Comments Welcome!

Hey Blog Readers,
This blog is here because I want a conversation with the Greensboro Community. Please feel free to drop by anytime and leave your comments about any subject that concerns Greensboro. I welcome questions about my candidacy for Greensboro City Council at-Large. I will work hard FOR the CITIZENS of Greensboro.
Thank you for visiting my place. Have a nice day.
diane

3 comments:

Joel Gillespie said...

Diane,

I would like your comments on my blog to my post "Local Government: Of the People, By the People, For the People." It has to do with apathy as regards local govwernment, low voter turnout, etc. I'd be interested in your honest feedback. If you'd like of course feel free to double up your comments on my blog and yours. Joel.

Diane Grey Davis said...

Hey Joel,

It is easy to understand why there is little interest in local elections. Local issues are not covered well by the people who should bring us the news. TV coverage of local issues is dismal.
The sensational, mean-spirited antics of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners and the protests concerning the Guilford County Board of Education are covered. And there have been a few real blunders by the Greensboro City Council reported. But, very few details of the decisions made by these boards are explained.
There has been more local news coverage of the woman who won the American Idol contest that there has been of local city council candidates. What a shame!
Greensboro City Council meetings are more civil than some of the other local government meetings. I think that being non-partisan is one of the reasons. The meetings are telecast live and re-broadcast later in the week.
The city government tries to notify people who are directly involved by an upcoming ruling. The problem with this approach is that if it is not happening in your neighborhood or if you do not have a direct, immediate interest, you probably will not know about an issue in time to have any input into the decision-making process. The average citizen just doesn't have time to research every issue.
Every vote makes a difference in a local election. Your conclusion that a vote doesn't count is just not true. If the people of Greensboro really want to change the "business as usual" way our city is run, they MUST VOTE!

“No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little”.
Edmund Burke

Diane Grey Davis said...

Joel,

Here is a uncut copy of a letter published in the N&R. Feel free to copy it or link to it from your blog.

Diane Davis
905 Fairmont Street
Greensboro, NC 27401

August 8, 2005

Letters to the Editor
News & Record
Greensboro, NC


Please consider this letter for publication.

Voter turn-out in local elections is very low. Many folks don't seem to realize that local politics have an immediate effect on our lives. Keeping up with local government is not easy; but, it is necessary to insure good government.

I attend many local meeting. Then I read or listen to the media reports of the meetings. Many times my take on what is important differs from these reports.

We are all influenced by what others say and write. What we see is often more important to the writer than to the reader; but the reader can only absorb, not contribute.

Blogging is different. It is kinda like talking to neighbors at the park or discussing current events while waiting in line at the grocery store. It is back-and-forth conversation with whomever wants to participate. Here in blogsboro we can ask questions, express opinions, find answers, give advice or just rant and complain. But the most wonderful thing is that everyone is welcome! Even me.

Welcome to my world. My blog address is greensboropeerpressure.blogspot.com

diane davis