Greensboro’s $2.9 Million Bellemeade Boondoggle: How Taxpayers Bankrolled Roy Carroll’s Profits Through Illegal Lobbying by DGI CEO Zack Matheny and City Council Votes
Who got the Tickets?; Hundreds of Untracked/Undisclosed/Unreported/Missing Event Tickets
GREENSBORO, NC; June 9, 2025 — An investigation into the controversial Bellemeade Street parking deck deal has uncovered nearly $3 million in taxpayer losses stemming from a demolition-and-sale process that disproportionately benefited developer Roy Carroll, a major political donor with close ties to city leadership.
Downtown Greensboro Inc.’s (DGI) 1/30/2025 Bi Annual report states DGI lobbied the City of Greensboro with taxpayer monies received via a government contract with the City of Greensboro;
"The Bellemeade Parking Deck is another area where DGI has been instrumental in working with all business owners impacted by its imminent removal. This includes relocating existing tenants and working to identify new development opportunities."
And;
"DGI engaged with City staff, Boards, Commissions, and City Council on issues that impact the BID area stakeholders, including Depot activation and renovation, public safety, road construction, Bellemeade Parking Deck demolition, persons experiencing homelessness, parking and transportation, GPD, BHART, city ordinances and codes, and items related to our 2030 Strategic Vision Plan."
Secretary of State’s Lobbyist Database Confirms Noncompliance. Searches for "Matheny," "Downtown Greensboro," and "Overman" (DGI VP) return zero registrations
The $2.9 Million Breakdown
Public records confirm:
$2,354,000 – City-paid demolition of the Bellemeade deck (approved February 2025)
$570,000 – Difference between post-demolition appraisal ($2.42M) and sale price to Carroll ($1.85M)
Total Loss to taxpayers; $2,924,000
Profit for Roy Carroll; $2,924,000 via a no-bid contract
This means Greensboro taxpayers first paid to demolish the deck, then City Council voted to sell the soon to be cleared land at a steep discount, effectively subsidizing Carroll’s deal.
DGI’s Questionable Role
Emails, meeting minutes and documents from records requests show Downtown Greensboro Inc. (DGI), a city-funded nonprofit, aggressively lobbied for demolition while Carroll’s executive, Craig Carlock, sat on its board. DGI President Zack Matheny, a Greensboro city councilman at the same time, voted to approve both the demolition contract and the land sale to Carroll.
Key connections:
Carroll and his wife donated $10,000 to Matheny’s 2022 campaign
DGI (under Matheny’s leadership) has Carroll affiliated expenditures of $4,313.53 in taxpayer-funded grants and expenses (FY 2023-24).
"A Textbook Example of Developer Welfare"
"City leaders turned public infrastructure into private profit".
"They demolished an asset we owned, then sold the land to a donor’s company for pennies on the dollar."
The city could have sold the deck as-is, requiring the developer to handle demolition, like the Davie Street Deck sold to Barry Siegal on the same night.
Instead, taxpayers absorbed the cost, then took a loss on the sale.
Unanswered Questions;
Why wasn’t the property put to competitive bid post-demolition?
Why has the city refused to release full DGI financial records?
George Hartzman received Downtown Greensboro Inc.’s FY 2023–2024 financial records released by the City on Greensboro May 21, 2025. FY 22-23 or 24-25, before and after Zack was re. The City and DGI have not released the other information to date, in non-responses to information requests. It appears the ledger was released by mistake.
"Their ledger shows over $40,000 in spending on perks: Haunted House tickets, Oyster Roast tickets, Swarm, Tanger, Grasshoppers, and Wyndham events. Then there’s meals with city officials, nonprofit leaders and Matheny political donors at Green Valley Grill, B Christopher’s, Pura Vida, Natty Greene’s, Undercurrent, Lucky 32, Print Works, Sushi Republic, Postino, Inka Grill and more. All on the public’s dime, paid for with our tax dollars."
If Zack Matheny and DGI spent a total of $60,000 on event tickets over the last three years, with tickets averaging $65 each, they could have distributed approximately 923 tickets ($60,000 ÷ $65 = 923.08).
Who got the tickets?
Public officials and employees (including city council members and staff) cannot knowingly accept gifts from a "person" (including organizations like DGI) that:
Do business with the city (e.g., DGI receives taxpayer funding).
Lobby the city (DGI advocates for policies benefiting specific developers with taxpayer monies via a contract with the City of Greensboro).
Gifts to officials from unregistered lobbyists are explicitly banned.
Potential Criminal Implications; Bribery (NCGS § 14-218)
If gifts were given to influence official actions (e.g., DGI wining/dining officials and passing out event ticket, coincident with Carroll-related votes), this could constitute bribery funded by Greensboro's taxpayers.
DGI, as a 501(c)(3), cannot provide private benefits to public officials.
The prohibition applies to any value, no matter how small.
Previously;
Greensboro Officials Face Ethics Probe Over Alleged Lobbying Violations and Conflicts of Interest
https://www.reddit.com/r/NorthCarolina/comments/1l6lwl7/greensboro_officials_face_ethics_probe_over/
State ethics commission and the secretary of state's lobbying compliance division complaints on lobbying law and other violations by at least Zack Matheny, Nancy Vaughan, Nancy Hoffmann, city attorney Chuck Watts and Roy Carroll
https://www.reddit.com/r/gso/comments/1l6bplj/state_ethics_commission_and_the_secretary_of/
Formal City of Greensboro Complaint Regarding Violations Involving Pecuniary Benefits, Undisclosed Gifts and Illegal Lobbying; At Least Zack Matheny, Nancy Vaughan, Nancy Hoffmann, Chuck Watts and Roy Carroll with some after emails
EXCLUSIVE: DGI Scandal Deepens; FY23-24 Records Just "Tip of the Iceberg," Investigators Say
https://hartzman.blogspot.com/2025/05/exclusive-dgi-scandal-deepens-fy23-24.html
Disclaimer: This report draws on publicly available records, official audits, vendor payment data, and election filings to highlight apparent gaps in oversight and potential conflicts involving publicly funded expenditures. Some financial records were not made available by the City of Greensboro or Downtown Greensboro, Inc. at the time of publication. As a result, certain spending remains undocumented in official reviews. References to individuals, businesses, or political campaigns are made strictly in the context of matters of public concern. No conclusions are offered beyond what the documented evidence supports, and any implications regarding intent, legality, or ethics are left for readers to assess based on the disclosed facts.