In February 2015 Trudy Wade, senator from Senate District 27, introduced a bill in the North Carolina Senate that resulted in legislation that radically changed the way residents of Greensboro would elect their City Council members.

Under the current system, the city is divided into 5 districts, and one member is elected from each district. In addition, three council members are elected at large and a mayor is elected at large. All nine of these individuals vote on issues decided by the Council. The election was non partisan, with candidates not indicating their party registration. After the 2013 election, however, two of the council members were Republican, six were Democrats, and the mayor was a Democrat.

Under legislation passed by the North Carolina Senate and House, the city is divided into 8 districts and one member is elected from each district. At large council members are eliminated; the mayor is elected at large but does not have the right to vote unless there is a tie. The legislation also forbade the council from changing the way members were elected unless the legislature approved, a provision that existed nowhere else in North Carolina.

Why did Trudy Wade propose changes in the way Greensboro City Council members are elected? What does she want? What are her goals in making these changes? These are questions that citizens in Greensboro, and citizens around the state, have been asking. We must not be blindsided; it is important that we understand what the real intent of Trudy Wade is.

A thorough analysis of Wade’s proposal reveals that there are five goals that Trudy Wade hoped to accomplish with this change in the Greensboro City Council.

  1. Produce a Republican Majority on the Greensboro City Council
  2. Eliminate Minority Influence on the City Council
  3. Destroy the Democratic Party as a Factor in Greensboro Politics
  4. Create Race-Based Party Impression
  5. Elect Republican Mayors in Greensboro

CONCLUSION

The ALEC-inspired legislation keeps the system rigged against the middle class.
The goals of the Republican leaders appear to be the following:

1. Dismantle the public education system in this state.
2. Dismantle the state-supported higher education system
3. Eliminate the safety net for those who have fallen on hard times
4. Tear down the ladder of opportunity
5. Destroy the middle class
6. Reward their wealthy benefactors by substantial tax reductions by increasing taxes on the middle class and eliminating important services

The only way to undo the dreadful actions taken by this legislature is to replace the Republican leaders with Democratic leaders who reflect North Carolina values. Let’s repair the mistake of four years ago.

If the Republican leaders continue on the path they have begun, it spells disaster for the middle class in North Carolina.

If you want to protect the American dream, vote Democratic in 2016!!!

And vote for Michael Morgan, a Democrat, for the North Carolina Supreme Court.