In the city’s 2010/11 fiscal year, the City Council voted to provide $43,000 to bring an ice rink downtown next to Cafe Europa on the other side of Center City Park. The Downtown Greensboro Foundation, which is affiliated with Downtown Greensboro Inc., ended up owning the rink equipment.
DGI is about 90 percent funded by city taxpayer money. But since early March, DGI has refused to answer where $184,000 originated.
An assistant city manager told me on May 10 that there would be no answer.
On May 14, City Manager Denise Turner Roth informed Greensboro Audit Committee member and Councilman Tony Wilkins that DGI declined to answer. It appears most members of the Audit Committee were unaware of the issue.
On May 21, I was informed by city staff that the money came from “a private donor” not listed as an individual. Mayor Perkins, as a DGI board member and chairman of the Audit Committee, please ascertain and disclose where the money came from, and whether the entity or entities received taxpayer funding.
George Hartzman
Greensboro
Editor’s note: Mayor Perkins said in an email Wednesday, copied to the city manager, DGI President and CEO Ed Wolverton and others: “I just got off the telephone with Dawn Chaney, DGI Board Chair. We discussed the need for transparency whenever public funds are involved. I asked Ms. Chaney to release the information requested by Mr. Hartzman and was told that she had no problem providing the information. She will coordinate with the City Manager to insure it was sent to the concerned parties.”
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