Mayoral election in Greensboro, North Carolina (2017)
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| 2017 Greensboro mayoral elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: July 21, 2017 |
| Primary election: October 10, 2017 General election: November 7, 2017 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor and city council |
| Total seats up: 9 (click here for other city elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2017 |
Greensboro, North Carolina, held an election for mayor, all three at-large seats, and all five district seats on the city council in 2017. Incumbent Nancy B. Vaughan and challenger Diane Moffett defeated John Brown in the mayoral primary on October 10, 2017, to advance to the general election on November 7, 2017. According to unofficial election night results, Vaughan defeated Moffett in the general election 67 percent to 32 percent.[1][2][3]
Before the primary, the Greensboro News & Record asked the mayoral candidates for their positions on issues facing the city. Click here to read more about their responses. For more information about the city council races, including the council candidates' responses to the News & Record survey, click here.
The city of Greensboro uses a council-manager form of government. An elected city council, which includes the mayor and the three at-large and five district councilmembers, is the city's main legislative body. The council appoints a city manager to implement its policies and run the day-to-day operations of the city. In addition to serving as a member of the city council, the mayor of Greensboro presides over council meetings and serves as the official head of the city. The filing deadline to run in the city's 2017 elections was July 21, 2017. [4]
Elections
General election
Mayor
☑ Nancy Vaughan (i)
☐ Diane Moffett
Primary election
Mayor[2]
☑ Nancy Vaughan (i)
☐ John Brown
☑ Diane Moffett
Campaign finance
The figures in the table below are from the most recent report submitted by each candidate as of October 9, 2017. They are reproduced as presented by the candidates in their report summaries.
Endorsements
The table below presents the endorsements of general election candidates for mayor identified by Ballotpedia as of November 4, 2017. To notify us of other endorsements by organizations or elected officials, please email us.
| Endorsements for Mayor of Greensboro, 2017[5] | |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Endorsements |
| Nancy Vaughan (i) |
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| Diane Moffett |
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Additional elections
- See also: North Carolina elections, 2017
The election for mayor of Greensboro shared the ballot with elections for all eight seats on the Greensboro City Council. The general election also shared the ballot with the election for board of directors of the Sedgefield Sanitary District.
Issues
Pressing issues, greatest obstacles, and proposed solutions
The Greensboro News & Record surveyed the 2017 mayoral candidates about the most pressing issue the city council would face in 2018, the greatest obstacle to the city's success, and the candidates' proposed solutions to city challenges. Click "show" on the bars below to see the candidates' responses to select questions from the survey. To view their full survey responses, click here.
| What is the most pressing issue the council will face in 2018? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Response | Advanced to the general election |
| Nancy Vaughan (i) | "Race Relations. We are a city divided by race. This is not unique to Greensboro, we see it across the country. What is unique to Greensboro is that we have the moral courage and will to do something about it. It won’t be easy, important solutions never are. I am committed to make Greensboro the best place to live, work and play for everybody." | X |
| Diane Moffett | "The most pressing issue the council will face is economic development. When people don’t have money and jobs to support themselves and their families there will be a chain reaction of issues. So we must put a plan into place to solve the economic disparities." | X |
| John Brown | "Their out of control spending and borrowing. Asking for a 60 percent pay raise and free lifetime health care, when families are struggling to feed their kids. Raising water and sewer rates 23.75 percent over the past four years. Increase in car tag renewals by 200 percent. Raising property taxes 2.45 percent by not offering a rate-neutral offset. When will it ever end!" | |
| What do you believe is the greatest obstacle to Greensboro’s success and what is your solution? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Response | Advanced to the general election |
| Nancy Vaughan (i) | "'We have met the enemy and he is us.' As a city we have made enormous strides over the past few years — yet there are many who only focus on the negative. Look around. You see development all over the city. Corporations are reinvesting and hiring new employees. Public/private partnerships have become signature projects. We live in a generous, thriving city. Celebrate our successes." | X |
| Diane Moffett | "The greatest obstacle to Greensboro’s success is twofold. No. 1 is violent crime. Our crime has increased by 100 percent at this point and there hasn’t been a proactive solution. No. 2 is transparency in city government. With an increase in violent crime and then a lack of transparency in handling those issues and more the city is facing huge obstacles in its image and community trust. " | X |
| John Brown | "We have three huge issues: Crime, taxes and lack of quality jobs. Violent crime has increased by 36 percent in the past year. We have the highest property tax in the state. Combine these two things with no job opportunities and we get where we are. The solution is we need to be more competitive in the business environment by reducing taxes and creating better jobs." | |
About the city
- See also: Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina. As of 2010, its population was 269,666.
City government
- See also: Council-manager government
The city of Greensboro uses a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.[7]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Greensboro, North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| Greensboro | North Carolina | |
| Population | 269,666 | 9,535,483 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 129 | 48,622 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 47.3% | 68.7% |
| Black/African American | 41.4% | 21.4% |
| Asian | 5% | 2.9% |
| Native American | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Two or more | 3% | 2.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.9% | 9.4% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 89.8% | 87.8% |
| College graduation rate | 38.2% | 31.3% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $48,964 | $54,602 |
| Persons below poverty level | 18.5% | 14.7% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Greensboro mayor election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Greensboro, North Carolina | North Carolina | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Guilford County, North Carolina, "Offices for 2017 Municipal Elections," accessed August 11, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Guilford County, NC, "Municipal General Candidates 2017," accessed July 21, 2017
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "11/7/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Guilford," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Greensboro Code of Ordinances, "SUBCHAPTER E. - MAYOR," accessed November 2, 2017
- ↑ Greensboro News & Record, "Inside Scoop: A Collection of Endorsements for Greensboro Council Races," October 27, 2017
- ↑ Greensboro News & Record, "Our Opinion: For Mayor, Vaughan's Effective, Battle-Tested," November 4, 2017
- ↑ City of Greensboro, "City Manager," accessed October 27, 2014
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