significant spending cuts are definitely needed.

We must get busy making this area known as a great place to bring your company and raise your children. We have a bad reputation for being un- friendly to outside entities who want relocate their business in Greensboro. Unnecessary red- tape runs companies out of Greensboro to other cities and counties. I will work to streamline our Planning Department and give them the tools they need to be effective. I will do all I can to protect our neighborhoods from nonconforming development.

If different from above, please list the top three issues citywide and your position on them (briefly, please).
None!

What lessons do you think should be drawn from recent problems in the Greensboro Police Department?
True leadership is significantly lacking. The issues should have been handled responsibly and with full disclosure. The lesson to be learned from this is that we need a City Council that understands their responsibility to the people of Greensboro and that is willing to let the pieces fall where they may when it comes to telling the truth.

Have those problems been resolved? Why or why not?
I don't think they have. I've stated in my blog that the response times in Greensboro have been unacceptable. They are a direct result of someone not willing to make the decision to improve the situation. It is a function of senior city management not providing firm direction to the Chief to ensure proper and timely execution of his responsibilities

Have the mayor and City Council done an effective job in addressing Greensboro's economic needs? What more should they do?
NO!! They need to start behaving as a governmental body and not a clearing house for everything that happens in Greensboro. We are spending a lot of money on programs that are not a part of the City's responsibility. Reduce inappropriate and unnecessary spending then we won't be seen as a town with our hand out to everyone who comes here.

If you were to give the city a letter grade on its effectiveness in managing growth, what would it be?
D.
Growth in Greensboro is dictated by influential individuals making deals for special interests. We don't motivate growth or require reinvestment anywhere except downtown. There are 120 more square miles that need pro-active growth strategies as well as positive leadership.

How would you evaluate the City Council's handling of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report?
Shameful. It was a terrible time in our history. I was downtown that day and it wasn't even about race as is being portrayed by certain people here in town. You just had too many ideals in too small a space. It was a tragedy that people lost their lives unnecessarily over political beliefs but, it happened. It was 29 years ago and the courts dealt with it.
The issue that faced the City Council recently was who took campaign money from whom and had to do what they were told. I was ashamed to watch it.

What vote or decision of the current council would you overturn? Why do you disagree with the decision?
There are too many to list here.

Does Greensboro have a gang problem, and if so, how best to address it?
Yes Greensboro has a Gang problem. I have been addressing this in my blog since April and I've tried to reach out to the Police department to better understand the issues. We need to form and staff a Gang squad, give them the necessary resources and hold them accountable for eradicating the gangs from Greensboro. If we ignore this issue and don't take immediate action, then we all might as well join a gang!

A recent social capital study cites not only continuing distrust among citizens in Greensboro but higher-than-average distrust of the police department and city government in general. How would you address those problems?
The establishment of governmental transparency, something which we in Greensboro are sorrowfully lacking, would go a long way toward re-building trust. I also want to say that Social Capital is an unproven concept with an almost inexplicable definition that barely means anything to anyone. The people of Greensboro just want to be told the truth in matters that concern them. Most people have a "higher than average distrust" of someone they feel is lying about something.

What current council member do you admire most? Why?
Mayor Holliday would be my choice because he has managed to keep this house of cards from toppling. Some people say he hasn't been a strong mayor, but I beg to differ. It would have been easy enough for this City Council to implode without a peacemaker in place. We have never had a better cheerleader! The man did a lot with what he had.

What should be the vision for Guilford County?
I thought this was a city election? Greensboro and the rest of Guilford County is at the beginning of a population explosion and the vision should be one that includes responsible government, fair taxes with representation, and the realization of our outstanding growth potential. We should strive to be known as a place where crime is not tolerated and where you can enjoy the freedoms afforded by the Constitution.