Accomplishments
Growing Greensboro by Supporting Local Business
Justin led the efforts to create the City’s “local preference” or “buy local” policy, which gives preference to local businesses for City contracts without additional costs to the City. These efforts support our community’s businesses, jobs, and economy.
Source: Legistar, Rhino Times
Housing Standards
Justin helped author revisions to the City’s minimum housing standards code and led in their adoption. These revisions will result in fewer demolished homes, fewer neighborhoods blighted by substandard housing, and the saving of taxpayer dollars.
Increased Transparency
Justin helped lead the City’s effort to provide new sources of information, auditing, and reporting of police encounters in Greensboro. These new tools will help our citizens and city leadership to better evaluate the interactions of police officers with members of our community, and drive increased accountability and confidence in law enforcement.
Source: Greensboro.com, WFDD
Improved Emergency Services and Crime Detection
Justin has led the effort to improve the 911 dispatch process, ensuring that the most accurate information is used in dispatching law enforcement. These changes will help law enforcement identify persons who may have committed crimes more quickly and accurately, and reduce the likelihood that they stop community members based on incomplete or generalized information.
Source: MyFox8
Fair Policing
Justin helped to author the City’s model policy prohibiting all forms of profiling including religious and racial profiling. He led in the adoption of this policy which covered areas not otherwise prohibited by North Carolina State and federal law.
Source: GPD Directive
Cutting Red Tape
Justin led efforts to create an “ombudsman” within the City to ensure that large and certain other development projects keep moving forward in an orderly and timely way.
Source: Greensboro.com, WFDD
Reducing Blight, Wherever it Is
Justin led the efforts to pass the City’s first minimum standards code for non-residential properties. The new code sets standards for the safety, sanitation, and welfare of buildings throughout Greensboro, while also improving our tax base and positioning our City as a more attractive place for businesses.
Source: Municode, Greensboro.com
Standing Against Taxpayer Giveaways
Justin knows the difference between economic development and handouts of taxpayer money. When the City gave an $80,000 grant to a downtown business that was already well financed and set to open, Justin voted against the grant, pointing out that City grants should only be used for true economic development and job creation – not simply because the person asking for assistance is well connected or supported by special interests or advocacy groups.
Source: Rhino Times, Rhino Times, Greensboro.com
Your Taxes – Not an ATM for Lazy Government
Justin believes the best way to improve the City’s financial position is by carefully scrutinizing City spending and programs, not by raising taxes. When the City Council voted to raise property taxes, Justin focused instead on scrutinizing City spending and voted against the increase.
Source: Greensboro.com
City Council Pay
Justin’s public service is singularly driven by his goal to improve our City; he puts others above himself in all that does. When the City Council voted to give itself a pay raise, Justin voted “No”.
Source: MyFox8
Fairness and Participation in City Contracting
Justin has promoted increasing participation by Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) in city contracts in ways that bring jobs and hope to economically distressed areas. The guidelines he advocated for offer additional money to companies already receiving economic incentives that hire a portion of their workforce from the impacted zones. His focus is particularly helpful to MWBE small business owners who often the drivers of employment growth in these areas. At the Brooks Pierce law firm, where he is a partner, Justin also serves as the firm’s Director of Diversity & Inclusion.
Promoting The Economy
Part of the team of Brooks Pierce attorneys involved in helping Toyota come to the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite, Justin is focused on bringing opportunities to Greensboro. While working on Wall Street before coming to Greensboro he represented financial institutions and multi-national corporations in various complex and important business and legal matters.
