Tracy Furman
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Tracy Furman ran for election for an at-large seat of the Greensboro City Council in North Carolina. She lost in the general election on July 26, 2022.
Furman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Tracy Furman was born in Columbia, South Carolina. She earned an associate degree from Wake Technical Community College in 1990 and a bachelor's degree from the University of Baltimore in 1997. Her career experience includes working as an executive director and accounting consultant. Furman has been affiliated with the Women's Forum of NC, the Business Professional Women of NC Federation, and the NAACP.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: City elections in Greensboro, North Carolina (2022)
General election
General election for Greensboro City Council At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Greensboro City Council At-large on July 26, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Yvonne Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 25.2 | 19,212 |
| ✔ |  | Marikay Abuzuaiter (Nonpartisan) | 20.1 | 15,359 |
| ✔ | | Hugh Holston (Nonpartisan) | 15.7 | 11,959 |
| Katie Rossabi (Nonpartisan) | 14.9 | 11,406 | |
| Tracy Furman (Nonpartisan)  | 11.9 | 9,104 | |
 | Linda Wilson (Nonpartisan) | 11.5 | 8,783 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 536 | ||
| Total votes: 76,359 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Greensboro City Council At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the primary for Greensboro City Council At-large on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Yvonne Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 25.0 | 23,925 |
| ✔ | | Marikay Abuzuaiter (Nonpartisan) | 16.4 | 15,697 |
| ✔ | | Tracy Furman (Nonpartisan) | 10.3 | 9,820 |
| ✔ | | Hugh Holston (Nonpartisan) | 10.0 | 9,621 |
| ✔ | | Katie Rossabi (Nonpartisan) | 9.8 | 9,404 |
| ✔ | | Linda Wilson (Nonpartisan) | 9.6 | 9,152 |
 | Franca Jalloh (Nonpartisan) | 6.9 | 6,616 | |
 | Melodi Fentress (Nonpartisan) | 5.8 | 5,560 | |
| Dustin Keene (Nonpartisan) | 3.8 | 3,654 | |
| Taffy L. Buchanan (Nonpartisan) | 2.4 | 2,331 | |
| Total votes: 95,780 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tracy Furman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Furman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Greensboro native who attended Grimsley High School. She moved away for college and spent some time in Baltimore and Washington DC before returning to raise her family in 2000. Tracy is a small business owner and Executive Director for Triad Local First, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting locally owned independent businesses. Tracy wants to focus on Jobs, Housing and Transportation as the issues that need to most attention as an At Large City Council person. She is running at large to support all of Greensboro. She is endorsed by Guilford For All and the Guilford County Community PAC.
- We need a person on Council that will bring fresh eyes to the old problems of Greensboro. Our housing crisis is more troubling that ever before and I believe there are solutions for the short and long term that we can achieve. Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to live.
- As new, large corporations move here we need to make sure we have everyone ready for the jobs they bring. We also need to support local businesses that make our community a great place to live. I want to encourage small businesses to choose Greensboro as their place to set up shop.
- With our expected growth we need a public transportation system consistent with our size and population. Our current system does not fit the needs of those using the bus system and the expected growth will only make the problems more apparent. I want to tackle this before it is even worse. New routes, new electric only busses and new standardized stops will make this all work better.
I am a member of the Minimum Standards Housing Commission for Greensboro. I believe everyone should have a safe environment to live. Having affordable and safe housing is a basic need and we need to address this issue on many fronts.
Recycling and water quality are also policies that I am concerned about. Restoring glass recycling to our curb pick up is a necessary first start. We need a new recycling system to ensure what we put in the bins actually gets recycled. Water quality has not been a large problem so far (with the exception of occasional issues) however looking forward this could become a serious health issue for our city. I would like to put plans in place to ensure our water quality remains at least the same if not better.
Municipal office is the closest office that truly affects peoples lives personally. We are entrusted with the economic growth, the housing supply, the quality of the roads, the trash and recycling for every single household and business, and the safety of our entire community. It is a critical part of every day life for every single person living in Greensboro. From our Police Department to our Parks and Recreation Department, we touch every life here. The person holding an At Large position needs to be able to represent the entire city in each of these issues. Every decision will change a life and you most likely will meet that person along the way.
The At Large position as well as the entire Council also make suggestions and request to the state government to make new laws or changes to existing ones that further help the citizens of the city. It is important to allow spaces for citizens to voice their concerns and talk about the issues. It is even more important that the person in City Council listen and represent.
It is equally important for the City Council as a whole to be honest and transparent with citizens when asked why or how a decision was made or a department action was taken.
I appreciate scholars and those who speak the truth, especially when the truth is not pleasant. Justice Stephen Byers is a contemporary that I respect greatly. I think Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Katie Porter are women who really study issues before coming to conclusions. Lastly my favorite founding father is James Madison. He was not a popular president but his work on the constitution as seen in the Federalist Papers shows a deliberation on every aspect of government and how the human condition can cause it to change and function.
There are several North Carolinians to admire as well. Most notably would be State Senator Calvin Graves who's deciding vote allowed for the North Carolina railway to be built from Rocky Mount to Charlotte and then to Asheville. His vote cost him his political career but he knew it was the right thing to do. We need more people in government that are willing to do the right thing even if it means they will not be elected again. That is true leadership.
John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage
Stephen Bryer, Making Our Democracy Work
James Madison, The Federalist Papers
Those are the books that lead me to politics. When it comes to specific issues I do a great deal of reading from both sides of the argument (and sometimes many sides) before coming to a conclusion. I believe that the only way laws and ordinances are sustainable are for collaboration from all sides of the issue to create a solution. I have very progressive ideology but believe the only path to get there on any issue is to meet people where they are and work toward understanding of those progressive ideas.
It's rare but honesty, integrity and ability to follow through on promises.
Second would be the ability to work with everyone to find common ground. Ordinances and laws are only sustainable if everyone has some part of it. Being able to find common ground where it seems there is none is something every elected official should strive for.
I like to reach out to people and find out what concerns them and work toward ways of making their lives better.
If I do not know something I will not "fake til I make it". I will do the homework and find what, why and how it works.
My knowledge of Accounting and government give me a unique perspective on how to manage budgets and find ways to create a city that is safe, and fun and a wonderful place to live for everyone.
The biggest responsibility is to listen to the citizens of Greensboro and act on their concerns. Other responsibilities include understanding and making decisions on the budget. Approving or not approving zoning changes, ensuring the city manager is conducting the business of the city as the council directs as well as the police chief and the city attorney. Lastly appointing citizens to the boards and commissions of the different departments.
Those are the normal course of business for the City Council. The harder work is to work with others on the council to move the city forward, not just maintain. Prepare for changes before they happen and foster growth both economically and culturally.
There are several. I was 4 when Nixon resigned. That was a significant moment that I remember my parents being very upset. Not because they liked him but what that kind of scandal brought to the presidency.
I was 13 when Ronald Reagan was shot. It was so shocking to me that someone would even try to do that.
I was 18 when the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded on it's accent to space. I remember when it happened as I was in my journalism class my Senior year and the teacher sent us to the library to watch the news and report back what happened.
I was 21 when the Berlin Wall came down. That was the most exciting day to see democracy win over communism. I was also wondering how it would happen and what the outcome would be but it was a day filled with hope.
Lastly I was 33 and 8 months pregnant with my youngest child on September 11. I knew then that my children would not grow up in the same world I did. I have done everything for them and my community to make things as normal as I possibly can.
I had a news paper route when I was 9 years old until I was 14. I had to rise at 4 am every single morning, even Christmas, to deliver the morning paper. It taught me how to schedule myself and how to account for money. I had to collect paper subscriptions, give receipts and turn the money into the local paper. It was a very important learning experience. After the first year I took on a second route and expanded my service. I delivered approximately 50 Sunday newspapers and 30 daily papers.
Right now I am reading Adam Grant's book Granted. I don't know that I have a favorite book. There are just too many!!
Jessica Jones - minus the drinking
Second is Elizabeth McCord - not because she is president but because she keeps a very cool head in the most ridiculous situations.
Rusted Root "On My Way"
What I think is not known by most people is the lack of power to make changes to law the City Council actually has. An example would be the request from people for an ordinance for rent control. The Council has no power to do that and has to ask the state for a change to the law.
Another example is release of body-cam footage from police officers or even the ability to discuss it. The state has enacted laws that prevent the City Council from even seeing the footage without consent from a judge. It makes it very hard when an incident has happened to look transparent through the process when information is withheld however there is nothing City Council can do about it. It puts the City Council in a very difficult position.
It is always beneficial to have experience however this level of government, while very important, is not as complicated as a state or federal seat. A minimum requirement should be the attendance of the City Academy 12 week course so some level of understanding all the departments and what they do would be in place before taking office. It is always apparent who has done their homework and who has not.
An understanding of all the departments and services the city of Greensboro offers would be a good start . Additionally understanding the limitations of the Council by the state would keep ordinances from being rejected.
The most important skill is to listen to people and their concerns and figure out how to translate that into ordinances that will help people to live better lives. That is more important than any experience or college education.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
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Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 31, 2022
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