🧵 In Today’s Edition

1. How Eric Robert Decided Against Another Run for Mayor
2. A ‘Big Gay Spelling Bee’ With Brenda The Drag Queen

After publicly announcing a run for mayor earlier this year, Eric Robert decided against it. (Photo: Courtesy of Eric Robert)

How Eric Robert Decided Against Another Run for Mayor

When filing closed for Greensboro City Council seats last month, there were a few big names absent from the list of this year’s candidates. Among them was Eric Robert, the local businessman who publicly announced he would make a second run for mayor after a failed attempt to have his businesses removed from downtown’s business improvement district (BID).

Robert argued he hasn’t seen benefits from the district, managed by Downtown Greensboro Incorporated (DGI), and that the extra taxes he pays as part of it aren’t justified. He also said the council conspired to reject his request before even considering it to prevent others from abandoning the district as well.

Robert is a frequent critic of DGI and councilman Zack Matheny, who also acts as its president and CEO. When the State Bureau of Investigation opened a probe into an unnamed city council member last month, Robert hoped what he calls Matheny’s unacknowledged conflicts would finally be addressed, something Robert has spoken out about for years. Matheny, who is now running for re-election to his District 3 council seat, said he welcomes any investigation into those allegations as he has nothing to hide.

Robert is also no fan of Council Member Marikay Abuzuaiter, now running for mayor. Among other criticisms, he points to an e-mail in which Abuzuaiter wrote, before his BID hearing took place, “If he [Robert] is allowed out, then several more will ask to be removed as well. So… the motion should be for the property to remain in the [municipal service district].”

Still, after claiming he would again run for mayor this year after a defeat in the 2022 primary, Robert ultimately decided against it. The Thread recently caught up with him to find out why.

“I was still weighing it up until Friday morning,” Robert said, citing the deadline for filing. “But the truth is that I’ve lost faith in the system, and honestly, in the people who should give a damn but don’t.”

During his failed 2022 campaign, Robert said he found support among those who felt disenfranchised and ignored by city government.

“I really believed I could make a difference,” Robert said. “I believed in the underdog… I believed in the Hollywood ending. And for a moment, I really thought this city might want to save itself.”

Since that race, Robert said, his perspective had changed.

“City Hall is broken and rotten,” Robert said. “Its culture is dishonest, hostile, and allergic to transparency and/or accountability. It’s a closed loop with no love or room for people like me, who speak plainly, sometimes too plainly.”

Robert, who was born in France, said his father used to tell him, “You can never be more royal than the king.” That phrase resonates with him, he said, in relation to city government.

“You can’t expect fairness, decency, or humility from elected officials who do not value those things themselves,” he said. “You can’t fight for the truth, for justice, or for what’s right when the king/queen is corrupt, self-serving, or indifferent…They’ll still rule.”

Though he was conflicted, he said, he ultimately decided to use his energy outside of elected politics.

“I want to work on things that matter, with and for people who care,” Robert said.

Robert said he’s been heartened by seeing some of the candidates who have filed, but this year he didn’t want to be among them.

“Greensboro does deserve better,” he said. “But I just don’t think it wants it.”

— 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.

(Photo Courtesy of Brenda The Drag Queen)

Brenda the Drag Queen is hosting a “Big Gay Spelling Bee” at Greensboro’s Carolina Theatre this Sunday to benefit Triad Health Project. The Thread caught up with her this week to talk about her background, her charity work, and the hardest word she can spell.

For those who don’t know, tell us a bit about yourself.

So, I’m known as the Green Queen of Greensboro because I work with the Guilford Green Foundation and put on events with them throughout the year. We do a Bingo every other month and those have a pretty high attendance and helps raise funds for the Guilford Green Foundation and the LGBTQ Center.

I’m also known as the live-singing, shade-slinging comedy monster of the Carolinas. I’m just north of seven feet tall in drag and in 99 percent of cases I sing live, which is a little different from other drag performers who lip sync. I also consider myself a comedy queen. I like to bring joy to people in what can sometimes feel like a dumpster fire of our reality. 

How long have you been doing drag and how did you get into it?

It will be seven years in October since I started doing drag. I had been doing a Halloween queen situation. You know Halloween is the birth of a lot of drag entertainers. Then I met my drag mother, Kitty Litter, who, when our paths crossed, saw something in me and encouraged me to do drag.

How did you come up with your name?

I’ve always gone as Brenda. I think it’s because everyone knows a Brenda, whether it’s a nurse or someone who works in HR. It’s just one of those funny names. It’s a classic, middle-aged white woman name.

Why a spelling bee?

I just think spelling bees are fun. They’re something that we don’t see that much anymore. And these days, drag is so saturated, everybody is doing something. So it’s a challenge for drag performers to do something a little different, something unique. I always wanted to do a spelling bee, and it’s big and gay because I’m big and gay. 

We’ve got five entertainers who will be performing and competing. I’m the MC and I’ll be performing to open up the show.

Tell us about partnering with the Triad Health Project.

When I’m not wearing a wig, and sometimes when I am, I work for the Triad Health Project. I’ve been there for over two years as the director of people, culture, and outreach. I oversee our development to help raise money to bring attention to the important work that we do.

THP has been around since 1986, at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Since then, it’s transformed into a much larger sexual health and justice organization. We provide free and confidential testing and go out into communities to share information about prevention. We also offer medical case managers for those living with HIV and have a day center for impacted folks, too. We run food pantries, too.

A lot of folks think we’ve moved on from that epidemic, but preventing the spread of HIV and other STIs is still important. And we’re seeing threats to funding from the national level, and we want to stay free and accessible for those who need support.

What is the hardest word you can spell?

I feel like it’s probably phlegm. But that’s not gonna be one of the words we use on Sunday night. We’re drag entertainers, not academics. I’m using words that have been used by the National Spelling Bee, but not at the national level. We’re trying to make it more approachable. We just want people to come prepared to have a good time and share in the joy of the event.

— Sayaka Matsuoka

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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.

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.