Election Day is Here. I Ask For Your Vote.

Polls are open. Please go vote. One last time...I am Jay Ovittore and I am not owned and operated by real estate developers. I ask for your vote today.

Since They Have Asked For a Statement

A few weeks back I inquired with the local Board of Elections about NoRestaurantTax.com and if they should be considered a PAC or a 501c4(soft money organization). The local board called the State Board of Elections and they investigated the website.

The State Board ruled, without a formal complaint, that the site did not have to file as a PAC or a 501c4. Immediately after this was news, I received requests from Marty Kotis(Kotis Properties) and info@norestauranttax.com(minutes apart mind you) for an apology and a public statement.

On the apology-Well, I do not feel the need to apologize for inquiring about the validity of this organization and here is why. In a democratic process, where questions should be raised and concerns answered, I feel I did just what I should have...I asked the question. If we come to the day that questions like this cannot be asked, I would say that day is the end of our democratic process.

The "statement"- Whereas the laws that are written are interpretable and not legislated with concrete intent, I reserve the right to disagree with the State Board's interpretation of the law. I accept their judgement on the matter for what it is, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it. I still feel that the website NoRestaurantTax.com is at least close enough to crossing the line into PAC or 501c4 territory. The money spent by more then one individual for domain name, website, yard signs, literature and advertisements on the covers of local news publications; mixed with the color coding green for against the tax and red for approves of the tax- constitutes a need for scrutiny and investigation. The use of those particular colors, like traffic signals for stop and go, could be interpreted as endorsements for and against candidates.

The larger issue is that it is a non-issue. There is no proposed tax in front of, nor has there been one in front of City Council. So, the website may have won the right to do what they are doing with their Faux issue from the State Board, but in that victory they cannot try to silence those who disagree with what they are doing and certainly they have won no apology.

Another Huge Endorsement(updated with link)

I just saw I have been endorsed by Yes Weekly. http://www.yesweekly.com/triad/article-13010-yes_-endorsements.html

From the endorsement article: "The two men are the same age, but have taken completely different paths to this juncture — and that is the deciding factor. If we truly want all of Greensboro represented, then we already have our business and real estate contingency set with Perkins, Kee and Hoffmann. And while there are tens of thousands of people like Ovittore living in the city, they do not have a voice on council — maybe they never have.

Ovittore is smart and feisty; his commitment to government transparency is stronger than that of any other candidate on the slate; and after years bouncing around the fringes of the game, he is ready for elected office."

Early Voting Expands Today and More

Early voting sites will expand today from just the Old Courthouse downtown at 10am. The 5 new sites are as follows: Ag Center at 3309 Burlington Rd, Brown Recreation at 302 E Vandalia Rd, Bur-Mil Club at 5834 Bur-Mil Club Rd, Craft Recreation at 3911 Yanceyville Rd and Leonard Recreation at 6324 Ballinger Rd. All sites are open from 10am- 6:30pm November 2-4 and 10am-1pm on Saturday the 5th. Please go vote, it is your voice after all.

And now for the more. There has been several forums over the past few weeks. It has been pretty heated at times. Here are several links to coverage on these forums and candidate profiles:

From the News and Record-
http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/11/01/article/challengers_aggressive_in_council_contests

http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/10/28/article/editorial_the_price_of_water

From Yes Weekly-
http://yesweeklyblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/taxes-and-spending-where-greensboro.html

http://yesweeklyblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/matheny-and-ovittore-on-teen-curfew.html

http://yesweeklyblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/candidate-profile-jay-ovittore.html

http://www.yesweekly.com/triad/article-12955-district-3-candidates-spar-over-teen-curfew.html

Candidates Riding Bikes

I participated this morning in a candidate breakfast and bike ride thrown by Bicycling In Greensboro, Inc. Only four candidates made it to the event, including myself. The other candidates that biked(all with whom I served on the Human Relations Commission) were Wayne Abraham, Nancy Hoffmann and Marikay Abuzuaiter. All the candidates running were invited to participate.

The event, which was held in District 3, started as a meet and greet, with some informal discussions on local issues. There was a small breakfast served. Then I did something I hadn't done in at least 10 years...I rode a bike. We rode for 3 miles on the Greenway and bike route 9. I didn't die, so mission accomplished.

It was as easy as riding a bike!

The purpose of the event was to show candidates, first hand, what bike riders in Greensboro go through to get around town. Even though it was a small sampling, the issues were glaring and should be addressed as a public safety issue. I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this event and learn more about our local bike riders.

Just So It's On The Record

Even know I have said it in front of the media, I want to go on record as saying the first thing I will do as your District 3 Councilman would be to make a motion to bring Speakers From The Floor back to the beginning of meetings. My reasoning is simple. I feel that as a Councilman, your job is first to listen to your constituents and then do the city's business. It also addresses the concerns of resident's that cannot stay to all hours of the night for whatever reason.

I want our City Council to be leaders who unite our city, not divide it as they currently do. I will work to unite our city and lead by example; listening to all sides and making unbiased and uninfluenced decisions that benefit our city and it's residents.

Debating an Empty Suit

Last night was the first of many forums in this campaign season. The Greensboro Unity Forum was held at the Greensboro Historical Museum for mayoral and district candidates. As one of two candidates for the District 3 seat, I was also the only one of the two of us that showed up. There was pretty good attendance last night at the forum.

The big moment last night, for me at least, was a question on the White Street landfill. I reaffirmed my pledge from two years ago to always vote to keep the landfill closed. I also was received well by the crowd for suggesting the idea that we organize, get signatures, and get a referendum vote on the May 2012 ballot to keep the landfill closed. The way I see it, this Council has botched the landfill issue time and time again and putting it in the hands of the people of Greensboro is the only way to assure the landfill stays closed. I also called for, as I did two years ago, a regional solution to our waste problems.

One can only hope that my opponent will finally speak his mind on the landfill issue. He has skated by on being recused, when he really should have voted anyway. I am almost certain that he will now use the shield of the lawsuit and court injunction filed against him to not speak on the issue still. One can only hope I will not continue to debate an empty suit.

We also spoke last night on RUCO; which I fought for, for several years as the Chair of the Montgomery/Wells Fair Housing Committee of the Human Relations Commission. RUCO has been gutted at the state level, lobbied to be gutted by TREBIC while Mayor Knight and my opponent were present at the General Assembly. With all the real estate money my opponent funds his campaigns with, you would have to assume he wasn't just an observer.

I called for more police officers last night, the same number I called for two years ago. 950 total with a 9th District so we can stop playing whack-a-mole with our cities criminals.

I also called for us to stop giving incentives of huge monetary value to folks like Roy Carroll and Koury Corp, and instead give incentives to small businesses with plans to expand and create local jobs.

I am sure more was discussed last night, but you have to attend these forums to hear it all. So join me on the next stop on the "Tell the Truth to the Public" tour, which is the College Hill Forum next Thursday at Fellowship Hall of the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant at 501 S. Mendenhall Street between 7:30 PM and 9:00 PM. Let's hope my opponent appears as more then an empty suit at this event so he can answer for his actions in office.

Matheny's Attempt to Be Opaque

As reported in this weeks Yes Weekly, my opponent has attempted to hide public record from, well....the public. Here is Yes Weekly's coverage.

"As the appointed city council liaison, I request that you do not show anyone other than you and me how the Census interacts with our redistricting, if indeed the a [SIC] redrawing is even necessary,” District 3 Councilman Zack Matheny wrote in a March 2 e-mail to Geographic Information Systems Manager Stephen Sherman. “The Census data is, of course, open as a public document and anyone can obtain. I am simply asking for just the maps to be kept private until public comment has been heard.

“Unfortunately, this has become a hot topic and we need to be focused on the city, the Census, precincts, etc.,” the councilman added as an explanation for his request for secrecy.

He also said,

"What is the point of this request other than we are being open and transparent with our community and abiding by the super majority of city council?” Matheny wrote. He added, “Rashad, this is unfortunate that you have your time being wasted."

That is the juicy part of a 172 page exchange that is originally posted on Scribid by a local blogger who did a public records request. Click here for the documents. Matheny does not interject into the discussion until page 125.

Attempting to hide public records from the public is offensive to the very definition of civic duty and he should have to explain himself to the public on this matter. All the hiding records from the public aside, how can the public comment on maps that have not been seen? It also poses the question, "Is anything else being hidden by Councilman Matheny?"

You don't have to be an adult to handle this situation well. I learned that growing up. When things are a "hot topic", it is always worse to hide and always better to face and deal with said topic.

I can tell you this, when responsibility is put in my lap, I handle that responsibility like an adult. It does not matter if it is a "hot topic" or generally unpopular, you handle your business. So, if you want an adult representing your needs in District 3, I would ask you to vote for me.

My First Endorsement of the Election Season

I am proud to announce that today I was informed that I received the endorsement of the Triad Central Labor Council and the NC State AFL-CIO. I am proud of this endorsement because these organizations are in the trenches fighting for middle-class workers, just as I will.

I hope this is the first of many endorsements and look forward to the interviews and challenging questions ahead from my fellow constituents.

Press Release 8-28-2011

I sent out this press release this morning:

Ovittore Will Not Bow to Real Estate

Greensboro, NC 8/28/11 – In a move to show his fellow District 3 neighbors and constituents his commitment to a change in how local government works, Jay Ovittore today announced he will not seek the endorsement of TREBIC’s joint election committee or the Greensboro Landlords Association.

Ovittore says, “For far too long, our local real estate developers have had a monetary stranglehold on our City Council giving them an unfair advantage over average citizens.  I see serving as a Councilman as a job beholden to serve the citizens of my district.  I have no problem sitting and listening to the real estate community, but they will not get any special treatment compared to my next door neighbor or the family that lives down the street.  I am fully aware that our developers have a role in how our city grows, but their ability to usurp power via campaign donations has got to stop so we can fix our local problems and serve our citizens, not just a select few.  I have heard from the public repeatedly that they want representation that wasn’t purchased by real estate developers.  I will be that representation.  Being true to myself and those I hope to represent, I will not seek the endorsement of TREBIC’s joint election committee or the Greensboro Landlord’s Association.”   

“I do see real problems in our local real estate market.  The very people I am not going to be a pawn for, lobbied our state house to repeal our RUCO (Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy) program and others like it successfully.  RUCO eliminated 80% of our sub-standard rental housing in Greensboro in 5 short years, all the while being fought by TREBIC and the Greensboro Landlords Association.  RUCO didn’t only force rental property owners to keep their houses up to a minimum standard to live in, but ensured every Greensboro citizen that when they rented in our city they would be in a safe and habitable home.  RUCO also kept property values in neighborhoods in a better position, which in turn kept tax revenue in a better position.  Run down housing will bring down property values for houses that surround them, the same way foreclosures hurt entire neighborhoods.”

"On skipping the questionnaires for TREBIC and GLA, Ovittore says, “There will be plenty of opportunities to answer questions for the public at local forums and in most local media.  I look forward to debating my opponent in the coming months, giving the public a better option for Council and holding him accountable on issues I know my fellow constituents are upset about.”

Yes Weekly Candidate Questionnaire

My answers to the Yes Weekly Candidate Questionnaire have been posted online for your reading.  Please jump over there and take a look.  http://www.yesweekly.com/triad/article-12577-jay-ovittore.html

A New Beginning

Well I have entered the race for City Council District 3 in Greensboro.  It was a last minute decision to do so, but not one that was made without a lot of thought.  This is my new blog and the place where you can get the whole truth, not just soundbites, out of what I have said.  In the coming weeks and months I will address the issues facing our city here and encourage you to participate in the dialogue.

I titled this piece "A New Beginning" for several reasons.  I used to be a regular blogger here in Greensboro, then stopped, then picked up on some national blogs.  I am starting to blog local again, bringing it back full circle.  I also used to be party affiliated.  I moved my affiliation to unaffiliated, because I am just not identifying with either major party right now and you deserve an elected official who has your best interest at hand, not a parties.  Lastly, as time has gone by and I get older and hopefully wiser, my views have changed on some issues and I feel I need a public forum to discuss those changes. 

I look forward to tackling the still pressing issues facing our city.  It has been difficult to watch the circus like environment that the current Council has engaged in.  Thanks for your time as always and check back in soon for more.