Morning, gang.

When filing for Greensboro City Council closed earlier this month, there were a number of familiar names in the district and at-large races, as well as the mayoral contest. But there were also a lot of new faces—first-time candidates and, in some cases, people fairly new to Greensboro itself.

I caught up with one of those candidates, Steve Ignac, this week. He’s running in District 4, where Adam Marshall and Nicky Smith have already been campaigning and exchanging barbs for months. Ignac, by contrast, seemed to come out of nowhere, surprising even Marshall and Smith, who learned on the last day of filing that their race would now have a primary.

In the coming weeks and months, The Thread will follow the progress of these races with individual candidate profiles as well as stories and analysis of the races themselves. The season is just getting started, and there’s a long way to go.

— Joe Killian

Photo courtesy of Steve Ignac.

A New Face in the District 4 City Council Race

By the time filing closed for Greensboro City Council seats on July 18, voters in District 4 had gotten used to the idea of a two-man race — Adam Marshall v. Nicky Smith. The two had already been campaigning for months, offering competing e-mail blasts, even purchasing billboard space.

But on the last day of filing, a new candidate emerged—Steve Ignac. Suddenly, what looked like a two-way race to the Nov. 4 general election was instead headed to an October 7 primary.

That’s how he wanted it, Ignac told The Thread this week.

“I filed at the last minute, basically,” he said. “Even though the city council is supposed to be non-partisan, the candidates are really known by their parties. They get their donations and everything through party lines. So I do believe that for a true representation of the people, you should have people who are independent from the beginning.”

Ignac is a registered Libertarian. He saw the race shaping up to be between the Democratic Marshall and the Republican Smith, he said, and getting increasingly partisan. That’s when he decided he’d like to be a voice for those who don’t identify with the Democratic or Republican parties.

Marshall and Smith may have the jump on him in organizing, fundraising, and name recognition, Ignac said. Marshall even picked up the endorsement of the Greensboro Police Officers Association this week. But that doesn’t mean he can’t offer another choice.

Having only moved to Greensboro two years ago from Southern California, Ignac said he may provide fresh eyes in a way that more firmly entrenched candidates can’t. He and his wife, Olga, have come to love Greensboro, where he works as a programmer for Guilford County Schools. They’ve seen the city grow dramatically just in the last year with a series of big economic development announcements, a corresponding need for new housing, and serious development downtown.

“I would hate to see what happened to the area around Los Angeles that we lived in happen here,” Ignac said. “Greensboro isn’t a small town, but in some ways it has that small town character that we like, and you don’t want to see that change with all this new growth. It has to be done the right way.”

The coming council races could be transformative for the city, seeing more than half the nine-member council turn over at once.

“I thought I should get involved and be part of it,” Ignac said.

— Joe Killian

Thanks for reading The Thread, a 3x week newsletter written by Greensboro editor Joe Killian and reporters Sayaka Matsuoka and Gale Melcher. Reach us with tips or ideas at greensboro@theassemblync.com.

It’s the end of the month, so there’s not much action this week. But several boards and commissions across the county have meetings on the docket. Here’s what you need to know. 

City of Greensboro

Historic Preservation Commission meeting
Wednesday, July 30, at 4 p.m. @ Melvin Municipal Office Building at 300 W. Washington St. in the plaza level conference room

This meeting has an opportunity for audience comment. Here’s the agenda. This meeting includes two evidentiary hearings for applications for certificates of appropriateness, including:

  • 116 Cypress Street, Dunleath—Relocation of an outbuilding onto the property; removal of a magnolia tree. 
  • 923 North Eugene Street, Fisher Park—After-the-fact installation of gravel in the planting strip. 

The board will also hear Fisher Park Master Plan Presentation, discuss board vacancies and an At-large seat opening this fall, and a Fisher Park open seat now. Apply at www.greensboro-nc.gov/government/boards-and-commissions

Board of Adjustment meeting
Monday, July 28, at 5:30 p.m. @ Melvin Municipal Office Building at 300 W. Washington St. in the Katie Dorsett Council Chamber

This agenda hasn’t been posted yet. Check here.

In Guilford County

Guilford County Board of Education 
Special meeting
Monday, July 28, at 12 p.m. @ 712 N. Eugene St. in the board room

The board will meet in closed session. 

City of High Point
Finance committee meeting
Thursday, July 31, at 4 p.m. @ 211 S. Hamilton St.

This agenda hasn’t been posted yet. Check here.

Links to local board meetings and agendas:

Guilford County – Board of Commissioners

Guilford County – Board of Education

Greensboro – City Council

Greensboro – City Calendar

High Point – City Council

— Gale Melcher

What We’re Reading

In With The New on E. Market Street: The city block that was once the home of the News & Record has new owners. Last Friday, Center City Investors LLC announced it had purchased a 6.41-acre tract at 200 E. Market St. and another 0.24-acre tract at 106 S. Church St. The price for the tracts, on the market since 2017: $6.65 million. The investor group is a partnership between the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, The Joseph M. Bryan and Cemala Foundations, Durant and Mary Katherine Bell, Megan Olgesby, and Matt and Mark Penley. The group says it envisions a mixed-use community hub with housing units, retail, and office space. It also wants to create green space and a pedestrian footpath it hopes will help expand downtown’s offerings beyond Elm Street. Fox 8 has the story.

Playing It Safe: After two cases of rabies in cats in the Jamestown area, Guilford County Animal Services has suspended intake of healthy cats and will host a free vaccination clinic. The agency is taking the steps to protect its current shelter population, it told the News & Record.

There Has to be a Twist: Get those supple wrists ready, pinball wizards. The Greensboro Pinball Museum opens Aug. 15 on Lawndale Drive. The News & Record has a look at how it came together and what you can expect.

Fly Around Fest is hosting this music festival to celebrate Appalachia’s natural beauty and rich musical traditions while raising funds to support the recovery from the historic floods from Hurricane Helene on Aug. 1 & 2.

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