The smell of $6.95-a-cup coffee fills my nostrils as I enter the Green Bean, located in downtown Greensboro. As I take a few more steps, the gurgling sound of milk and espresso concoctions fill my ears and then in front of me sits Mr. Jorge Cornell, self-admitted Latin Kings and Queens gang leader.
From that introduction one would question whether Cornell is even in the right conversation when he states that he would like to fill the District 5 Greensboro City Council seat. But Cornell is no pushover, and like a moth to a flame he is drawn to the position and vehemently feels that he can make the most difference by being seated at the big table.
“If I didn’t think I could handle the position and the work that comes along with it, then I would not have jumped into the water with the sharks,” said Cornell. “Someone that is going to hear the concerns of the people at council meetings and return their emails is who they need in office.”
It should be noted that this writer and Mr. Cornell were scheduled to meet 24 hours prior, but the meeting was lost in email translation that caused the interview to be rescheduled for a second meeting the next day. A little “practice what you preach” may be in order here.
Cornell finds himself in a familiar position as he ran for an at-large council seat in 2009 but failed to win the primary. This campaign he has decided to take a different route and run for the seat in District 5, currently held by Trudy Wade, so as not to split votes amongst those politicians running that he supports in other districts.
“I feel that I am in a good position to oppose Trudy Wade,” said Cornell. “A lot of people want her out of office, because of the same old mentality of not listening to the people.”
District 5 encompasses South Bunker Hill Road over to Guilford College Road and includes a predominant part of the Cardinal subdivision, just north of Piedmont Triad Airport. The area is home to many of the affluent in the area as well as Guilford College itself.
Mr. Cornell actually is a permanent resident to the the G58 area which is located around Pinecroft Road. Much father from the integral part of District 5 and its inner-community.
That closeness to Guilford College causes concern for some students, coupled with the police accountability issue that Cornell places at the forefront of his platform.
“I disagree with Cornell’s stance,” said senior Natalie Smith. “I don’t feel as confident any longer in what his platform is. The police issue platform is not for the people. “
The District 5 seat has been filled by Wade for the past four years after she was first elected in 2007. Prior to holding the seat, she was a Guilford County Commissioner for five years. So she has at least nine years additional city government experience than Cornell does.
But does that deter him at all when he speaks of his desire to fill the seat? Not at all.
With the brashness of a college freshman, he leans back in his seat, adjusts his designer shades and fills the air with confidence.
“People should take me very serious,” said Cornell. “What do you have to lose? With Wade you know what you are getting.”
Is this attitude serious or is it one that is just window-dressing for the constituents of District 5? Maybe the candidate has turned over a new leaf and is going to blaze a trail of positivity like never seen before. Maybe is a large word, regardless of how you spell it.
If your concern for the community and its youngsters is first and foremost in your mind, then is holding a city council seat essential to helping change those issues?
It might just entail being a face in the community that you want to change. Getting to know the residents and holding town-hall-type meetings with the community. So that they see more than Gucci shades and a procession of accompanying associates, while hearing all the politically correctness spewed from the mouth of an inexperienced politician saying what he feels he should say.
I understand forgiving a person’s past indiscretions, even when it involves a lengthy police record. But should the residents of District 5 forgive in such a manner that they give the keys of their district to someone with only a political learner’s permit?
“His campaign seems very generic in my opinion,” said Tyrone Joyner, District 5 resident. “In order to be productive you must be consistent.”
That inconsistency is the product of a candidate that lacks the political maturity of his opposition. Sure enough, politicians make promises during their campaign that they do not adhere to. But voters “trust them” and thus win their elected posts.
It would seem to be unconscionable for voters to “trust” a candidate that lacks political experience and also has a gang-affiliated past. But stranger things have happened. In order for government to work a community cannot allow an inexperienced candidate to settle into a council seat. Would you allow an unlicensed driver that has only driven while playing a video game to drive a bus full of elementary children? I think not.
At the end of the day, neither a candidate’s past criminal record nor his affiliation with the Latin Kings and Queens are the ingredients that muddy the waters. It is his lack of experience. Experience is the only trait that will get the job done.
The future of District 5 will begin to take shape when voters head to the polls on October 11 for the municipal primary.
The Guilfordian attempted contact with Mrs. Wade but was told she was “too busy” to respond to a request for a quote or interview on the matter and refused to comment before the publication of this issue.