In Response to the Recall Petition
May. 28, 2007
In Response to the Recall Petition May 15, 2007
T. Dianne Bellamy Small, Greensboro City Council District 1
In response to the recall petition against me, I am concerned about the three misleading and untruthful statements used as reasons to have people sign this document. The statements used in this petition came from erroneous accounts given in the media and not derived from the facts.
- I have never intentionally or negligently been the source of any leaks of any government documents or reports from the city council. There has been a serious problem with leaking information before I became a member of the council and since that time. I have personally talked with the mayor several times over the last 14 months about the leaks and as recently as February 20th in relationship to the Brady case. I have indicated to the mayor on each occasion that I am not the source of any leaks from the council. Those on council who have questioned my integrity in this area have never discussed this matter with me. But I have indicated to them and the public, I am not the one who has been leaking information.
- I, in no way, used any form of intimidation, nor did I hinder and delay a police officer from administering his duty during a routine traffic stop in February, 2007 or at any other time. And in a letter dated February 23, 2007 from Captain M.E. Oates, who is over the division that this officer serves in, it states that I indicated in my discussion of the situation with Sgt. D.E. Allen, the officer’s immediate supervisor that, “Sgt Allen advised me that during his interview with you on February 14, 2007, you advised that you did not wish to file a complaint against Officer Calvert but wanted to voice a concern about his interaction with you.” The letter further states, “…he (Sgt. Allen) agreed the matter would be treated as an Inquiry that was Resolved with the Citizen.”
- I have served the duties of my office with integrity, dignity and diligence. I have kept my constituents informed through annual reports, mailings, phone calls, forums, special events and personal visits. I have used staff assigned to assist with citizens’ concerns to make sure that those concerns were address expeditiously, professionally and effectively. I have represented my district and the city of Greensboro at local, state and national events. I have advocated for issues, regardless of where the need came from in Greensboro, that impacted on a large variety of people, economic levels, races and ages. And I have attempted to respond to reasonable council members’ and media requests. Those members of council who have publicly criticized me never attempted to talk to me personally about their concerns. Communication and respect are two way streets. I feel I have given more that I have gotten.
The statements used in this recall petition were vague and unsubstantiated. I feel the recall petitioners were misguided in their effort, but I respect their rights to use this process. My reputation, character and integrity have been bashed around for over a year now.
I was totally unaware of Council member Gatten’s issues in regards to me until I saw her press conference in the news. She never made any attempt to discuss her concerns with me. I can not state any more clearly than I have in the past, that I have not done anything wrong. And when allegations have been further investigated, they have been found not to be true, such as with the bus passes. I do not feel any other council member should question the integrity or work of another unless he or she has good reason. Only a couple of council members have come to me privately to discuss concerns. I have never publicly criticized any of my fellow council members for their approach to serving on council. I never saw that as my role. I have, however, watched and learned how to do and not to do some things from them. Each member of council has their own style of behavior and I have been respectful of that and I accept the fact that none of us are perfect. I have gone to the mayor on several occasions with concerns as I considered him the leader of the council. I felt that was and is the appropriate way to handle concerns involving the council. I have not sought to make race an issue in all that has gone on, but there has been some unfairness that race appears it could be a factor in how some things have been handled and the unwillingness to stay focused on the racial nature of the police scandal for example.
Comments:
The question that a lot of people ask me is this: You've said you didn't intentionally or accidently leak your copy of the RMA report. But RMA concluded that it was your copy of the report that was leaked. What do you think happened?
Margaret,
Instead of asking TDBS to speculate, if you are truley interested in finding out how the report was "leaked," why don't you go the the first known sources outside of city hall to come into possession of it: your colleagues at the N&R?
For those who were wondering what happened to Margaret's comment earlier, we installed an updated moderated comment feature on TriadBlogs this weekend and apparently there was a small glitch. We're working to track down the bug and fix it.
But for the record, moderated comments are active on this blog, at least for the time being, so there may be some delay before your comment appears.
"Although RMA determined this week that the copy originated with Bellamy-Small, it's still unclear who gave the report to Greensboro101.com or who leaked the document to the News & Record in the spring.
"News & Record Editor John Robinson declined Wednesday to identify the source."
I'm going to assume that your post wasn't a rhetorical question: Yes, I do really want to know.
I have stated too many times already my position on the leak of the RMA Report. The question should be asked and answered from within your shop. The focus should be on the content of the report. And how do we as a city get our citizens to feel a higher level of trust in our police department. We have a new chief, who, should be given our support and trust to turn a corner in the police department that dates back many years even to my time on the force. I have no other thoughts about how the report got the paper or on the internet. I simply know I have done nothing wrong. However, I do believe citizens have the right to engage their government and be given the truth. If you recall, in May of last year, I was the only council member who wanted to have a public meeting on the city's progress surrounding the report and the council voted not to allow any staff to assist in that meeting. I have tried to be of assistance to staff and citizens about what the report revealed and the real problems it pointed out. I am confident that all measures to correct the issues in that report are and have been taken. I would like to move the focus on what we must do next for the good of Greensboro.
TDBS, where did you get this information?
From the N&R:
"A News & Record analysis of the petition revealed that half the signers are white, 46 percent are black, and 4 percent didn't specify race or fall into a different category."
Maybe it just seems fishy to the voters that you were the one who refused a lie detector test (which everyone else passed), and then it was your report that went missing.
Maybe people just don't like your attitude also, which leads to stories about office politics hitting the mainstream and interpretations of misuse of power.
You come across (to some) as arrogant, and as a person who sees themselves as above the rules.