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GREENSBORO — It will take some time to come tripping off the tongue:

Greensboro City Councilwoman Mary Rakestraw.

Greensboro City Councilwoman Trudy Wade.

The pair are better known by different titles: county commissioner. As in Guilford County Commissioners Rakestraw and Wade.

When the new City Council is sworn in Dec. 4, one-third will be former members of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners — that cantankerous board known more for its tantrums than policies.

Rakestraw and Wade will join Councilman Mike Barber, who was elected to a second term Tuesday.

So, folks are asking a logical question: Is the Greensboro City Council going to turn into another televised insultfest?

No, say Barber, Rakestraw and Wade. Don't expect water-throwing, name-calling or any other such outlandish behavior.

"I don't foresee any problems whatsoever," Wade said. "The three of us were never involved in any controversies" on the Board of Commissioners.

True, but there's some guilt-by-association going on. Since the early 1990s, the county commissioners have fought over hirings, firings, procedural points, individual votes and even how many commissioners should serve on the board.

During a meeting in 1996, Commissioner Robert Moores called then-County Manager Hector Rivera, who is Latino, a "Puerto Rican criminal." In one infamous meeting from 2006, Commissioner Billy Yow called one member a liar and another an idiot.

Regular City Council watchers can expect more probing questions of city staffers. Barber, Rakestraw and Wade grilled county staffers during meetings and requested reams of material on issues before casting votes.

The trio said Wednesday that's a trait to admire, not scorn. Elected leaders are responsible for the choices they make, they said. The only way to ensure healthy government is to collect as much information as possible, they said.

The three leaders — along with Councilwoman Sandra Anderson Groat, who was re-elected Tuesday — ran on platforms of increasing transparency in city government. They argued City Hall should bring controversial issues into the open, even if it means not portraying a unified front for the TV cameras.

Wade said that was never a problem for the county when she served on the Board of Commissioners, which she said "thoroughly discussed every item that was brought before us."

Rakestraw said she wasn't trying as a county commissioner to be a troublemaker — or a smart aleck. That's just her style. Expect to see her do more of that in her two-year term, she said.

"I'd rather ask a lot of dumb questions than make a lot of dumb mistakes," she said.

Barber said in past years, there has been a "great deal of accord" among council members, and that's not always a good thing.

He said we would take animated, zealous representation any day over governing out of fear of upsetting the apple cart.

Asked Barber: "Generals and CEOs and leaders of our country — do they stop and say, 'I've got a vision. But let me make sure I don't step on any toes'?"

Contact Margaret Moffett Banks at 373-7031 or mbanks@news-record.com