Your Greensboro City Council Vote is the Only Answer That Matters: Why the “National Guard” Question May Lead to a Massive Primary Turnout
Allen Johnson and the News & Record have done their job. They sensationalized a single candidate forum question about federal troops into a front-page story, framing it as the ultimate litmus test for local leadership. But in doing so, they have made a more compelling case for robust voter participation than they have about the candidates themselves.
This entire episode is precisely why your vote in the primary is critical. Here’s why;
1. The Media Has Decided What’s Important For You; You Must Decide For Yourself.
The editorial insists the question was “not especially remarkable,” yet devoted significant space to analyzing the answers and, most pointedly, the “conspicuous silences.” By declaring “What could be more local than troops on city streets?” and highlighting the dramatic, historical context of 1969, the paper has placed this hypothetical crisis at the center of the election. This is a choice. It elevates a single, dramatic moment over the complex, ongoing work of governance. Your vote is the only way to refocus the campaign on the issues you care about, whether that’s taxes, garbage and loose leaf collection, housing or public safety.
There is a very real risk that this intense editorial and news push, arriving in the final days before the primary, could blow up in their faces. By elevating a single, emotionally charged hypothetical to the defining issue of the campaign, the News & Record has gambled with its credibility. Rather than enlightening voters, this approach could breed cynicism, backfiring if the public perceives it not as a public service but as a heavy-handed attempt to manipulate the election. Voters may ultimately reject being told what the most important question is, and instead punish the spectacle by supporting the very candidates who refused to play the “gotcha” game, turning the paper’s intended “litmus test” into a rallying point against media overreach.
2. They’ve Framed Nuance as Failure.
The four candidates who declined to answer (Perkins, Franklin, Ignac, and Smith) were not celebrated for thoughtful caution. Their “nonanswers were telling,” and their call was labeled “curious.” The message is clear; give us a soundbite or be prepared for a headline questioning your judgment. A primary vote is the public’s chance to reward substance over soundbites and show value in the candidates detailed plans over the ability to give a snappy “Hell no” to a hypothetical.
3. The Editorial Itself Proves the Distraction is the Point.
Johnson admits that “there are so many other ways” candidates affect our lives, listing “local tax rates to zoning disputes... homelessness, a housing shortage and chronic poverty.” Yet, the paper chose to lead with the troop question. He even acknowledges that the candidates “should be evaluated on more than their answers (or lack thereof) to one question.” This contradiction reveals the core problem; media incentives often prioritize drama over depth. The forum “stirred some useful discussions,” but more importantly, it “generated a front-page headline.” Voting is the ultimate corrective to this, a tangible action that forces the political and media class to pay attention to what actually decided the election.
4. The Stakes Are, In Fact, Very High, But Not for the Reason Stated.
The editorial cautions that we live in “an age when unlikely things seem to happen by the minute.” Yet, the most consequential and powerful unlikely event we can create is not a presidential decree, but a massive turnout at the polls. The piece laments that “voters seem more inclined to have opinions than to cast votes.” Now, armed with the strong opinions this very editorial has provoked, the public holds the ultimate responsibility; to act. The future of Greensboro, poised between generational economic wins from Toyota and the ambitious, yet unproven, promises of speculative ventures like Boom Supersonic and JetZero, while grappling with the urgent, unmet challenges of poverty and housing, will be forged entirely by the leaders we elect now. Do not let your opinion be just a headline; let it be a vote.
The News & Record ends by stating, “If you weren’t paying attention before, maybe you are now.”
They are right. But we should be paying attention to the fact that a media-driven “gotcha” moment is threatening to overshadow the real, daily needs of our city. The most powerful response to this sensationalism is not to argue about the question online, but to march to the polls.
Don’t let a front-page headline dictate your city’s future based on a single answer. Use your vote in the primary to evaluate the candidates on the full spectrum of their records, their character and their plans for Greensboro.
It is the only “yes or no” that truly counts.
TBS, a critical poem I sent to our to local press on October 1st, pointing out how they are failing the public by keeping most uninformed;
The Omission Loop
The councilman speaks of a vacant store,
A deal that’s been done many times before.He talks with the owner, the papers report,
But carefully missing the key support.
The press reports his words as fact,
Ignoring every telling act.The owner is a donor, see,
A conflict plain as it can be.He gives the candidates the cash, they give him the keys,
To city-owned futures and lucrative fees.
The board is all insiders, a permanent clique,
The mayor, the manager, a political fix.They vote for the grants that flow to their friends,
A cycle of profit that never ends.
But silence is the press’s art,
They’ll never play the central part.They print the “what,” they hide the “who,”
So you can’t see what’s truly due.
The press prints the press release, shallow and thin,
Hiding the game that the insiders are in.They won’t name the names, they won’t connect why
The same few get rich while the public just sighs.
So the building stays empty, a hollowed-out sign,
Of a city for sale on a well-greased line.The officials are bought, and the press looks away,
That’s how the insiders profit each day.
The reason that you do not know?
The press decides to keep it so.
