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GREENSBORO — Candidates for the Guilford County Board of Commissioners delivered strikingly similar responses to questions about nonprofit funding and a health solution for southeast Greensboro.

The candidates spoke to several dozen audience members, many of them black, in a forum at New Light Baptist Church on Tuesday.

With that in mind, moderator Jordan Green from YES! Weekly focused his questions on issues at the heart of the black community.

Finding a solution to chronic health problems and accessibility to health care for the primarily black neighborhoods in southeast Greensboro began to be addressed with a $250,000 line item in the 2008-09 budget. Funding for nonprofit organizations, particularly those dealing with minority groups, also has received debate in recent budget hearings.

And candidates generally supported both ideas on Tuesday.

“I would only need to say that you need to research each one thoroughly,” said Larry Proctor, Republican challenger for one of two at-large seats, about funding nonprofits.

At-large challengers Republican Wendell Sawyer and Libertarian Paul Elledge did not attend the forum.

Incumbents Paul Gibson and John Parks, the two at-large Democrats, supported funding for several nonprofit organizations in the budget and backed that decision at the forum.

Kirk Perkins, chairman of the Board of Commissioners who is running for re-election in District 4 against Republican challenger Eddie Souther, also voted for the budget including funding for various nonprofit arts programs.

Although Democratic candidate Melvin “Skip” Alston is running unopposed for his District 8 seat, he appeared at the forum.

The forum took on the issue of a health solution for southeast Greensboro in ZIP code 27406, north of Interstate 40 Business.

Gibson, Parks and Perkins referred to the votes they each made for the 2008-09 budget that included $250,000 for a clinic, half of the $500,000 that county health officials originally said would help fund a solution.

Despite that, Gibson said fully funding the project would depend on how much was needed.
“I’m not sure what it means, but I do support the clinic,” he said, adding, “I wouldn’t support it if it was $15 million.”

Souther seemed agreeable to the idea of a clinic but said he wanted to research it more. Proctor said he would like to review the issue more, as well.

Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt@news-record.com