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GREENSBORO — Three Greensboro City Council members say Melvin “Skip” Alston threatened them with a recall election if they reconsidered federal bond financing eligibility for a luxury hotel in which he has a financial interest.

Mayor Bill Knight and Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan met with Alston, chairman of the Guilford County commissioners, last week on an unrelated issue.

After the meeting, Alston said the city’s black community was not happy with the new City Council.

Alston said there was concern that Knight, Vaughan and Councilman Danny Thompson — all elected in November — might try to undo approval for the proposed downtown hotel project, which has a 51 percent majority black ownership.

Alston, who brought together several of the key investors, is a broker on the deal.

On Wednesday, Alston said he didn’t mean to threaten the council members. He said he only mentioned the issue of a recall because it was raised during a discussion among residents in the Ole Asheboro neighborhood. That neighborhood association, which has a large percentage of minority residents, has an ownership stake in the hotel project.

“I just shared that with them. I didn’t call a meeting just to tell them that,” Alston said. “Nobody’s threatening them with any recall.”

Council members, meanwhile, say they have no plans to revisit the hotel issue and will let the project move forward for financial vetting at the state level. They said race did not play any part in their decision .

“If we can get things going and create jobs, it’s going to create opportunity for everybody,” Knight said. “I can’t subscribe to a notion that we are supporting one to the detriment of the other, as far as one side of town or white versus black.”

Alston said the mayor was bending to pressure from Dennis Quaintance and Mike Weaver , whose business group owns the upscale O. Henry and Proximity hotels in Greensboro and would be direct competitors with a new luxury hotel.

“(Alston) said to Bill, 'I know you didn’t get many votes in the black community and the black community doesn’t think you are supporting them,” Vaughan remembered Wednesday .

Alston said some voters “might be inclined to start a recall” election, Knight said. Under the city charter, City Council members can face a recall election for “cause, misfeasance, malfeasance, nonfeasance or a violation of the oath of office.”

Alston met Friday with Thompson and mentioned the possibility of a recall to him, Thompson said.

Knight and Vaughan claim Alston suggested there might be protests over the hotel issue to coincide with the opening of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum on Monday, while the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are in town.

Knight said Alston suggested the mayor might not be invited to the museum opening.

Alston denies saying that. He said he talked Guilford County Board of Education member Deena Hayes out of organizing a protest march related to the hotel.

Hayes also is connected to the hotel. She lives with John Greene, a principal in the Urban Hotel Group, which is proposing the development.

Hayes did not return calls for comment.

“Clearly, there was talk about making this an issue to coincide with the opening of the civil rights museum, and I thought that was unfortunate,” Vaughan said. “To be threatened with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton — I don’t take kindly to that.”

Vaughan said she was offended by the remarks.

“It makes me angry. It makes me think that Deena and Skip are hypocrites,” Vaughan said. “I think that they are strong-arming us to try to endorse a project that they are personally going to make money on.”

Alston has refused to disclose how much money he stands to make from brokering the proposed hotel deal. He denies that he and Hayes have conflicting interests as they try to represent the concerns of the African American community and advance a project in which they both have an interest.

Alston said he didn’t mean any of his remarks as a threat. He was reacting to rumors he had heard that the mayor had a private dinner with Quaintance and Weaver, he said. Alston heard the mayor had promised the financing would be reconsidered at the City Council’s Feb. 2 meeting.

“Yes, I said that the African American community would not be happy about that,” Alston said. “And I don’t think they should be happy about the mayor of Greensboro promising to take care of white business interests in Greensboro at the expense of a majority African American owned hotel.”

Knight said he did meet with Quaintance and Weaver, but he didn’t make them any promises . “That’s absurd. That is absolutely absurd,” Knight said of Alston’s impression of the meetings.

Knight also met with hotel proponents Randall Kaplan and George House .

“I met with both sides,” Knight said. “I’m learning — as different issues come to the council — I am trying to do my homework. I feel like that is going to help me make objective decisions.”

Alston said the mayor and other council members have made the hotel a racial issue by seeking to protect existing, white-owned hotels.

“The mayor obviously doesn’t understand his job,” Alston said. “It’s not his job to prevent free enterprise. If I want to open up a new hot dog stand, is he going to try to stop me so I don’t compete with Yum-Yum?

“All we are asking is that this be a fair process,” Alston said. “It shouldn’t be based on the influence of Dennis Quaintance and Mike Weaver or on the influence of me or Deena Hayes. They should judge this hotel on its merits.”

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

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