news-record.com

The candidates have wasted no time jumping into the Greensboro City Council election.

As of Friday afternoon, 22 people had declared their candidacy with the Guilford County Board of Elections.

Every race has challengers. Council Districts 1, 2 and 4 — at least three candidates each — are already due for a primary Oct. 6.

At-large council candidates will also likely face a primary. Six candidates have already filed, and two pledge to do so next week.

Other races in Guilford County are a bit less crowded.

No candidates have filed for either the mayoral or council elections in Stokesdale. Candidates who have filed for seats in Jamestown, Sedalia, Summerfield, Whitsett and Gibsonville face no challengers thus far.

Candidates have until noon Friday to file.

District 2 scholarship program proposed

Ryan Shell is already making plans for how he will spend his City Council salary if he gets elected this November.

He said last week that $5,000 of the annual salary would be spent on five scholarships for young people in District 2.

Shell filed paperwork Thursday to run in the district. He will challenge Gordon Hester and Jim Kee for the seat.

Shell said he worked while he attended UNCG and knows firsthand how difficult it is to pay for college.

“It was just a way to give back directly to those kids,” he said.

Concert raises money for 900 bus passes

You’ve heard of singing for your supper. But how about singing for bus passes?

That’s what T. Dianne Bellamy-Small did.

The councilwoman and trained mezzo soprano lent her voice to a concert in honor of Black Music Month on June 28.

The proceeds will go to buy 900 bus passes for the city’s homeless day center — a cause Bellamy-Small championed. The center will open this fall.

What do 'nonpartisan’ candidates believe in?

When we heard that long-time Democrat Dot Kearns was headed to the board of elections, which is likely to be made official July 21, we talked to a few Republicans to see what they thought.

Kearns was a Democrat as a county commissioner and then held a seat on the nonpartisan school board for four terms.

So when we talked to Guilford County GOP Chairman Bill Wright on nonpartisan seats, he had interesting insights to share. Wright once held a nonpartisan seat as mayor of Pleasant Garden.

“I don’t think that in any of your nonpartisan races, they’re ever completely nonpartisan,” he said, “and (candidates have) some basic philosophical view, and whether you have an R or D by your name, you go into whatever position you’re in with some ideology of whether you’re conservative or you’re more moderate or liberal.”

Staff writers Amanda Lehmert and Gerald Witt contributed.