Greensboro City Councilman Zack Matheny confirmed this morning that he will resign his council seat effective Tuesday as part of negotiations for the CEO position with Downtown Greensboro, Inc.
Matheny, who represents District 3 in the northern/central area of the city that includes a portion of downtown, told Triad City Beat in February that he would apply for the job with the downtown booster organization. He will resign his seat on city council effective Tuesday, June 16.
Matheny said he talked to some attorneys and that for negotiations with DGI to go forward, this seemed like the best course of action to avoid a perceived conflict of interest.
He hopes for an announcement about the position “shortly thereafter… But obviously for me to take this step things are going well.”
Matheny doesn’t take his exit from city government lightly.
“If you include the zoning commission and city council, that’s 10 years,” he said. “It’s probably one of the longest jobs I’ve had. It’s a sad but happy time because I think I’m really going to be able to dive deep of service for our community.”
Governing has been a large part of his life, he said, but the position with DGI is too good of an opportunity or him, his family and the community for him to pass it up.
Council will appoint someone to fill out the remainder of his term, he said.
Filing for the fall city council election begins in July. Matheny easily fended off challengers in recent elections, and his departure could draw a crowded field of hopefuls. That is, of course, assuming that SB 36 that would radically alter council’s composition doesn’t pass. Matheny said he expects it will be a packed contest.
Read more about recent changes at Downtown Greensboro Inc. here.
Join the First Amendment Society, a membership that goes directly to funding TCB‘s newsroom.
We believe that reporting can save the world.
The TCB First Amendment Society recognizes the vital role of a free, unfettered press with a bundling of local experiences designed to build community, and unique engagements with our newsroom that will help you understand, and shape, local journalism’s critical role in uplifting the people in our cities.
All revenue goes directly into the newsroom as reporters’ salaries and freelance commissions.
[…] become the president of Downtown Greensboro, Inc. At the time, Matheny cited his role with DGI as a potential conflict of interest and stepped down from council. However, Matheny is still the president of the organization, which […]