Allen Johnson: "Alston, a member of the powerful Simkins PAC, is not-so-subtly suggesting political payback if they don’t go along with his group’s proposal. "

"...Melvin “Skip” Alston’s involvement as a broker for investors seeking to renovate a near-derelict shopping center on Phillips Avenue made citizens in that northeast Greensboro community visibly wary.

Some say they simply don’t trust Alston, the former longtime county commissioner who was known for his hardball politics.

...The city tentatively has chosen clients represented by Alston to resuscitate the center and eventually own it.

Complicating matters are allegations from some City Council members that Alston, a member of the powerful Simkins PAC, is not-so-subtly suggesting political payback if they don’t go along with his group’s proposal.

The PAC endorses local and state candidates, and Alston is one of its leaders. [Treasurer]

“I believe there was the implication that if we didn’t support them there’d be negative consequences in November,” said Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan, who plans to run for mayor. “Those words were not directly used, but they were implied.”

Another council member, Marikay Abuzuaiter, gave a similar account.

“He said I seriously needed to think about voting for the project with his developers because I needed to think about the election in the fall, and the Simkins PAC would be very upset if I didn’t vote for his developer. It was pretty devastating.”

...in 2010 Alston was accused by Vaughan, then-Mayor Bill Knight and then-Councilman Danny Thompson of using similar tactics as a broker for investors who wanted to build a new downtown hotel...

...Alston flatly denies any threats, implied or otherwise.

"You name me one person that’ll come to me and say that” he said last week.

How about two? Vaughan and Abuzuaiter held fast, even following phone calls from Alston challenging what each had said. “I’m still not going to lie about it,” Abuzuaiter said. “It happened, and I was shaken up by it. Why would I cook something up? I was so upset I called the city attorney.”

Added Vaughan: “I stand by what I said.”

The city tentatively has agreed to sell the center for $490,000, plus to provide a [forgivable] $2 million loan (a sweet deal) to Alston’s clients, Renaissance Center of Greensboro, which would in turn renovate the center, lease part of it to the co-op and donate additional space to the community.

Either way, here’s hoping the impasse, and Alston’s overly aggressive tactics, don’t jeopardize prospects for the co-op’s success.

[Alston] should stop threatening people.

Alston reminded a caller last week that he’s not an elected official anymore.

But, make no mistake, he’s still a politician.

Allen Johnson