Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan Interview

On the show whenever I've been asked about the importance of a order be important.

The issue I've always defaulted to this position.

If you want to know why something in a community is important talk to the people in that community. So when I hear critics say who cares about ACC headquarters where there at is in a big deal.

It's pretty clear they are from Greensboro and they don't understand Greensboro somebody who certainly does is Greensboro Mayor Nancy Bono joins us now Mayor times appreciated how difficult has this week been for you – difficult. Obviously we got information that we didn't like Brett said earlier, it wasn't totally unexpected as you are saying in the intro ACC athletics means a lot to the city of Greensboro and Guilford County. We had an almost 70 year run with them but we know it'll continue just in a different form, before you can speak freely about what your package to the ACC was because you were worried other cities might match what you offered. Now that the decisions been made. What was the full extent of what was asked for and provided to the ACC in order to try to keep the stack. One of the issues that they mentioned was on their and airport hub and so we offered a concierge service for prayer service one-on-one so that they can get where they want to in the most efficient way. We talked about naming rights for the ACC Coliseum. We talked about number of financial incentives to look for a new place here within the city but more than that they asked us to help them on things like diversity and equity inclusion in mental health and working with those in Guilford County on here in our staff Truitt leadership Academy fee on international center civil rights Museum, we came up with a great curriculum. Quite frankly, I won't be surprised if we see them use that curriculum in the future. What can you tell me about naming rights to the Coliseum. Well, yet we had offered then we had offered to name the policy in the ACC Coliseum is one of the things they assess is to how can we help them build their brand. Make sure that their brand was out more in the public and for instance, Mary J. Bly kicked off her world tour out of the ACC they Greensboro Coliseum this past weekend.

What that could meant to them was that on all of her merchandise. You know when they list the tour dates instead of saying the Greensboro Coliseum may be ACC Coliseum.

It would have been on all of her marketing. All of her tickets.

We have amazing acts amazing events come through our Greensboro Coliseum and you know we had never really considered naming rights before, but we thought that this might be a good partnership while it really is a great idea.

Like next year. I think about it when it's not just the ACC women's and men's basketball tournaments next March.

It's the NCAA tournaments and you get Jim Manson others talking about the ACC Coliseum and the week after that Bruce Springsteen is warming at what would've been the ACC Coliseum, who was the brainchild for this idea was that the ACC or you got while you work. I was driving around the city one day thinking what could we do that is different that we haven't done with the ACC before we talked about streets after them you know after the former Commissioner but what can we do that is really different and as I was driving down I was driving down gate Boulevard and there was and I thought you know that is something we have that none of the other cities that they were talking to could offer because they had already sold their naming rights on Greensboro Mayor's with us and I'm getting upset just listening to you describe something that would've been so cool and special because the piece that I struggle with and I asked Jim Phillips. This directly, and I asked Duke's Pres. Vincent Price and I asked John Curry wakes A.D. this yesterday and nobody's been able to give me an answer on your talk about Jim Phillips talked about commitment by Charlotte. They were offered things that they couldn't turn down, and I do been very public about some of the things that you offered like the concierge and some of the options when it comes to real estate in such me one example of something that Charlotte offered that Greensboro could, and nobody's giving me a flat answer. What makes you confident me ACC Coliseum and otherwise, that your offer was more substantial than your competition obviously and there I it wasn't all I can tell you is that is a city in the county. We brought together a great group city County employees Coliseum CVB community and business leaders on and we came up with the very best. We came up with the very best proposal that we could and we are proud of it.

We don't feel like we left anything on the table like a pre-could have done it over again.

We would do this differently. They obviously made a decision for other reasons but you know we always knew that year there were two parts to this and the other one is the tournament and we want to continue to partnership with them on tournaments, not just ACC mentioned women's basketball. But, of course, swimming and diving and golf and all of the other great ports that we do here in the city of Greensboro Nancy Bonds with this year. How much, how ensuring was Jim Phillips about the tournaments peace when he spoke with you earlier this week and that coupled with the North Carolina lawmakers package that included two tournaments in Greensboro from 25 to 34 how how ensuring is that you sell on you know it if they are if they accept the incentives that the state offered then you know we we have a tournament next year that one shouldn't count because wall is it was 30 given out. And then there will be two more and then the legislator said there actually could be for tournament to dedicated to Greensboro to could go somewhere else in North Carolina, but I'm hoping that the stay here in Greensboro. I believe that we do it the best.

Yvonne with this year. Do you believe in the end that this decision was predetermined expected that this was something I was gonna come up as soon as Jim Phillips or Tuesday. John Swofford decided to retire. Do you think that this was something that in the end was always going to happen you know I look back and I think about conversations that I've had with my dad and we started talking about what the future ACC orts looked like when the footprint changed when you had on Syracuse in Boston and Miami, Florida, and now it was no longer compact. It actually took up the whole you know the whole coastline and then going out to Notre Dame and that that really I think is when people started talking about having it in another location. People who had no attachment to Greensboro or to the to the ACC tradition, your father, of course for America who was a basketball coach and assistant Commissioner for the ACC for so many years.

Thank you so much for doing this and I know on behalf of a lot of people who call the Triad home. Your efforts are appreciated there recognized as representing your constituents in the end, that's what politics is supposed to be about. Thank you so much for explaining some of the efforts you put forth to try and keep the ACC headquarters in the Triad and for talk with us today great thank you