Roy Carroll's John Hammer insult to George Hartzman in Today's Rhino Times; Berger Walker Aftermath

"Hartzman claims to be a financial advisor, so perhaps the Finance Department should hire Hartzman to consult on the city’s investments.  He once spoke against a loan the city took out at an interest rate of 0.01 percent because it was a variable and not a fixed rate.  And that rate is not a typo, the city borrowed money at one-hundredth of one percent and Hartzman found fault with that."

http://www.rhinotimes.com/ben-holder-dominates-city-council-from-afar.html

Also in today's Rhino Times

 is a big advertisement for giving Roy Carroll a taxpayer owned street, 
meaning John Hammer is using a "news" paper that endorses city council candidates
to convince said councilpersons who have received campaign cash from Roy Carroll
to give Roy what looks like more than $1 million in taxpayer owned real estate.

For the record, John may be a little angry with me lately for pointing out his bosses financial contributions to Phil Berger during a Walker press conference, after which Mark carved out a pretty big credibility issue for Hammer by pointing out some of John's slanted "reporting", and I put some posts lately that were pretty critical of Mr. Hammer and the Rhino, which can be found in the links at the end of this post.

Messrs. Hammer and Carroll missed the election by a pretty big margin, and are most likely depressed and upset with the outcome, as they more than heavily backed Berger Jr. over Walker, after disparaging Walker with some false information provided by the Berger camp.

I don't recall seeing a Walker ad in last week's Rhino.

I also was a bit instrumental at removing Roy Carroll's Robbie Perkins from being mayor.

As I believe John is relatively financially illiterate, especially given his recent personal experiences with numbers, I feel obligated to provide an explanation.

I suppose I was pretty sure about what I was saying, as I produced the video below about it.

The variable rate for the loan adjusts weekly.

The higher long term rates rise, the more it costs to lock in the debt at a later time.

I believe the city was trying to keep their short term interest costs low with the variable rate, to stay under a debt cap, so the city could borrow even more money than they otherwise could have.

The video is after the jump;

A comparison of Yes Weekly and The Rhino's ads, the last week before the election

Yes Weekly; 56 total pages

23.75 pages of ads = 42.41%

2.75 political

Pages of entertainment, club, and restaurant ads; 9
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The Rhino; 40 total pages

11.375 pages of ads = 28.43%

4.125 political = 36% of the Rhino's ads

Pages of entertainment, club, and restaurant ads; 1, which is the Taxpayer funded Greensboro Coliseum, which means Greensboro's taxpayers are subsidizing Roy Carroll and John Hammer for about $1,000 per week.
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It seems as though the entertainment and restaurant industry has boycotted The Rhino.

I wonder if Roy Carroll knew that would happen, after he backed the noise ordinance etc...

If The Rhino doesn't have political ads this week with the same number of pages, they will be at 18%, which appears to be unsustainable.
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Election Eve Dinner & Debate

Monday, November 4, 2013.

6:30pm until 8:30pm

Topic: Tuesday's Election

Likely issues; Greensboro Performing Arts Center, Civil Rights Museum, Coliseum and Police Issues, Local and National Political Ethics, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and Entitlements, 2012’s Guilford County Real Estate Revaluation, Legal Ethics, Economics, Fun and Whatever Comes Up

From beginning to end, attendees will have the opportunity for 60 seconds to present any point of view on any subject.

Others can have 30 seconds to respond, before another topic begins, if not by a member of the audience, then by the moderator.

Audience participation is not mandatory

The format is designed after a class I have moderated at the Shepard's Center of Greensboro.

Moderated by George Hartzman, Chief Economist and Lecturer
Think Professional Education

No cost with the purchase of a Golden Corral meal.

Meeting room doors open at 6pm, with the event beginning at 6:30

Golden Corral
2419 Lawndale Dr, Greensboro, NC

Jim Kee appointing Jeff Nimmer to the Board of Adjustments

Jeff Nimmer joined Kotis Properties in 1999.

As Leasing and Brokerage Manager for North Carolina, Jeff oversees the leasing of all company owned properties, as well as Tenant Representation activities in North Carolina.

He has also tried and won numerous successful re-zoning cases within Greensboro and Guilford County.

He currently serves as the District 3 representative on the Greensboro Minimum Housing Standards Commission, a Council Member of SynerG, ...and is on the Executive Board of the Westerwood Neighborhood Association.

The Triad Business Journal named him one of the Triad's 40 Leaders Under 40 in 2006

http://www.co.guilford.nc.us/elections_cms/docs/2009%20docs/preprim/KEE_JIM_preprim09.pdf

http://www.co.guilford.nc.us/elections_cms/docs/2011%20docs/preprim/kee-jim_preprim11.pdf

Jim Kee voted for a GPAC based on bogus numbers why?

http://www.co.guilford.nc.us/elections_cms/docs/2009%20docs/yrend/KEE_JIM_yrend09.pdf

http://www.co.guilford.nc.us/elections_cms/docs/2011%20docs/PreElect/KEE_JIM_PreElect11.pdf

"Greensboro Minimum Housing Commission

Vinson "Tim" Vincent, Chair - appointed Jeff Nimmer to fill in on Post RUCO Board.

Jeff Nimmer, Vice Chair - Kotis"
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Marty Kotis, Nancy Hoffman and Item 27 on Tuesday's City Council Agenda

http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/08/marty-kotis-nancy-hoffman-and-item-27.html
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"David Hoggard,

Did or did Robbie not screw poor renters state wide or not?"

George Hartzman
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"Yes he did."

David Hoggard

September 29, 2011 at 09:15 PM
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"Regulatory capture occurs when a...regulatory agency created to act in the public interest
instead acts in favor of the commercial or special interests that dominate in the industry
or sector it is charged with regulating.

Regulatory capture is a form of government failure,
as it can act as an encouragement for large firms to produce negative externalities.

...regulatory capture occurs because groups or individuals
with a high-stakes interest in the outcome of policy or regulatory decisions
can be expected to focus their resources and energies in attempting to gain the policy outcomes they prefer,
while members of the public, each with only a tiny individual stake in the outcome,
will ignore it altogether.

Regulatory capture refers to when this imbalance of focused resources
devoted to a particular policy outcome is successful at "capturing" influence
with the staff or commission members of the regulatory agency,
so that the preferred policy outcomes of the special interest are implemented.

...A captured regulatory agency that serves the interests of its invested patrons
with the power of the government behind it, is often worse than no regulation whatsoever."

Regulatory Capture
Wikipedia

AMEX, Robbie Perkins and Roy Carroll Stealing from Greensboro's Taxpayers?

Dear Ed Cone and Friends: "Agnotology"

Culturally constructed ignorance,

purposefully created by special interest groups working hard to create confusion

and suppress the truth.

Agnotology

"...the study of culturally induced ignorance or doubt,
particularly the publication of inaccurate or misleading scientific data.

...the term also highlights the increasingly common condition
where more knowledge of a subject leaves one more uncertain than before.

“the study of culturally constructed ignorance.”

...Some of the root causes for culturally induced ignorance are media neglect,
corporate or governmental secrecy and suppression, document destruction,
and myriad forms of inherent or avoidable culturopolitical selectivity,
inattention, and forgetfulness.

Agnotology also focuses on how and why diverse forms of knowledge
do not "come to be," or are ignored or delayed.

...when society doesn’t know something,
it’s often because special interests work hard to create confusion.

...ignorance also comes from people literally suppressing truth—or drowning it out
—or trying to make it so confusing that people stop caring about what’s true and what’s not.”

Information Request and the ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF GREENSBORO

The Mayor or any member of the City Council
who has a financial interest, direct or indirect,

in any official act or action before the Council shall,

…disclose such interest and all material facts with respect there

to the City Manager and City Attorney.

Please provide City Council Member Robbie Perkins' disclosure
of "all material facts" relative to the Noise Ordinance Issue, (item 27, which Robbie Perkins voted on)
the Economic Development Bond Issue, (item 12, which Robbie Perkins voted on)
the Eastern Guilford "Outside the Corporate Limits" Water and Sewer Issue
(item 22, which Robbie Perkins voted on)
and the economic development grant to Roy Carroll's Park View Development, LLC.
(item 26, which Robbie Perkins voted on)received by the "City Manager and City Attorney."

In addition, he/she shall publicly disclose on the record of the Council

the nature and extent of such interest,

including the full disclosure of all such material facts,

and shall withdraw from any consideration of the matter

pursuant to sec. 4.131 of the City Charter.

RESOLUTION TO DELINEATE AND CLARIFY ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

OF THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF GREENSBORO

Please provide "the record of the Council"
of "all material facts" relative to the Noise Ordinance Issue, (item 27, which Robbie Perkins voted on)
the Economic Development Bond Issue, (item 12, which Robbie Perkins voted on)
the Eastern Guilford "Outside the Corporate Limits" Water and Sewer Issue
(item 22, which Robbie Perkins voted on)
and the economic development grant to Roy Carroll's Park View Development, LLC.
(item 26, which Robbie Perkins voted on)"publicly disclosed" by Robbie Perkins.

George Hartzman

Did Centre Pointe "Condos Break Sound Barrier"?

"The challenge to the developers...

"Clearly, if they want to sell this as a luxury building," he said in the construction office a block from the site, "having this kind of noise pass by every two or three minutes would be objectionable."

...measured the noise at the site, it came in at 96 decibels - about the same as a crowded bar with a D.J. spinning hip-hop discs. To mitigate the din, and to help sell the condos, some of which will cost more than $2 million, Mr. Milsom recommended sound-muffling windows from a company that makes them for airport terminals.

...multiplying are specialized soundproofing windows and creative designs to limit the exposure of residents to the racket.

...Charles Salter, an acoustical engineer, said his firm was handling about four times as many projects involving sound problems in residential developments as it did five years ago.

He regularly recommends that developers install laminated glass and extra layers of gypsum board in the walls to insulate condos from outside noise.

...He recommended triple-glazed windows for a 37-story tower known as the Residences at RiverBend, because its west facade overlooks the nexus of several elevated subway and commuter train lines.

...city dwellers must accept a certain level of noise, and many take fire engines, police sirens and honking horns as a given.

..."if you don't properly mitigate the noise problem, you will have to offer your apartments at a discount,"...

Did some "Downtown Stakeholders" try use Greensboro's government to wage economic war against some "unwanted" businesses?

Ed Wolverton, [Downtown Greensboro Incorportated’s] president and CEO,
said the organization will continue to partner with the city and police department
to raise the safety level at night to that of the daytime.

Dioni L. Wise

"Regarding curfews,

Matheny said the issue came out of feedback

from downtown stakeholders

who say that minors who could not get into bars

are hanging out downtown until 2am.
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Ryan SealsGreensboro News & Record

How could "downtown stakeholders"
not refer to the publicly funded Downtown Greensboro?