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GREENSBORO - The Town of Greensboro hosted a public forum on the evening ofWednesday, October 22, to give residents the opportunity to ask questions and hear directly from the four candidates running Town Council. There are currently two open seats on the Council, with one incumbent, Councilperson Pete Brelia, seeking re-election, and an open seat due to Councilperson Christina Robinson’s decision not to run. The event was held at the Greensboro Volunteer Fire Company’s Community Center and drew about 25 attendees, including current councilmembers.
The four candidates are Brelia, William “Bill” Schaffner, Kim Ernest, and Paula Turner. The forum was moderated by Assistant Town Attorney Jennifer Dindinger, who guided the discussion through questions submitted by community members.
Brelia, who has lived in Greensboro since 1979, said he hopes to continue his work on the council to address issues of transparency and infrastructure. “The town has a lot of potential, the town has a lot of problems,” he said. “Transparency has been a big issue. While I’ve been on the council, we’ve made some personnel and infrastructure changes within the office, and I think that’s helped greatly.”
Schaffner, a Greensboro resident of more than 40 years, said his campaign centers on restoring trust in local government. “I do hope to be able to play a role in restoring confidence, integrity and honesty to our town government,” he said, adding that his approach would be “to support both the citizens of the town as well as the administrators…by being a good listener and applying common sense and informed knowledge to the issues that present themselves.”
Turner said her motivation to run comes from witnessing challenges in town management and her drive to “do more” for her community. “Unfortunately, we have seen our town go through a lot in recent years, challenges that come from mismanagement, decisions that have left many of us feeling overlooked and frustrated,” she said. “While we can't change the past, we can learn from it and move forward in a more positive direction.”
Ernest, who has lived in Greensboro for eight years, said her community involvement inspired her to seek office. “My commitment to our town has led me to run for Commissioner,” she said. “Some immediate deficits I noticed were lack of communication, transparency, accountability and knowledge. I am not a person who claims to know it all, but I am a person willing to learn.”
Throughout the forum, the candidates discussed how they would handle existing challenges and improve cooperation within the council. Turner emphasized teamwork, saying, “We need to look at each other as a team…Let’s fix [problems], be done, and then move on.” She referenced a “merry-go-’round” of the same issues being addressed, and said she wants Greensboro to be more proactive in responding to legislative changes, referencing the ongoing county-wide solar project debates.
Ernest said she plans to focus on engagement with residents. “It’s just forging relationships, and right now that lacks,” she said, adding that she doesn’t harbor “any ill will” toward current officials and wants to work collaboratively.
Brelia acknowledged past difficulties but said progress has been made. “In the past there was a lot of confusion, a lot of kicking the can,” he said, “Now we’re getting the information we need…I think we’ll continue to make positive strides.”
Schaffner argued that oversight is key, “The big issue we need to focus on is oversight,” he said, noting that while the current town manager, Cindy Yost, “is doing a great job,” the council still bears responsibility. “We should not make decisions spur of the moment,” he added, referencing times when councils were given information “the night of the meeting.”
On finances, the candidates were asked about water and sewer rates, taxes, and infrastructure. Schaffner suggested creating a short “white paper” to help residents understand how water bills are calculated. “What I would like to do is…put together a document that we could easily hand out to people and say, ‘Here’s information to help you understand why you’re being billed [what you are].’”
Ernest echoed the need for transparency, saying, “If you’re paying into something, you have a right to know what you’re paying into.” Turner acknowledged that fixing water billing systems is “not a quick fix,” but said she would ask the necessary questions “like an obnoxious toddler: ‘why, why, why.’”
Brelia explained that the water and sewer system “has to be self-sufficient,” which is why a minimum charge exists. “The system has to survive,” he said. “That doesn’t mean it can’t be revisited.” He said that in his opinion, the councilmembers chose the “best option” for the payment structure.
The candidates also discussed potential youth programming and volunteerism. While Turner suggested exploring community spaces like a pool or youth center, Schaffner cautioned that such ideas would require resources the town may not have. “I don’t see that entertaining the young people is our top priority,” he said.
A question was posed about the food pantry, which the town used to be a subsidiary of under Aaron’s Places’ direction. Ernest proposed expanding “blessing boxes” as a local food resource, while Brelia said he was “a big proponent of the food pantry” and was disappointed when the town ended its involvement. Turner spoke emotionally about growing up visiting food pantries and praised past local efforts: “That’s what this community is about, and I believe we can get back there.”
All of the candidates dismissed an inquiry about potential candidates flying Confederate flags. Schaffner answered first that he did not see the pertinence of an individual’s decision to own or fly the flag in a Town Council candidate discussion.
As the evening wrapped up, each candidate thanked attendees for coming and expressed appreciation for those engaged in Greensboro’s civic life.
