Nancy Vaughan

Nancy Vaughan (born Nancy Barakat, and formerly Nancy Mincello) is the 48th mayor of Greensboro, North Carolina.[1] Having previously served on the city council in district 4 and at large, she was elected mayor on November 5, 2013, with 59% of the vote.[2][3] Vaughan was sworn in on December 3, 2013.[4] She was reelected in 2015 and 2017. She is the daughter of Fred Barakat.[5]

Nancy Vaughan
Mayor of Greensboro
Assumed office
December 3, 2013
Preceded byRobbie Perkins
Personal details
Born (1961-02-26) February 26, 1961
New Jersey
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Don Vaughan (divorced)
Children3
RelativesFred Barakat (Father)
EducationFairfield University

Vaughan served as the Executive Director of the Guilford Green Foundation, an LGBT advocacy group, from February 2016 until January 2018.[6]

Political career

Greensboro first elected Nancy Vaughan to city council in 1997 in council district 4. She served two terms before leaving to raise her daughter, Catherine.[7] Before her first council run, she had become known for leading a fight against the city's plans for a tract of land formerly owned by Jefferson Pilot. She was petitioning to stop them from re-zoning for higher density. Her talking points during her first run included expanding the city's landfill and water capacity, and increasing Greensboro's size through annexation.[8]

She ran again at-large in 2007, where she served as Mayor Pro tem until becoming mayor in 2013.[7]

Tenure as Mayor

Vaughan has come under criticism for enforcing an arbitrary code of conduct at city council meetings. These rules prohibit citizens from speaking on matters "in litigation" or speaking in a way that Vaughan "deem[s] to be an 'attack'" on any city employee.[9] This move was criticized by citizens, watch groups, and multiple members of city council who say they were not informed of the code of conduct before Vaughan began enforcing it at the October 2 city council meeting.[10]

During the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic, Vaughan declared a state of emergency on March 13, 2020.[11] On March 27, she issued a stay-at-home order for the city of Greensboro, which expired April 16, after which Greensboro fell under the jurisdiction of the state's stay-at-home order.[12] On June 23, she issued an emergency order requiring all people to wear face coverings in public within Greensboro city limits in order to curb the spread of the pandemic.[13]

In response to protests stemming from the 2020 George Floyd protests that led to some damage to downtown businesses,[14] the mayor ordered a city-wide curfew. The ACLU of North Carolina called the order unconstitutional and "overbroad", saying it "gives police too much discretion over whom to arrest and will likely lead to selective law enforcement against communities of color.[15]" Local news media drew attention to the contrast in enforcement. The Greensboro Police Department arrested and charged several black men for protesting while carrying firearms, while white men associated with the white supremacist Stokes County Militia group carrying guns and paramilitary gear were not approached by police.[16]

References
  1. "Greensboro mayors - N&R Copy Desk". nrcopydesk.wikifoundry.com. Retrieved Oct 5, 2019.
  2. Choate, Paul. "Vaughan wins Greensboro mayoral election, defeats Perkins". Fox8 WGHP. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  3. "Nancy Vaughan cruises in Greensboro mayor's seat". Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  4. "New city council members, mayor in Greensboro". Fox 8 WGHP. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  5. Newsom, John. "Campaign spending pays off in most city races". News & Record. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  6. "Guilford Green Foundation History · Guilford Green Foundation". Guilford Green Foundation. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
  7. McKenith, DaVonté (2017-06-19). "Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan announces re-election bid". WXII. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
  8. Barron, Andrew (June 13, 1997). "NEW GARDEN ACTIVIST SEEKS CITY COUNCIL SEAT\". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
  9. Matsuoka, Sayaka (2019-10-08). "Citizens concerned that new Greensboro city council rules infringe on right to free speech". The NC Triad's altweekly. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  10. Tansino, Marissa (2019-10-08). "'We Shouldn't Be Doing It,' Not All Greensboro City Council Members On Board With New Public Comment Guidelines". WFMY. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  11. "Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan declares State of Emergency in response to coronavirus". myfox8.com. 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  12. "City of Greensboro Stay-At-Home Order Frequently Asked Questions".
  13. "City of Greensboro to require face coverings within the city Limits". myfox8.com. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  14. "Greensboro enacts citywide curfew". Triad Business Journal. 2020-06-01. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  15. Green, Jordan (2020-06-05). "ACLU: Greensboro curfew violates First Amendment and invites racial discrimination". The NC Triad's altweekly. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  16. Green, Jordan (2020-06-04). "Black men arrested with weapons at protest while armed white militia men avoid charges in Greensboro". The NC Triad's altweekly. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
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