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GREENSBORO — Just two weeks shy of the October primary, City Council candidates met with voters Tuesday night at a public forum.

Candidates took questions about the city’s trash disposal issues, the police department and other issues at a forum hosted by the Guilford Unity Effort.

City Council District 2

Candidates were asked to describe their leadership style, and how they will work with other colleagues.

Gordon Hester: “I’ve been in the military for 33 years. Currently, I work as a chaplain. It’s a little bit toned down. I don’t really get to yell and scream and stomp my feet. ... Allow everyone to bring their own thing to the table and allow each person to excel, to climb to the heights they can. And I have a sense of humor. Always smile. It’s never as bad as it seems.”

Jim Kee: “My leadership style is collaborative and inclusive. My corporate experience has taken me all over the world, working with everyone from the CEO to janitors. You need to be able to work with people. I’ve worked in HR, sales, procurement, budgeting. These are all the things we need for leadership in Greensboro.”

Nettie Coad: “I like to work in collaboration with people and have everyone feel I value their opinion. Being able to work with people from every area, every race and ethnicity — I believe I can do that. And everyone’s opinion does matter.”

Dan Fischer: “My style of leadership is a servant style of leadership. I have worked with enough people and advocated for enough people who I’ve had to serve what their interest is. Through serving and talking with people, what I want doesn’t matter — it’s what you want.”

City Council District 5

Candidates were asked if they favor an expansion of mass transportation in the city?

Art Boyett: “I think we can expand the bus routes we already have. Some people have talked about the possibility of rapid rail … I don’t think we are there yet.”

Trudy Wade did not attend the event.

City Council At-large

Candidates were asked if they favor a policy that bans campaign contributions from people who do business with the city?

Sandra Anderson Groat said it would be difficult to monitor.

“I just really don’t know how it would work … I hope we haven’t gotten so corrupt that we have to have people follow us around all the time.”

Nancy Vaughan: “As long as it is a level playing field, then that’s fine with me. …We need to look at ethics and financial disclosures.”

Candidates were also asked if they support continued funding for the police gang unit?

Donnell “D.J.” Hardy: “I don’t support continued funding. From what I have seen so far, they need to make their case.”

Robbie Perkins: “I support the police gang unit. I also support the overall direction that our police department is taking. I was very concerned three, four years ago with the situation in the police department. But I think clearly we have it going in the right direction.”

Ryan Shell: “There should be an investigation to determine whether the gang unit is being effective or not.

Candidates were asked if they favor giving the Complaint Review Committee, which reviews citizen complaints about police officers’ conduct, subpoena power?

Jorge Cornell: “Yes. The reason why I support it is because it will make police officers better cops. More honest. It won’t allow them to hide as much stuff as they are hiding.”

Julie Lapham: “Yes, there is absolutely no reason to have citizen review board without having subpoena power, period.”

Marikay Abuzuaiter: “The complaint review process would be ideal if all the witnesses came to the table. Subpoena power would be ideal.”

Candidates were asked if they favor reopening the White Street Landfill to household waste?

Danny Thompson opposed it, saying the city must consider other technological alternatives to landfills.

“We need to start that discussion now. We need to do it on a regional basis.”

Gary Nixon said he would honor the decision to keep it closed, but would help pursue a regional solution to trash disposal. “I know all the players and all the communities because I have worked with every one of them. We can make that happen, we can be the leader on that.”

Candidate Max Benbassat did not attend the forum.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com.

Contact Joe Killian at 373-7023 or joe.killian@news-record.com.