Bellamy-Small will make run for mayor
GREENSBORO — If you weren’t already convinced this year’s City Council election was going to be interesting, consider the latest development:
Longtime Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small filed paperwork Monday to run for mayor.
She was among the first of eight people to declare intentions to run for the Greensboro City Council.
The mayoral race will pit Bellamy-Small against her closest council ally, Robbie Perkins, and her political foils, Mayor Bill Knight and former Councilman Tom Phillips.
Perkins and Phillips filed Monday . Knight is expected to seek re-election.
Bellamy-Small did not return calls Monday.
With three candidates in the race already, there will be a primary election Oct. 11. Candidates have until Aug. 12 to file with the Guilford County Board of Elections.
Bellamy-Small’s decision came as a surprise. She said she had not decided whether to seek re-election to the council but had not given any indication she would run for mayor.
“I would have lost a lot of money on that bet,” Phillips said. “If you had asked me, 'Guess who ran?’ I wouldn’t have guessed.”
Perkins said she did not inform him of her intentions.
Bellamy-Small is forming a new nonprofit that works with former felons.
She has served as the district representative for southeast Greensboro since 2003 and survived a recall election in 2007.
Bellamy-Small has been a polarizing political figure.
She gets flak from some council colleagues who say she is difficult to work with. She gets respect from some community members who consider her a lone voice for the poor and disenfranchised.
She balks at the term politician, preferring to call herself a “servant-leader.”
In this past term, Bellamy-Small has expressed frustration with many of her council colleagues. She’s been on the losing end of battles over the controversial White Street Landfill and the council redistricting.
It’s unclear what Bellamy-Small’s decision means for District 1, one of the city’s majority black voter districts.
So far, Donnell “DJ” Hardy, who made an unsuccessful bid for an at-large council seat two years ago, is the only person who has announced plans to run in that district.
Luther Falls Jr., who challenged Bellamy-Small in the last three elections, said he will not run this year.
Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com
Accompanying Photos
Photo Caption: Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small
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