The campaign is over. The voters have spoken with 53% in favor of T. Dianne Bellamy Small returning as the District 1 Representative. Thank you to the voters and to the supporters. I take my job seriously and will do my best to represent with continued honest, integrity, dignity and hard work. My agenda is the people's agenda.

Congratulations to our Mayor-elect Yvonne J. Johnson and the other new members of council who will take office December 4th. I invite all of the citizens to come to the MMOB (city hall) on that day and celebrate saying good bye to the old council and welcoming the new one. For more information about the installation of council call 373-2002.

For a full copy of the2007 DISTRICT REPORT contact me at

P.O. Box 3136   Greensboro, NC 27402

Voice Mail (336) 373-2286

(336) 373-2396  Fax: (336) 574-4003

DISTRICT REPORT           

2007 ANNUAL REPORT FROM DISTRICT 1

The fourth year in office has been extremely challenging. There have been a number of issues that the city has had to deal with; the leaking of the RMA Report, the contents of that report that indicated that there were possible levels of corruption in the police department. There have been budget issues; how to save money, cut spending and continue to provide a high quality of services to the citizens. The closing of Barber Park due to soil contamination and date for reopening is a great concern. This is a regional park and is a great asset to the community. Growth and development is happening in District 1. One major development is all taking place at the intersection of  E. Lee St. and Florida St. The new Gateway Garden, the NC A&T/UNCG Millennium Campus and Florida St. connecting to McConnell Rd. District 1 had to deal with a Recall Election which was more about the District’s right to choose their representation than having outsiders and non voters make that choice. And there will be a General Election on October 9th and November 6^th.  Addressing crime continues to be a citywide problem, as of the end of September, we have had 21 homicides. Funding for the new police gang unit without diminishing quality of other police services is being addressed and will be in place by October. There are 3 components to the program, 1. Prevention which will use the GREAT(Gang Resistance Education And Training)  program in elementary school and with parents; 2. Intervention using Parks and Recreation and The HOPE Project using community outreach workers; and 3. Enforcement- the Gang Unit will be responsible for Monitoring Gang Activity Work directly with the Hope Project, P&R Outreach person, Identify those individuals on the periphery of gang activity and forward that information to the Intervention components (Hope Project, Outreach).Identify and target those individuals engaged in criminal activity for enforcement action. Provide assistance to School Resource Officers, Detective, and the Community.

The outcome of the recall election was a victory for the District. As I stated in my response to the recall, “The way this ordinance is written any one can avoid participating in the election process and call for any city council seat to be recalled after an election for any reason they want. This disenfranchises the entire voting process of all the people, who vote in a duly held election. This is not about denying a constitutional right, it is the principle.” “The District system is only 25 years old, but it has allowed a diverse make up of the city council like it had never seen before. A majority should have the ultimate voice of who should represent a district. The current District 1 representative has made every attempt to serve ALL of the constituents in her district. This process is divisive and should not be allowed to proceed if the voices and the rights of the true voters of District 1 are to be respected and adhered to.”

I have also stated, “I have worked with dignity, honor and integrity to make a lasting difference for District 1. It has been a challenge standing up against the status quo, but I felt in order to do my job well I had to take an approach that would get the best outcome for my constituents. District 1 did not need more of  “just go along” with what had been done in the past.  I have had no need to self promote. I asked to be elected to serve the citizens of my district and the city. My focus has been on the often overlooked detail needs of the district which if given the proper attention makes the district stronger from the inside. District 1 has seen improvements: economic growth, crime in some areas, cleanliness, responses from city services, citizen participation and in the quality of representation. For this progress to continue, the focus needs to stay on what District 1 really needs in its leadership at the community level, at the district level and city wide. This recall was misguided and I hope the voters in District 1 will vote against it and then elect who they want to represent them for the next 2 years in October and November, 2007.”

I can not say thank you enough to the NAACP and the Pulpit Forum for their support also, a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who walked the District in the heat to get the vote out.  I wish to share what I wrote to the churches that signed the letter to the U.S. Justice Department, “…Martin L. King, Jr. said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” I am thankful that you are not silent about this recall and its intent and about using our right to vote and letting our voices be heard. I look forward to a positive and blessed outcome against this recall and moving forward…” “Churches play an invaluable role in the welfare of our communities, thank you for providing direction, leadership, spiritual guidance and being there for us all.”

 The victory speaks for itself  937 AGAINST to 670 FOR. Now let’s move on to keep District 1 strong !

And finally, I want to share these quotes as food for thought. Others have said this about the struggle we are still fighting. “Before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before the pen of Jefferson etched across the pages of history the majestic words of the Declaration of Independence, we were here. If the inexpressible cruelties of slavery could not stop us, the opposition we now face will surely fail.  Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”- Martin L. King, Jr.

Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to run for president said, “There is little place in the political scheme of things for an independent, creative personality, for a fighter. Anyone who takes that role must pay a price.”  She also said, “My greatest political asset, which professional politicians fear, is my mouth, out of which come all kinds of things one shouldn't always discuss for reasons of political expediency.” Barbara Jordan said “"We the people" -- it is a very eloquent beginning. But when the Constitution of the United States was completed on the seventeenth of September in 1787, I was not included in that "We the people." I felt for many years that somehow George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in "We the People."” She said, “A spirit of harmony can only survive if each of us remembers, when bitterness and self-interest seem to prevail, that we share a common destiny. One thing is clear to me: We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves.” Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” You can read any of my responses online at www.triadblogs.com/tdiannebellamysmall or www.bellamysmallforcouncil.com

As Fannie Lou Hammer said, “I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.”  We all need to be ‘sick and tired’ of having to defend our right to be our own voice and respected for that. Thank you for all your support over the past 4 years and I want the best for District 1.