A wild election season has come to an end, and we have all the results and analysis. 

It’s also The Thread’s first election cycle in Greensboro—and we’ve heard a lot from readers. 

Our reporting, particularly on District 3, sparked strong reactions. In the summer, we broke news of an SBI investigation into candidate Zack Matheny. Last week, we published documented sexual harassment allegations against his opponent, April Parker. 

Our mission is to find newsworthy information, vet it, and publish it without fear or favor. Our Greensboro team, led by editor Joe Killian, and our broader statewide network, all depend on rigorous standards—independent verification, on-record sources, seeking dissenting voices and views—in handling sensitive stories, political and otherwise. 

They’re able to do this work thanks to three things: Readers who subscribe, sponsors who advertise, and donors who give philanthropically. To date, 95% of our donor support comes from individuals.

We like this approach because having support from so many different sources insulates us and allows us to report on things that may upset some people, but make our readers more informed. 

As we come up on the end of the year, we’ll share more about our model and our plans for the future. Thanks for reading, supporting, and subscribing. 

— Kyle Villemain, Founder, The Assembly Network

🧵 In Today’s Edition

1. Election Ushers in Historic New Greensboro City Council
2. Are Nonpartisan Elections a Thing of the Past?
3. Greensboro Community Rushes to Fill the SNAP Gap
4. What We’re Reading

Greensboro’s New City Council

It was an historic election night in Greensboro.

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.

About 21 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in Tuesday’s election. All results are complete but unofficial until certified.

Marikay Abuzuaiter soundly defeated Robbie Perkins in the mayoral race, 61 percent to 39 percent.

Denise Roth, Hugh Holston, and Irving Allen were elected to the council’s three at-large seats. Roth garnered the most votes (22,244), followed by Holston (22,143), and Allen (19, 171).

In District 1, Crystal Black defeated incumbent Sharon Hightower 59 percent to 41 percent.

In District 2, Cecile (CC) Crawford defeated Monica Walker 54 percent to 45 percent.

In District 3, April Parker prevailed over incumbent Zack Matheny 52 percent to 48 percent.

In District 4, Adam Marshall won over Nicky Smith 66 percent to 33 percent.

In District 5, Tammi Thurm was victorious over Jeanette Davidson-Mayer, 68 percent to 31 percent.

“In terms of it being historic from an African American standpoint,” said Roth, “I think with the number of members we have retiring and the moment of change on the horizon, it opened the aperture of people who said, ‘I want to represent this community in the future.'”

“Those people brought constituencies from all over the city who may not have been otherwise engaged,” Roth said.

But it was not simply a matter of Black voters voting for Black candidates, Roth said. With the numbers put up by Black candidates in the districts and at-large races, she said, it is clear that a broad and diverse electorate elected them.

“I don’t think we’ve ever seen this many Black candidates at once, either,” Roth said.

“But I think more than race, the thing that is resonating most with the Greensboro voter is, where are they today, where do they want to be in the future, and who do they want to see representing them?” Roth said.

Will this new council change not only what the city council looks like but what it chooses to look at?

“I do think it’s a fair notion to say that maybe some of the items that have been left lingering at times in terms of areas that are underinvested would likely receive more notice within this council,” Roth said. “I think that’s in the makeup of the council just by virtue of those who ran.”

More than half the new council—including Roth, a former city manager and administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration under President Barack Obama—will come to their seats with no experience in elected office. That’s an opportunity for fresh eyes, Roth said, but the council also needs to focus and establish priorities quickly.

“With all the opportunity and economic investment we’re seeing come online, we need to be strategic and set a direction,” Roth said. “Because this is a major moment of transition.”

— 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.

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

It’s a trend not just in Greensboro but across the state. The partisan shift has divided candidates, as some worry it will drive a wedge between local officials while others argue it’s unavoidable in today’s caustic political atmosphere.

“It’s happening in larger cities like Greensboro, it’s even happening in tiny Sylva, North Carolina,” said Chris Cooper, a professor of political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University and author of Anatomy of a Purple State: A North Carolina Politics Primer. “And it’s not just North Carolina. It’s really partisanship run amok everywhere.”

Read the full story here.

— Joe Killian

Greensboro’s Community Rushes to Fill the SNAP Gap 

With SNAP funding still uncertain as the federal government shutdown continues, residents and organizations are trying to help where they can.

Read the full story here.

— Sayaka Matsuoka

What We’re Reading

Festival Dissolves, Dispute Continues: Last month, the Eastern Music Festival announced it would dissolve after an unresolved labor dispute with its faculty musicians. Now, the festival board has filed an unfair labor practice charge against a chapter of the largest musicians’ union in the world. Fox8 has more.

Brockman Out on Bond: Just days after former N.C. Rep. Cecil Brockman resigned his seat, a judge lowered his bond from $1 million to $250,000, and he was released. Brockman, who faces several sex crime charges involving a minor, was released under an agreement that he would live with his mother, have continuous electronic monitoring, surrender his mobile phone, and avoid social media and firearms. WFDD has the story.

Game On: With the new Greensboro Gargoyles hockey team hitting the ice, O. Henry magazine caught up with members of the old Greensboro Generals team that won the old Eastern Hockey League championship in the 1962-1963 season.

Joe Killian is The Assembly's Greensboro editor. He joined us from NC Newsline, where he was senior investigative reporter. He spent a decade at The News & Record covering cops and courts, higher education, and government.

Kyle Villemain is founder and CEO of The Assembly. He is a former speechwriter who was fortunate enough to hire journalists smarter than him to envision a new model for state-level news. He grew up in the Triangle and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Sayaka Matsuoka is a Greensboro-based reporter for The Assembly. She was formerly the managing editor for Triad City Beat, an alt-weekly based in Greensboro. She has reported for INDY Week, The Bitter Southerner, and Nerdist, and is the editorial/diversity chair for AAN Publishers.