BUILDING A BETTER GREENSBORO, TOGETHER.

Applicant for Greensboro council seat criticized for spotty voting record, behavior during pandemic

Source: Greensboro News & Record January 29, 2025
kevin.griffin@greensboro.com

Applicant for Greensboro council seat criticized for spotty voting record, behavior during pandemic

The Greensboro City Council is expected to vote Friday afternoon on the appointment of a new member to fill the vacant seat left by the death of Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson.

The Friday meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. at City Hall, located at 300 W. Washington St.

Council members heard Tuesday from 19 applicants making their pitches for the job but held off on making the final decision so that members could have time to think over the applicants’ remarks. For the most part, council members sat back and listened to the presenters with little comment.

Nicky Smith presents his case to city council to be appointed to the at large seat left by Yvonne Johnson during the meeting in Greensboro, N.C., on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. WOODY MARSHALL, NEWS & RECORD
Nicky Smith presents his case to city council to be appointed to the at large seat left by Yvonne Johnson during the meeting in Greensboro, N.C., on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.
WOODY MARSHALL, NEWS & RECORD

There was one notable exception: Nicky Smith, the CEO of the telecommunications company Carolina Digital Phone Inc.

Smith faced criticism from council members for issues ranging from gaps in his municipal voting history to his stated policy positions and allegations he and his employees refused to wear masks during the pandemic. Smith later defended himself, pushing back on some of the claims and saying he believes he represents a different way of thinking that could benefit the city.

Smith was part of the pool of 19 applicants which was narrowed down from a larger group of 44 people who submitted applications or resumes as part of the process to fill the vacancy.

Mayor Nancy Vaughan explained that some candidates were disqualified because they did not live in the city or were not registered to vote while others were removed from consideration because they had not voted in the five most recent city elections.

Smith has previously said that while he is seeking appointment to the at-large seat to serve out the last 10 months of Johnson’s term, he is planning to run later in the year for a different seat, the District 4 seat. Councilwoman Nancy Hoffmann, the incumbent in that district, has said will not be running for another term.

Hoffmann was Smith’s harshest critic on the council Tuesday. She told the businessmen that she felt he claimed too much of the credit for leading the effort to establish an overlay district on part of West Friendly Avenue.

She also took issues with his statements in blog posts calling for what she described as a “moratorium on annexation” as well as a proposal to use First Horizon Coliseum as a shelter for the homeless.

Nicky Smith listens as Nancy Hoffmann lists her concerns after he made his case to be appointed to the at large seat left by Yvonne Johnson during the meeting. WOODY MARSHALL, NEWS & RECORD
Nicky Smith listens as Nancy Hoffmann lists her concerns after he made his case to be appointed to the at large seat left by Yvonne Johnson during the meeting.
WOODY MARSHALL, NEWS & RECORD

In a Dec. 31 blog post, Smith called on the city to “pause annexations” and said the city should retreat from annexing rural land for new developments until officials have a comprehensive plan that ensures proper infrastructure and services.

Smith suggested using the Coliseum “as a refuge for those without shelter during the harsh winter months” in a Jan. 2 post.

Hoffmann said that halting annexations would hinder the city’s effort to add much-needed housing while the suggestion of using the coliseum as a shelter displayed a misunderstanding of both the economic value of the venue and the homelessness problem.

The councilwoman also said she was concerned by the fact that Smith had voted in only two of the last five city elections.

“I wondered as a businessman if you would hire or retain an employee who showed up only 40 percent of the time,” Hoffmann said. “That’s what your voting record (shows).”

She added: “We want somebody who shows up 100% of the time, not 40%.”

Smith asked for a chance to respond to the comments and was shot down. Smith’s supporters in the hall applauded.

One shouted out, “Let him speak!” which prompted Vaughan herself to threaten to have individuals removed for the disruptions.

Vaughan had some criticisms for Smith, saying the city had received complaints about him and people from his business not wearing masks in places like the elevators of the business during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also said there was one complaint that Smith would fake cough in the elevator.

“We lost over 1,000 people in Guilford County due to COVID and I feel that if we’re going to be a leader that we have to obey what the ordinance is and to not honor people’s concerns — the calls that we got, the complaints were from fellow people in that building – for you not to respect their concerns, their fears, to me is a big problem,” she said.

Smith was allowed to briefly address the comments about the pandemic.

He said in part: “I allowed my employees to make their decision when they were in their confined office space and honestly I did not have a lot of control of when they left the office space to go to the elevator or (in the) outdoors.”

In an interview after the meeting, Smith added that the office was closed to the public and he also denied the false coughing allegation.

He also addressed several of the other criticisms made of him during the meeting.

On his voting history, Smith said he believes voting is important and had voted in all national and state elections he has been eligible to participate in over the years. However, he said there were times when he felt there was little cause to vote in the city’s elections.

“The municipal elections are difficult because sometimes they don’t really make any difference what you vote because there’s not much on the slate to vote for,” he said.

Smith added: “So I do look at them and I do vote and I have voted as she said on two of the last five. It shouldn’t be an attack on me because I chose not to vote for those elections because I may have seen, seen that there was nothing that was important to be voted on.”

Addressing the concerns over his policy views, Smith said: “(My positions) may not be in tune with what the city council is now, but I think the city council needs to look at some new ideas, some fresh ideas to grow Greensboro, which is what I want to do.”