news-record.com

He'd rather continue writing poems, short stories and song lyrics.

But Billy Jones — aka Billy the Blogging Poet — said circumstances have compelled him to launch a write-in candidacy for mayor of Greensboro. He says the two on-the-ballot candidates, Councilwoman Yvonne Johnson and downtown developer Milton Kern, aren't talking enough about gang violence.

"It's not across the street from their house," said Jones, 51, whose family has lived near Textile and Willard streets in northeast Greensboro since 1958.

"There comes a time in a man's life when he has to look around and say, 'Should I be doing something more?'"

Jones, who works selling his writing and street planes — bicycle contraptions with wings — says he's serious about his candidacy. He wants to highlight gang violence but believes he'd bring positive change as mayor.

On Monday, he handed out 200 business cards in downtown Greensboro and talked to people about gang-related crimes.

"Nobody's doing anything about it," he says.

Forums: Check 'em out

Six forums are headed your way in the next week as you decide your vote for the Greensboro City Council election.

To see a complete list, go to news-record.com; click on the red, white and blue Vote logo; then click on the Vote 2007 logo. But here are a couple of highlights:

* Wednesday: Democratic Lunch Forum featuring mayoral candidates Yvonne Johnson and Milton Kern, 12:30 p.m., sponsored by Greensboro Woman's Club, 223. N. Edgeworth St. Information: 315-5532.

* Thursday: Candidates' forum, 7:30-9:30 a.m., sponsored by the Greensboro Partnership, Downtown Marriott, 304 N. Greene St. Candidates will answer questions about economic development. Information: Kathleen Patterson, kpatterson@greensboro.org or 387-8331.

* Monday: At-large, 6:45 p.m., sponsored by the Neighborhood Congress, Greensboro Central Library, 219 N. Church St. Information: 851-2748.

Taking it online

Followers of the Guilford County commissioners have long been able to retrieve meeting agendas online, but if you wanted supporting documents, you'd have to get them elsewhere.

That's changing. The county has put much of the supporting information for Thursday's commissioners meeting on the Internet. You can actually see, for example, proposed changes to planning fees, whereas before you'd only see the barebones item on the agenda.

All this information is public and available to anyone who asks for it, but the county clerk's office is trying to get more information off paper and on the Web.

"Eventually, the hope would be that the public would be able to see everything the elected official sees," said Effie Varitimidis, clerk to the board of commissioners.

Check out the agenda and supporting documents at http://www.co.guilford.nc.us/commissioners/granicus.

Staff writers Margaret Moffett Banks and Nate DeGraff contributed.