Election questionnaire 2003/Greensboro City Council 1. What distinguishes you most from your opponent (s)? – I have developed my ideas, perspectives and positions from a neighborhood’s point of view. Even though Aycock has accomplished a lot, we also learned a lot through the process. I want to offer other Greensboro neighborhoods the benefit of what I have learned: Get organized, set goals, identify problems and get to work. There are several neighborhoods that lack the either the will or the organization to get the things that they need, but they need a voice until they can obtain these basics. I want to be the voice for all of Greensboro’s neighborhoods.

2. Candidate name - David Hoggard

3. Office you seek – Greensboro City Council - At Large

4. Occupation – School Fundraising – Wisconsin Heritage Historic Property restoration – I fix stuff.

5. Age - 47

6. Address – 108 Cypress Street, Aycock Historic District

7. Web site/email address – www.hoggard4council.com/  dhoggard@triad.rr.com

8. Party affiliation - Republican

9. Previous elective experience - None

10. Other relevant experience (boards and commissions) – Currently serve on the Greensboro Parks and Rec Commission. Served on the Historic Preservation Commission’s Guidelines Revision Committee. Two term president – Aycock Middle School PTA, Current Vice President – Aycock Neighborhood Association, Inc.

11. Family – Wife, Jinni. Children, Jackson – 13, Josie – 12, Jesse – 9. All three attend Guilford County Schools.

12. Why have you chosen to run for this office? - I've always believed that if you benefit from a community, you should give something back. Running for Greensboro City Council is my way of honoring Greensboro as a great place to live and to help it continue to improve for the future. I believe that Greensboro can benefit from my experiences gained from my many years of neighborhood and community activism. I am not the county club type; I am just a guy who works hard for a living, has rough hands, and a good grasp on what it will take to make Greensboro the best it can be for everyone, not just the few.

13. Key qualifications you would bring to the job – I am a leader. I have never been known as a conventional man and have always been ‘out front’ in whatever I participate. I have learned that it is OK to make mistakes because people who don’t make mistakes are not trying new things… and Greensboro certainly needs some new things. I will bring a keen sense of empathy to the job with the ability to see both sides of issues and then decide the outcome for the best interest of all concerned. Also, I believe in and practice compromise. I am not an “all or nothing” kind of person.

14. Key campaign issues and your stances on those issues – Greensboro’s economic well-being is the most critical issue that we face. Our economy is stagnating because we are transitioning from an industrial based economy with relatively high wages to a service oriented economy with relatively low wages. We must stop this trend by attracting and retaining businesses and industries that offer better paying jobs. We have all of the elements to become an economic powerhouse again, we just need to get those elements of our community moving in the same direction together. The way that the baseball debate developed illustrates another key issue. Action Greensboro took the lead on shaping downtown Greensboro’s future because our elected officials did not. Many people have resisted their efforts because they were not elected to do the job.. Although I am a great fan of most everything that AG has done and is doing, their efforts should at least have been coordinated with City Government. Not that all initiatives need to have City Hall oversight, but the City Council will ultimately get the credit or the blame for how Greensboro grows. The City Council needs to lead the efforts to move us forward, not simply react to events and ideas as they come along.

15. Where do you stand on the downtown baseball stadium debate? I believe that the Bellemeade area is a terrible place for a baseball stadium but the voters will determine this issue on October 7th. I am committed to accept the outcome of the vote and take it as a mandate from the citizens. If they vote for the ordinance change, I will work to stop the new stadium from being built, if they vote to leave the ordinance as it is, I will work with DGR, DGI and Action Greensboro to make the area the best it can be.

16. What should Greensboro do about the White Street Landfill? The White Street landfill and surrounding area has been our disposal site for garbage and other nasty stuff for over 60 years. One needs to simply drive around the area surrounding the landfill to see what effect it has had on the development of that part of our city. Except for the now-defunct Carolina Circle Mall, there has been little in the way of development when you compare it to other parts of town and this is not fair. Without a major new expansion, White Street is slated for closure in 2008 anyway. The current plans call for closing the garbage portion of it in 2005 while keeping the rest of it open for inert debris like stumps and construction materials. That part of Greensboro is fed up with the smells, vermin and the stigma associated with being our dumping ground for garbage and sewage for 60 years. It is time for White Street Landfill to go away. This will give that area a chance at equitable development on par with the rest of the City.

17. Have the mayor and City Council done an effective job in addressing Greensboro's economic needs. What more should they do? No. As discussed previously our elected officials have been in a reactionary mode and not in a leadership mode. We need elected leaders, not elected officials. The City Council needs to become known as an agent of change. This can only be accomplished through the process of setting clear and reasonable goals, obtaining the consent of the electorate, and then assembling the proper people and resources (both government and private sector) to attain those goals.