Invites for Incumbents Only: Cone Health and Chamber Events Raise Ethics Alarms

Golf, Luxury Suites, and Election Favoritism?

Following the close of Guilford County’s 2025 election registration, a pattern of exclusive political hospitality has raised serious ethical and legal questions in Guilford County. Cone Health and the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce are co-hosting a private lunch and golf access at the Wyndham Championship on Friday, August 1, but only for sitting elected officials.

Notably excluded; non-incumbent candidates, many of whom officially filed for office and are actively campaigning to represent the same constituents as those enjoying Cone Health and Chamber sponsored hospitality.

This selective access, offered by two organizations with active contracts and financial relationships with local governments, may violate multiple state and federal rules intended to ensure political fairness, transparency, and public trust.

Community Leaders' Luncheon at Wyndham Championship (August 1, 2025) - A private event co-hosted by Cone Health and the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, including lunch and golf tournament access at Sedgefield Country Club.

One key concern is whether the Chamber’s agenda aligns with the broader public interest. While it promotes job growth and investment, critics argue that its close ties to large corporations and developers may lead to unequal economic benefits, where big businesses receive subsidies while smaller enterprises struggle to compete.

Providing exclusive event access to elected officials, while barring their challengers, invites suspicion — not just of political favoritism, but of using public influence and taxpayer-supported resources to benefit specific political actors.

Greensboro’s Chamber of Commerce receives taxpayer funding from at least the City of Greensboro and Cone Health is a government contractor for Guilford County and Greensboro.

More troubling for Cone Health is its status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Under federal tax law, these organizations are strictly prohibited from supporting or opposing any political candidate. Offering perks exclusively to incumbents during an election season, and excluding registered challengers could be construed as impermissible political activity and may put Cone Health’s nonprofit status at risk.

The Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, a 501(c)(6) organization, is allowed to engage in limited political activity. But because it receives public funding and partners with taxpayer-funded entities, it too is expected to maintain a basic level of political neutrality and transparency, especially when hosting events involving elected officials.

Greensboro's Chamber of Commerce wields significant influence over local government decisions, particularly in areas like tax incentives, zoning laws, and infrastructure projects. By lobbying for policies that favor corporate interests, the Chamber often shapes the economic trajectory of the city, sometimes at the expense of small businesses and taxpayers.

When a government contractor gives gifts, whether tickets to sporting events, expensive dinners, or other perks to the very officials who oversee their contracts, it creates a clear conflict of interest. Taxpayers should expect that government decisions are made based on merit, not on who gets the best corporate hospitality.

Under North Carolina law (NCGS § 133-32), it is unlawful for contractors, which includes Cone Health and the Chamber of Commerce, to give gifts or favors to public officials involved in awarding or administering public contracts. It was also illegal for any official to accept such gifts, as the actions may constitute quid pro quo arrangements or outright bribery under state and federal law.

Government officials and entities doing business with local governments must understand that North Carolina's ethics laws exist to prevent even the appearance of impropriety. These documented invitations cross that line and warrant immediate investigation and corrective action.

Cone Health plays a vital role in Greensboro’s healthcare system, but that doesn’t give it a free pass to spend money on courting government officials. If the health system wants to maintain public trust, it should end the practice of gift-giving to public officials and focus its resources on patient care, not political influence.

Last year, taxpayer funded Shift Education, formerly Say Yes to Education and Say Yes Guilford, offered Skybox tickets to Greensboro’s City Council;

Looks like Hugh Holston accepted;

After a recent Cone Health ticket giveaway to a Greensboro Grasshoppers game, the Wyndham was offered;

The original date for the Grasshoppers game was postponed. The only Council member who received a rescheduling email that I could find was Marikay Abuzuaiter;

The emails reveal a systematic approach to cultivating relationships with government officials through entertainment. The follow-up communications thanking officials who "braved the heat" at the Grasshoppers game and immediately extending invitations to additional events suggests an ongoing strategy to provide valuable benefits to public officials.

The evidence shows a clear pattern of government contractors offering valuable entertainment to government officials with whom they have established business relationships. Under North Carolina law, this constitutes prohibited gift-giving that undermines the integrity of government decision-making. The private nature of these events and the systematic approach to relationship-building through entertainment makes these violations particularly concerning from a public trust perspective.

Multiple oversight bodies may have jurisdiction to investigate this matter; The NC State Ethics Commission oversees gifts to public officials and lobbying violations. The State Board of Elections enforces rules around campaign finance and in-kind contributions. The IRS monitors political neutrality for 501(c)(3) organizations like Cone Health.

At a time when public trust in institutions is increasingly fragile, incidents like these, in which access is limited to those already in power, can erode faith in fair elections and deepen cynicism about the influence of money in politics.

Whether by legal standard or ethical expectation, organizations that serve the public or benefit from public funding must avoid even the appearance of using their resources to tip the scales during an election.

In a democracy, access should not be auctioned off behind suite doors and golf carts. When taxpayer-connected institutions extend exclusive perks to incumbents while shutting out their challengers, they aren’t just courting influence—they’re undermining the integrity of the election itself. Cone Health and the Chamber owe the public more than silence.

They owe answers.