Paying the Landfill Price

One of the big questions in local politics this week is what it will take to get the east Greensboro political establishment to reopen the White Street Landfill to residential trash.  We still have a Melderec con Simkins majority on the city council; and the waste disposal issue will not be resolved without the cooperation of a critical mass of certain political forces from the east side of town.

The News and Record has an article this morning that discusses how the various companies vying for the work are dangling various sweeteners before the community near the landfill, including recreation centers, walking paths, and the like.  But it is pretty clear that is not going to be sufficient.  Any company offering these types of benefits are fairly naive about Greensboro politics.

Robbie Perkins was not impressed:

“The way they are buying off the neighborhood — it smells worse than the garbage,” Councilman Robbie Perkins said.

So what is going to be required in order to make things happen?  We learned earlier this week that Simpkins PAC principal Joe Williams is representing one of the companies vying for the work.  This particular proposal involves reopening and expanding White Street, even to the extent of importing out-of-town trash.

But there is more:

(Councilman Jim) Kee said he favors the city hiring a consultant to sort through the proposals for solid waste services received by the city. As an Aggie, he considers himself a proponent of technology, and favors proposals by Ulturnagen and Cico over a host of proposals for traditional landfills by a handful of competitors. He thinks the Waste Industries proposal supported by Simkins PAC member Joe Williams will be a "hard sell" in northeast Greensboro. Returning to Ulturnagen and Cico, he mentioned the powerful word "jobs."

The closing of White Street to residential trash was an irrational act fueled by our rabid, machine-based identity group politics.  Some local African-American leaders seem now to be acknowledging that fact as they buy into various alternatives for reopening it. 

But there will be a heavy price to be paid.  Key individuals and/or groups from east Greensboro are going to need to benefit financially from the process of advancing the proposal, and may need to be placed right in the midst of any revenue stream that ensues once the project is completed.  Otherwise, it seems unlikely the project is going to happen.  Walking paths and recreation centers simply are not going to cut it.  This is about money.

It will be interesting to see how the nine members of the city council finesse the quid-pro-quo's and the pay-offs that would be needed to make a workable project proceed.

Comments

[Sandra Anderson Groat]

Is Jim Kee a part of one of the groups making proposals? I thought I heard that sometime - maybe not?

[Joe Guarino]

I had not heard that, Ms. Groat. But it would be good to know if he did.

It has been previously mentioned that he has had development interests in the landfill vicinity.

[Vivi]

I can't help but to wonder with all the hype regarding the landfill being reopened, is it simply a ploy for the upcoming elections. Jim Kee successfully used it to get elected so why wouldn't Ralph Johnson employ the same tactic. Someone's got to ride in on the horse at the end as if to say, here I've come to save the day. Its a poor tactic to constantly pull at the emotions of people just to get a vote. At the other end of the spectrum, if the idea is to scream it needs to be closed and then realize that there is money to be made by a few to simply throw a majority of the community under the bus....well either way there is no honor. Something is terribly wrong when the process is more important than the people.