This is really getting ridiculous.
Some time ago, the N&R’s Margaret Banks made a public records request for a particular document.  After much prodding, the city responded by saying no such document exists. The very next day, the requested document is not only posted at the Troublemaker, but also appears on the front page of the Rhino Times.
This incident suggests that the current administration is either inept or dishonest - both are unacceptable. I am convinced that some serious house cleaning needs to occur at city hall.  I’m talking about cleaning tasks that are much more extensive than the current practice of sweeping dirt under rugs.
Update: Inside Scoop… “(City Communications Director Pat) Boswell said (City Manager) Johnson is “pleased” now that he knows what memo everyone is talking about. He was afraid there was something out there the city didn’t know existed.”
17 Comments
Incredible the city would be so dishonest!
This seems to be the way Mitch and company operate and have done so for a long time. He needs to be fired immediately. Get rid of Alan Duncan too. His hands are in too many cookie jars.
The current city leaders have really disgraced our city!
This whole corrupt issue with the City of Greensboro is beyond comprehension, except for Washington, DC. The city manager, city attroney’s office, and the GPD are totally emboldened to do what ever they wish. Folks we must take back our city or I’m getting the hell out of hear. We have a terrible gang problem and cops are picking up women at night clubs, and that’s just the latest in a serious of events plagueing this once mighty city.
David, check out my latest post on Inside Scoop. It is getting even stranger.
Just because the bloggers are aware of this, does not mean the general public knows. Where’s News2 and FOX8 on this? Will the News & Record finally use unleash its power to blow the lid off this before the city decays?
Although I love a good conspiracy, is it POSSIBLE (or are we too jaded now to consider it) that “the City” was confused about the memo when it was described as one thing and filed as another? Is there NO possibility this was a human frailty trying to organize paperwork?
I wonder what would happen if you or I had been asked to produce a document from a year or two ago (and btw, 70 more documents, each of which has a title that I’m going to use but isn’t necessarily what you called it).
Agreed, I would not have said “it doesn’t exist,” unless I was pretty darned sure, but jeez, I think this whole documentation thing has gotten a trifle out of hand. We want to downsize the staff but have “the staff” running around trying to get documents for our FOIA-like requests in a timely manner according to our document listings. I think it’s a pretty hard job and am willing to cut a little bit of slack to the people charged with putting these docs into a package for each request.
It would be silly to deny that memo existed that you know someone had - that’s what makes it seem, just a little, like a miscommunication and a mistake that was corrected when they realized which document it was.
I certainly want to hope this is the case. The people who work for the city are our friends and neighbors, too, and although I have no dog in this fight, it seems worthy of mentioning.
Sue,
Please take your meds before commenting on this blog.
Sue,
You do realize that I am the very embodiment of apologist for our friends and neighbors who work for the City.
It took a bit to push me past the point of continuously giving the benefit of doubt to finally arrive at the realization that we are, at best, employing some sub-par public servants or, at worst, some people who are so used to stonewalling that they don’t know when the jig is up.
In any case… as I understand it, the document was being requested by subject matter, not by title. Surely someone inside those walls understood what was being asked for! Surely anyone who has read that document knew immediately what was being requested.
It is a straight-forward explanation of why the “black book(s)” was assembled and how they were used.
One doesn’t just forget where one’s smoking gun is located.
Congratulations David, but are you still having trouble identifying the “sub-par public servants” as the city manager or are you still not ready to cross that bridge?
I don’t know this for sure but I have been told that a fish rots from the head down.
inept, dishonest, incompetent…yes. mr. holiday you have a lot of skin in this! ms y. johnson what more do you need to see? mayor & city council… pls review your oath of office and act accordingly.
The thing that is missing at City Hall is integrity, and it didn’t start with Mitch Johnson. Those of us who have regularly dealt with city officials have have known this for years
I am NOT saying that all city employees are dishonest because there are many fine hard working and honest people employed there. One apple can contaminated the whole barrell. I think it starts with the legal department and I hope our City Council realizes that it is time toclean house
“One doesn’t just forget where one’s smoking gun is located.”
And where is the rest of our local blahgosphere on this?
MIA.
Some are inconspicuously quiet aren’t they Bubba?
Where’s that Nick guy and a few others on this one? Where is Sandy? Do we know what you know now Sandy?
Come out, come out, wherever you are!
We may even get the N&R to stop using the term black book and putting it in quotation marks, no insult to you my friend MMB.
This may be the real deal for the manager Bubba. As I was driving downtown late this evening there was a guillotine being erected at Center City Park.
““(City Communications Director Pat) Boswell said (City Manager) Johnson is “pleasedâ€? now that he knows what memo everyone is talking about. He was afraid there was something out there the city didn’t know existed.â€?
Isn’t this the same type of misunderstanding that earned David Wray Mitch Johnson’s ire: That Wray denied the existence of a “black book” until he knew what Johnson was talking about?
Substitute “Oh, THAT memo,” with “Oh, THAT line-up book,” and the notion of Wray hiding something either gets dismissed as the kind of misunderstanding Mitch has just experienced or Mitch is guilty of the same kind of inexcusable infraction as Wray.
Oh, THAT hypocrisy.
“Although I love a good conspiracy, is it POSSIBLE (or are we too jaded now to consider it) that “the Cityâ€? was confused about the memo when it was described as one thing and filed as another? Is there NO possibility this was a human frailty trying to organize paperwork?” — Sue
No. The city didn’t claim that they couldn’t find the document, they claimed that it didn’t exist. It’s a document that is of great significance, that was referenced in the RMA report and that was adequately described by Margaret, even if she got one of the party’s names wrong. The city didn’t say, “We can’t find it,” or “We think this might be what you are looking for.” They didn’t even say, “We know what you are talking about, but we don’t have a copy.” They said, “It doesn’t exist.”
Roch: “Isn’t this the same type of misunderstanding that earned David Wray Mitch Johnson’s ire: That Wray denied the existence of a “black bookâ€? until he knew what Johnson was talking about?”
My thoughts exactly today Roch. You saved me from typing it.
How to Remove the Greensboro City Manager
http://www.busybeingbornblog.com/?p=17
Geez you guys, you don’t know how gratified I am to see that we are all finally reading from the same play book at long last.
David do you recall taking me to task for calling Mitch Johnson a “petty little man”? and you suggested that I “might as well just go spit on him”.(after using some rather foul language yourself towards me of course) Are you now ready to do a bit of spitting. I’m sorry I can’t since spitting is a guy thing and I never learned how.
Tony I am pleased to see you have a well developed sense of the bizarre, and a fine tongue in cheek way of expressing your thoughts. Do keep true to your unique style. BB
No, Brenda, I’m not.
Spitting and name calling are in line with your m/o, not mine. Here is the comment of which you speak and that I stand behind still…
“Now you are calling Mitch Johnson a “worm”, Brenda? Why don’t you just go up to him in a public place a spit on the guy. That would be just as disgusting.
Before this, on another blog, you called him… “A sad little man”.
What the f**k is wrong with you?
Sure, I understand you don’t agree with some of Johnson’s decisions… me too from time to time. But such viscious name calling only serves to identify YOU as a… well several names comes to mind… but I was reared better than that.”
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