$6.23 Beats $34.18; In Greensboro Mayor's Race, a Money Gap Didn't Create a Vote Gap; Abuzuaiter vs. Perkins in General
Outspent 4-to-1, Abuzuaiter Tops Perkins in Primary
Campaign Finance 2025 Pre-Primary for:
THE COMMITTEE TO ELECT MARIKAY ABUZUAITER
Total Receipts; $53,377.03 as of 9/22/25
8,563 votes
Each vote cost approximately $6.23
Campaign Finance 2025 Pre-Primary for:
COMMITTEE TO ELECT ROBBIE PERKINS
Total Receipts;$238,465 as of 8/26/25
6,976 votes
Each vote cost approximately $34.18
To understand this financial disparity, it’s helpful to know the background and framing of the two campaigns.
Marikay Abuzuaiter:
The Grassroots Neighbor: A Democrat and current Mayor Pro Tem, Abuzuaiter has served on the Greensboro City Council since 2011. Her campaign narrative is deeply rooted in her long-standing local engagement and community activism. This positioned her as a candidate focused on core municipal services and direct community impact.
Robbie Perkins:
The Business-Minded Leader: A Republican and former mayor (2011-2013), Perkins’s campaign emphasizes his “vision, leadership, and experience” in driving economic development. His support comes from a coalition of local CEOs, business leaders and real estate moguls.
Why Money Didn’t Win; Money Can’t Buy Greensboro’s Love, but Incumbency Can
Several factors likely contributed to Abuzuaiter’s more efficient and successful primary performance.
The Power of Grassroots Connection: Abuzuaiter’s remarkably low cost per vote (~$6.23) is the hallmark of a grassroots-driven effort. It suggests strong support built on direct voter relationships and high name recognition from her 14 years of continuous council service, proving that expensive outreach isn’t always necessary to turn out supporters.
Voter Skepticism of Established Networks: Perkins’s professional work as a real estate broker involved in securing public incentives for many of his campaign backers, combined with his Greensboro Country Club esq establishment backing, was a double-edged sword. Some voters appear to have viewed this with skepticism, preferring a candidate perceived as more directly accountable to residents than to business interests.
Proven Community Commitment: Abuzuaiter’s long record of local problem-solving, from supporting small businesses during COVID to her activism against gun violence, presented a narrative of proven commitment that resonates more powerfully with many voters than financial muscle alone.
From Hartzman’s Way Back Machine, Unbelievably not all;
On Crony Capitalism in Greensboro; Zack Matheny Edition, published in Yes Weekly
Randall Kaplan wrote back “Much thanks to Robbie and Zack and the other members of city council who work tirelessly for the benefit of the city with little reward and great personal sacrifice.”
Robbie Perkins received contributions from Randall Kaplan, and another Kaplan family member, before the end of October 2013.
The email exchanges sound like Perkins and Matheny worked “tirelessly for the benefit” of their campaign financiers.
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2014/05/on-crony-capitalism-in-greensboro-zack.html
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No Mention of the Robbie Perkins / Phil Berger Endorsement in the Propaganda
Phil Berger Jr. accepts the endorsement of the most crooked politician in Greensboro’s history [at the time], and the Bergers don’t bother mentioning it on the last night before the election.
Robbie endorsed [Berger]…
Why the Phil Berger would accept an endorsement from Robbie was beyond me.
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2014/07/no-mention-of-robbie-perkins-phil.html
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David Hagan’s return on his $1,000 Robbie Perkins’ Contribution; 58,600%, or $586,000
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/10/david-hagans-return-on-his-1000-robbie.html
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Here’s Robbie trying to get some incentives for his friends right before he left office;
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/11/todays-letter-to-editor-hotel-decision.html
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Robbie Perkins’ Greensboro Times Advertisement with blatant lies to win the East Greensboro vote
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/11/robbie-perkins-greensboro-times.html
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Legal Bribes for Robbie Perkins; $68,475 total
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/10/latest-greensboro-mayoral-legal-bribes.html
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AMEX, Robbie Perkins and Roy Carroll Stealing from Greensboro’s Taxpayers
Is this what Berger Jr. wants to do in DC?
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2012/08/amex-robbie-perkins-and-roy-carroll.html
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From Ross Harris’ new gig, sponsored by Art Pope and Jim Melvin, major Phil Berger’s contributor/supporters
Ross Harris purposefully, intentionally and knowingly misled George Hartzman on Robbie Perkins during 2011’s Greensboro mayoral race.
Ross Harris helped Robbie Perkins play a race card to win Greensboro’s 2011 mayoral election, and then made more taxpayer funded income from the GPAC initiative and then lied about Robbie Perkins’ marital infidelity before the election.
Ross Harris betrayed the trust of Greensboro’s voters while the Greensboro News & Record knew of Perkins’ issues and failed to inform the public before the election.
Elderly religious residents who would have opposed Robbie Perkins gave him money for his campaign while our local press hid a truth that would have mattered to them if they had known.
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2014/07/from-ross-harris-new-gig-sponsored-by.html
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2013 Simkins PAC Endorsements and a Few Payments from Candidates
Endorsements;
Mayor; Robbie Perkins $4,000
At-large; Yvonne Johnson and Marikay Abuzuaiter $1,500
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2014/02/2013-simkins-pac-endorsements-and-few.html
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I believe many of Greensboro’s African American voters got played for fools during 2013’s City Council elections.
Robbie Perkins, City Attorney Mujeeb Shah-Khan and former City Manager Denise Turner Roth had their hands in all three issues.
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2014/02/i-believe-many-of-greensboros-african.html
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Why would Robbie Perkins and Jim Kee champion giving away $4,474,100 of everyone else’s money?
So Skip gets an inside line on the shopping center deal, and the investors, friendly fellows btw, are set to pay $490,000 for the property worth far more according to Guilford County’s tax department, and then receive $2,000,000 to fix the place up?
$490,000 - $2,000,000 = -$1,510,000 - $2,964,100 = $4,474,100 loss to Greensboro’s taxpayers?
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/06/why-would-robbie-perkins-and-jim-kee.html
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The incident Roy Carroll inaccurately wrote of in last week’s Rhino Times, which Robbie Perkins and friends used to pass a restrictive curfew for mostly black teens downtown
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2014/01/an-email-conversation-between-mujeeb.html
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The Flier I Passed Out at the Library Meeting; On the Saturday, June 29, 2013 Downtown Greensboro “Riot”;
The City of Greensboro organized and marketed a free event in downtown Greensboro, after which a series of unfortunate, less than well controlled events occurred, which concluded in nationally inaccurate reporting including misleading information apparently disseminated by Mayor Robbie Perkins, the commercial property real estate agent for Center Pointe, in front of which crowds were dispersed with pepper spray etc..., across the street from where the movie played.
City Council advocated and spent taxpayer money to revamp a downtown on the cusp of some of the poorest parts of Greensboro without foreseeing the unintended consequences, and now many on “the other side of town” feel unwelcome to congregate where we put a civil rights museum.
Let’s agree on the facts before exploring a solution to a problem partly trumped up by the powers that be, which have outstayed their welcome.
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2014/01/roy-carroll-on-june-29-greensboro.html
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Did Guilford County’s Commissioners know that Chester Brown was about to own Gunter’s Crossing when he represented Robbie Perkins’ LLC for a $124,000 grant?
http://hartzman.blogspot.com/2011/08/did-guilford-countys-commissioners-know.html
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Robbie Perkins, Nancy Vaughan, Zack Matheny, Jim Kee, Yvonne Johnson and Nancy Hoffmann just cost taxpayers $586,000
[Greensboro Country Club member] David Hagan, who is U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan’s brother-in-law, will get nearly $586,000 — about 5 percent — as a commission on the $11.34 million purchase price.
The city has four real estate brokers on staff, but [real estate agent and fellow Greensboro County Club member] Mayor Robbie Perkins and [real estate consultant and former Greensboro Country Club member] Councilman Zack Matheny said it made sense to use David Hagan because of the complex nature of the transaction and his contacts downtown.
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/09/robbie-perkins-nancy-vaughan-zack.html
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11/27/13; Today’s Letter to the Editor; “Hotel decision should wait for new council”
“A Dec. 2 special City Council meeting concerning taxpayer subsidies for a Wyndham luxury hotel in downtown Greensboro should be delayed until after the next day, when three newly elected council members will be sworn in.
Leading the effort to acquire some of everyone else’s money that will likely diminish the profitability of the downtown Marriott — among others who didn’t ask for millions of public largess — is Randall Kaplan, who, along with family members and other interested parties, recently contributed to the council campaigns of Nancy Hoffmann, Zack Matheny and Robbie Perkins.
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/11/todays-letter-to-editor-hotel-decision.html
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11/11/13; Legal Theft, by Whoever Votes for Greensboro’s City Council Agenda Item 34
34. Resolution authorizing a loan of $100,000 to Samet Corporation and authorizing a loan for $100,000 to McConnell Center Partners, LLC to be used for grading of qualified industrial sites.
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/11/legal-theft-by-whoever-votes-for.html
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11/4/13; Is it possible for Robbie Perkins to pander to East Greensboro any more?
“Black Network Television might sue city over business loan”
...Greensboro mayor Robbie Perkins said he couldn’t comment on the possibility of litigation.
However, he did say he was a supporter of the loan and voted in favor of it both times it came before city council.
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/11/is-it-possible-for-robbie-perkins-to.html
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11/1/13; Robbie Perkins’ Greensboro Times Advertisement
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/11/robbie-perkins-greensboro-times.html
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10/17/13; Roy Carroll’s Robbie Perkins Endorsement and Country Club Apology
“So what about Robbie’s continued membership at the Greensboro Country Club in light of his ongoing financial difficulties?
This is something that I have heard from several people who say that it sounds really bad that Robbie can’t make the courts happy, but he continues to stay a member of the country club.
In my opinion, Robbie’s continued membership at the Greensboro Country Club is essential to his occupation as a commercial real estate broker. [Like for David Hagan]
Robbie needs to continue to earn income from his commercial real estate practice so he can pay his alimony, child support obligations and his other creditors. Robbie has stated publicly that his commercial real estate firm, which he sold to his former partners, pays his country club dues.
GH; Must be nice to be a part of the “in” crowd, of those who get a taste of everyone else’s money by being a part of a private mostly white country club in a city that is about half non-white.
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/10/roy-carrolls-robbie-perkins-endorsement.html
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10/14/13; Robbie Perkins campaign connections to Tuesday’s City Council Give Aways
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/10/robbie-perkins-campaign-connections-to.html
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10/12/13; On Robbie Perkins’ dishonest campaign flier
Robbie hasn’t led economic development, Robbie has led the theft of everyone else’s money out of government coffers into his, via his friends pockets, many of whom have paid for his re-election campaign.
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/10/on-robbie-perkins-dishonest-campaign.html
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10/3/13; Latest Greensboro Mayoral Legal Bribes for Robbie Perkins; $68,475 total
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/10/latest-greensboro-mayoral-legal-bribes.html
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Friday, September 27, 2013; Robbie Perkins Sells Out
A hearing will be held in United States Bankruptcy Court, Courtroom 1, Second Floor, 101 South Edgeworth Street in Greensboro on October 1, 2013 at 9:30 AM.
Stanhope Johnson is proposing to buy partial ownership interests from Robbie Perkins in the following companies: Piedmont Triad Commercial Properties, Greenlea 68 Land llc. Greensboro Centers Llc, Pooler Partners Llc, and Shamrock Capital Partners I Llc for a sum of $100,000.
Billy Jones
https://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2013/09/robbie-perkins-sells-out.html
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9/20/13; How to walk away from a business partner’s divorce with what looks like at least $1,000,000, by Stanhope M. Johnson
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-to-walk-away-from-business-partners.html
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8/7/13; Tony Wilkins on Robbie Perkins’ High Point Bank bail out in a flood plain the day before High Point Bank bid for Robbie’s condo
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/08/tony-wilkins-on-robbie-perkins-high.html
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7/15/13; News & Record Letter to the Editor; “Voters need to see council connections”, Monday, July 15, 2013, with some background links
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/07/news-record-letter-to-editor-voters.html
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7/11/13; Protest Petition and what I said about Greensboro hiring TREBIC’s Marlene Sanford, who advocated against, as a lobbyist
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/07/prostest-petition-and-what-i-said-about.html
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Teen Curfew; A Map of all 11 Addresses of Those Arrested Last Saturday Night, and Some Misinformation from the City of Greensboro, City Council and our Local Media
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/07/teen-curfew-map-of-all-11-addresses-of.html
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6/11/13; How Greensboro, North Carolina Works; Skip Alston, Robbie Perkins, Roy Carroll, Renaissance Center, Simkins PAC, BB&T Edition
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/06/how-greensboro-north-carolina-works.html
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4/23/13; The last time Mayor Robbie Perkins Tried to Violate the First Amendment at a Greensboro’s City Council Meeting
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-last-time-mayor-robbie-perkins.html
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3/21/12; Noise, Robbie Perkins, Roy Carroll, Henry Isaacson, TREBIC and RUCO
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2012/03/noise-robbie-perkins-roy-carroll-henry.html