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☀️ In Today’s Edition

1. Nonpartisan No More
2. Municipal Election Round Up
3. Around Our Network
4. What We’re Reading
5. Our Recent Stories

Greensboro’s city council races are officially non-partisan. Candidates run without a party identifier attached to their names, have traditionally avoided partisanship in campaigning, and eschewed national issues to concentrate on local concerns.

If yesterday’s election is a sign, that appears to be over—not just in Greensboro, but across the state. The shift has divided candidates, as Joe Killian reports. Some worry it will drive a wedge between local officials who need to cooperate to get things done, while others argue it’s unavoidable in today’s political climate.

Are Non-Partisan Races a Thing of the Past?

Partisan politics has taken hold in North Carolina’s municipal elections–even in the races that are supposed to be non-partisan.

Ironically, this might be an area where the two main parties agree.

“Right now I don’t think that non-partisanship is a viable option,” said Kathy Kirkpatrick, chair of the Guilford County Democratic Party.

“I care about how people govern,” said Chris Meadows, chair of the Guilford County Republican Party. “So I don’t think people should run away from their affiliation.

Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.

Municipal Election Roundup

Greensboro’s election was historic in multiple ways. Not only did more than half the council turn over at once, but the city elected six Black council members—the most in its history. Marikay Abuzuaiter will be the city’s next mayor. Read about all that in The Thread.

In Fayetteville, incumbent Mayor Mitch Colvin won a fifth term. CityView has updates on city and county races down in Cumberland.

Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams won a second term, while newcomers ousted incumbents in two city council races. INDY has all that and more from the races across the Triangle.

Wilmington’s “mayor for life” Bill Saffo won an unprecedented 10th term, while three new faces will join the city council.

Charlotte voters approved an increased sales tax to fund public transit, per The Charlotte Ledger. We wrote about the proposal last month.

Around Our Network

A dispute between an elite Charlotte private school and parents who objected to its responses to the murder of George Floyd and the pandemic has put questions about schools’ autonomy before the state Supreme Court. The Caucus has more.

The Quad team has the latest on the lawsuit UNC-Chapel Hill’s former provost filed against the Board of Trustees accusing them of “systematically hiding matters of grave public concern behind closed doors.” 

Buried in the crime bill the General Assembly passed this summer was a year-long freeze on the North Carolina Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts, which distributes millions of dollars a year to legal-aid organizations. The Caucus reports on what’s at stake.

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What We’re Reading

Speed Trap: The town of Speed, a less-than-on-square-mile parcel of land in eastern Edgecombe County with 60 residents, is facing pressure to voluntarily dissolve its municipal government, per Carolina Public Press.

That’s Attractive: Axios reports that the Research Triangle Park-based rare earth magnets startup Vulcan Elements has secured more than $1 billion in federal and private financing to build its first large-scale factory.

Let ’em Cook: The Michelin Guide to the American South launched this week, and it features several North Carolina restaurants. See who made the list.

Our Recent Stories

It’s Illegal to Use Gender in Jury Selection. That Hasn’t Stopped it From Happening.

The U.S. Supreme Court has forbidden using gender as a reason to remove potential jurors, but N.C. appellate courts have done little to enforce that.

The Most Elite Real Estate in Winston-Salem Is for the Dead

Salem Cemetery is the final resting place of many of the city’s best-known families.

Give Peace a Chance?

For 75 years, local pacifists have organized a “Peace Booth” at the State Fair. Is it exactly what our moment needs, or a relic of the past?