Robbie Perkins Watch: The Campaign Announcement

There has been much news coverage of Robbie Perkins' announcement that he will run for mayor even though it has been known for quite some time that he will be a candidate.  This afforded Mr. Perkins the opportunity to convey certain messages. 

These messages, however, tend to be offered in code; and cloaked in euphemism.  One needs to have observed local politics in Greensboro for a while in order to understand what it all means.

There is a certain amount of chutzpah associated with launching one's campaign for mayor at the local headquarters of the realtors' association.

In any case, it is fascinating to consider what has been communicated, and what the true meaning really may be:

News and Record:

(Perkins) said the council needs to work together to find solutions the whole city can accept — an acknowledgement that council members have recently taken heat for divisive decisions.

“If you split this community, you’ll never have the opportunity to take this community to the next level,” he said.

Translation: The City Council needs to take those positions that are agreeable to the east Greensboro political establishment, regardless of the merits.  If we give the east Greensboro political establishment what it wants, then it will give us what we want from the standpoint of development-related issues.

If elected, he said he would work to promote respect and good communication among council members, who have been divisive in recent years... He has complained that some of his fellow council members do not communicate well with each other.

Translation: It is divisive if council members take actions that are contrary to the wishes of the old guard of which I am part, including the east Greensboro political establishment and the Melderec crowd.  If council members give us what we want, then they are no longer acting in a divisive fashion; and they would then be communicating very well. 

Fox 8:

Perkins said he also wants to improve communication amongst council to cut down on the public infighting seen in the past.

"You disagree, but if you take the foundational assumption that everybody is up there for the good of Greensboro, and you keep that paramount instead of looking at things you disagree on, then I think you can accomplish something." Perkins said.

Translation: Public infighting, by definition, only occurs because council members oppose what the Melderec con Simkins crowd would want.  That inherently would not be "for the good of Greensboro". 

Yes! Weekly:

“The realtors and the builders have been my base for my candidacy for 17-18 years,” Perkins said. “In fact, before I even got into politics, Trip Brown and I worked to get an organization together that was the precursor of TREBIC way back when. And we started that because we wanted better communication with the city and the county because we knew that we were creating jobs doing what we were doing for a living and we needed to communicate with the city and the county as to what they were doing with their regulations.”

Translation: We did what we thought was best for ourselves.  And I subsequently began taxing and regulating as all of the rest of the local politicians did.

“If you’ve got a conflict, you disclose the conflict and you abstain,” the candidate told a reporter after the press conference, adding that he believes the benefits of being involved in the real estate industry outweigh the negatives.

Translation: This has not always, however, ruled out the possibility of maneuvering behind the scenes to achieve certain outcomes.  And sometimes, as in the case of the landfill, you do not have to abstain even though a conflict exists.

“I’ve got a history of trying to listen to folks from all over this community and trying to incorporate their thoughts and their visions in my decisions as to how I vote on this council,” he said. “I think everybody’s got good ideas, and we’re daggone lucky to have everybody in this community, and we need to listen to everyone and we need to move forward together.”

Translation: I am going to oppose strenuously much of what conservatives would want to do.  When they float their ideas, note how I grimace, scowl, or adopt a facial expression that communicates derision or mockery.

“If I would take one thing away from Keith Holliday, it’s that he would look at someone and they may be saying something that’s completely different from Keith’s position, but he would respect them, look at them, hear what they said, try to take something away from then and then thank them for sharing their perspective.”

Translation: The power of the political machine would be used to enforce agreement among council members; and a series of 9-0 votes on the City Council would then ensue.  That is our glorious past; and it promises to be our future.

Perkins has enjoyed a long political alliance with former Mayor Yvonne Johnson, who was defeated after serving only one term by Knight two years ago.

“What she taught me was to listen to people, say a prayer about it and do the right thing,” Perkins said. “And if you do that, more times than not, things are going to be all right.”

Translation: Things are going to be fine for me politically if I do what the Simkins PAC would expect me to do.

“I’ve appealed to our city council, and I have failed in that appeal — they’re going to reopen White Street, and I am adamantly opposed to reopening it — don’t sign a 15-year contract,” he said.

Translation: It's OK when I disagree.  It's OK when I divide people.  The problem is when the other side does it.

 

Comments

[Bubba]

"....but if you take the foundational assumption that everybody is up there for the good of Greensboro......"

Why would we assume that?

Perkins looks out for the good of Robbie Perkins and affiliated Business As Usual allies, and there's at least one other council member that can be described similarly.

[Bubba]

Joe, did you block the IP address that the deleted post came from?

[Joe Guarino]

Yes.

[Joanne Wittenborn]

We need to get the word out to the populace about the duplicity of Robbie Perkins. He may have an R behind his name but he acts and votes like a D. I wish he would change parties and make an honest man of himself! I, frankly, am embarrassed when I go to the City Council meetings and Robbie is making faces, looking bored, appearing arrogant etc;. When he undermines the Mayor's authority or mocks, it I wonder how much he loves the city OR does hw love power and himself more.

[Fred Gregory]

Joe,

A briliant analysis and exquisite unmasking of Perkins. He ain't pertty and as you point out will sell his soul to Disticts 1 & 2 for their block vote.

[Joe Guarino]

Joanne, Robbie was able to pass himself as a Republican for a long time because of his alliance with development interests. In our local politics, being allied with development interests seemed to be, for a long time, almost the sole criterion of Republicanism. Of course, as you point out, Robbie is a tax-and-spend politician, and more consistent with the Democrats. He also has not been averse to regulation.

Thanks, Fred. But I suspect some would argue that he had already sold his soul.

[Kim]

Block Vote + Dumb Masses = Mayor Robbie "The Panderer"

[Joe Guarino]

Let's hope not, Kim.

[Spag]

" If we give the east Greensboro political establishment what it wants, then it will give us what we want from the standpoint of development-related issues."

That's about right, but don't forget that "what we want" is often Big Government Republicanism where taxpayer money is used to funnel cash into the pockets of developers in various ways.

The theory is "if we both look the other way, we both get we want and get someone else to pay for it."

[Joe Guarino]

Good point, Sam. That is one of Robbie's "strengths".

[Spag]

Perkins is the political equivalent of a kept woman.

[Bubba]

"Perkins is the political equivalent of a kept woman."

And somehow, he never gets questioned about it, except for places like this.