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Who will be the next leader? Will the leadership of the Board of Commissioners stay put for another year?

No telling, at this point.

In interviews last week, neither Chairman Melvin “Skip” Alston nor Vice Chairman Steve Arnold would say whether they intend to run for the seats again.

And no majority of commissioners came forward in unified support for the two.

Guilford County commissioners name their chairman and vice chairman each year around December.

The year has been filled with changes under the current regime, which forced out the county manager and deputy manager, watched the county attorney abruptly resign, laid off workers and kept property taxes from increasing.

The county also created a controversial incentives plan with $1.3 million in public funds and recently approved building the county jail.

Though nobody has come forward formally to seek the post — commissioners usually have those conversations among themselves — some commissioners have told Scoop that Alston and Arnold might be challenged if they choose to go for the top posts again.

“They have not stepped forward officially, and they may have enough support that nobody would challenge,” Commissioner Kirk Perkins said. “This is September, and December is a long way away, politically.”

Hot air for cool climate

Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Democrat who represents Greensboro in the state legislature, got a double-dose of Washington politicking last week.

She was onstage as Sens. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, and John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, introduced their bill aimed at curbing climate change. The House is working on a related bill, both in advance of a major world climate summit at the end of this year.

There were other North Carolinians on hand, including fellow legislator Grier Martin, a Raleigh Democrat.

Also last week, Harrison was part of a panel at a White House conference on climate and energy policy.

“People are impressed that a purple state like North Carolina can have very progressive energy policies that have proven to have a positive jobs outcome,” Harrison said.

A report due out this week will show the state’s green-sector jobs have grown even as unemployment has risen.

Harrison said she would be working with an ad hoc group of state legislators who will help push for a climate change and energy policy bill this year.

State legislators, she said, can be useful in such an effort because they’re often closer to constituents than federal lawmakers but also tight with their colleagues at the federal level.

At news-record.com

Primaries for City Council races in Districts 1-4 and at-large are Tuesday. Twenty-seven candidates will be on the ballot, with the field being narrowed for the general election Nov. 3.

Go to www.news-record.com/election to find:

Candidate information: Biographical details and questionnaires filled out by the candidates.

Campaign calendar: A list of campaign events and forums, plus the early voting schedule with links to maps showing the locations.

Which City Council race affects you? Check out the interactive map to see your district and who will be on the ballot, with links to information about each candidate.

Vote ’09: The News & Record’s election blog features staff writer Amanda Lehmert’s series of “Meet the Candidate” interviews.

Staff writers Mark Binker and Gerald Witt contributed.