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May 2, 2010 126th year No. 122
SAMPLE BALLOT: See who is running for office in primaries. 3A
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WHO’S NEWS
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Before you read...
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The May 4 primary will give Guilford County Republicans the victory in one Guilford County Board of Commissioners race because no Democrat filed for the District 2 seat. But Tuesday’s results will not settle a nonpartisan Board of Education race, where three High Pointers face off
District 2 commissioner candidates focus on ‘local control’ BY DAVID NIVENS ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
for the District 2 seat. Meanwhile, Democrats and Republicans will vote for their candidates for sheriff in a race where a Democratic runoff primary is a possibility. This two-part series looks at the races in Guilford County as voters get set to head to the polls on Tuesday.
As many Tea Party supporters proclaim, Stanley said she likes the idea of local ROAD political conTO THE trol. “We are PRIMARIES supposed to take care of Spotlight ourselves on Guilford at the local County level,” she ■■■ said. “I just want to keep national politics out of our business.” The primary will decide who wins the vacant seat created when veteran Republican Commissioner Steve Arnold announced his retirement earlier this year. The two candidates agree the board of commissioners still needs a conservative voice and they
Bencini
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agree on several issues, including local zoning and development controls that could be lost to the Heart of the Triad project or to Guilford County through a consolidation. Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point, Kernersville and Forsyth and Guilford counties are working on plans to transform 6,300 acres along the border between Guilford and Forsyth counties for transportation logistics and high-tech centers. Residents opposed to the HOT development and road plans have lobbied
the board of commissioners for several years. “The people most affected were circumvented at first. I don’t see what the county brings to the table here, and I don’t see High Point doing any forced annexation,” Bencini said. Stanley said she favors allowing residents to vote on how the plan should proceed and any annexations. “I’m passionate about property rights,” Stanley said. “People who do not live in the city do not want to be taxed to death.” In a related area, Bencini wants growth-area zoning rights for High Point. Commissioners so far have declined to approve zoning control for High Point in a 1,400-acre area near Kernersville where High Point has extended a sewer line. “The county’s use there is not the best use of the land,”
Inside...
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Stanley, Bencini both say they are frugal spenders. 2A Bencini said. “The county should adopt High Point’s development rules there.” Greensboro and county officials have discussed consolidating a range of services from planning and inspections to human resources, purchasing and geographic information services. “The city and the county need to work together, but the city should be autonomous,” Stanley said. “There are just a few areas where this may work,” Bencini said. “ We should give it very careful consideration.”
HIGH POINT – The two High Point Republicans seeking the vacant District 2 seat on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners are a contrast in experience and service. Bill Bencini has the experience. On the High Point City Council, he has been chairman of the Planning and Development Committee and a member of the Finance Committee. Bencini wants to provide dnivens@hpe.com | 888-3626 a strong voice for High Point by encouraging regular joint city-county meetings. “I want to work closely with the county and be cooperative to help the city. We need regular discussions,” Bencini said. Myrene Stanley, who has been chairwoman of the High Point Republican Women’s Club, says she has the passion for service. “I am not a politician and I have become frustrated with politicians,” said Stanley, who has followed the Tea Party movement. “I’m tired of politics as usual. I am one of the little people, and I feel I can represent them to their satisfaction. Passion can be more imporDON DAVIS JR. | HPE tant than experience.” The yard at the Roy B. Culler Jr. Senior Center, an early primary voting site, was nearly filled with campaign signs.
Joseph E. Ely of Winston-Salem recently was elected chairman of the Presbyterian Homes Inc. board of governors for the class of 2013. Ely is retired from Aon, where he served as executive vice president and regional manager for the Southeast.
INSIDE
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SPRING DAZE: Crowd gathers for festival in Thomasville. 1B OBITUARIES
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J. Robert Giles, 78 Treva Hurt, 71 Caudis Hutchens David Kibler Jr., 78 Carson Overby, 15 Jerold Turner, 78 James Moore Jr., 64 Rayford Noah, 64 Justin Simmons, 17 Obituaries 2-3B
WEATHER
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Mostly cloudy High 87, Low 68 10D
INDEX
Discipline in schools gets focus BY DAVID NIVENS ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – School discipline is a shared concern among the three High Pointers in Tuesday’s nonpartisan primary for the District 2 seat on the Guilford County Board of Education. Incumbent Garth Hebert faces a challenge from two newcomers, businessman Ed Price and retiree and former teacher Richard Becker. “I think some of the violence is covered up,” said Hebert, who has two sons in the district schools. Becker said the district should work with parents to stress proper behavior at school. “I hear from teachers all the time about how much time it takes to handle these discipline issues,” Becker said. “We need something better. Not all students fall into the special schools category.” Price favors programs that improve self-esteem.
Becker
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“Students who participate in activities do better,” Price said. Hebert, an accountant and fiscal conservative, said he has more to do. “I am not finished,” Hebert said. “I have set new goals, and I’m still a long way off.” Hebert said he has been successful in achieving more data and financial transparency, but the district still has a way to go in closing the student achievement gap. “There has been no improvement in the scores for better and average students, while those below that level have improved,”
he said. “We have closed that gap at the price of mediocrity. I’d like to see more emphasis on academics, period. If we don’t have graduates coming back to High Point, we don’t have much of a future.” Hebert also wants to make the best advantage of technology. “We spend $2 million for textbooks,” he said. “Our best teachers could prepare virtual textbooks instead and modify them as needed. Students would not be as bored with that.” Working only for High Point issues is short-sighted, Hebert said. “High Point is not much different from the rest of the district. You have to look at it as a whole,” he said. Price said he would have more of a High Point focus. “I would like to see better cooperation between the city and the school board so that maybe we could share
Inside...
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Biographies for Guilford County Schools District 2 primary election candidates. 2A
some facilities,” he said. “We need to work better together to help the young people.” Price wants to see more teacher assistants assigned to the schools and more help for the low-performing schools. Becker said he would use his engineering background to help supervise the district’s school construction and maintenance programs. “I wonder about the variances in the costs of new Guilford County schools and those in other counties,” Becker said. “We need to track that.”
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