Sharon Hightower is Proud of Her District 1 Work 

Sharon Hightower has represented District 1 on the Greensboro City Council since 2013. In a recent interview with The Assembly, Hightower addressed some of her past decisions, her vision for housing, thoughts on policing, and more. While the city council race is nonpartisan, Hightower is a registered Democrat.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

For those who may not know, tell us about your background.

I wasn’t born here. I was born down east. I moved here in 1986 because of a family situation. I raised my daughter here. She’s a Dudley High School graduate. Ten years later, I bought a house in District 1. Once I moved here, I loved it. I started looking at the community, and I wanted to get involved.

I formed a neighborhood association. It was one of those things that went from meeting neighbors to creating a community watch. It just evolved from there.

How did you get involved in politics?

I started attending meetings. I had some friends who were actively involved in other communities and saw the work they were doing. And I thought, ‘We can do the same thing over here and get some good things in our community as well.’

One of the major issues we noticed was the closing of Barber Park. I started going to city council meetings. Around that time, [the city] saw the potential for East Greensboro. They started planning Gateway Gardens and Gateway Research Park in 2007. But there was a zoning issue. That was the first eye-opener. It was like they’re wanting to do something over here, and yet we don’t know what it is.

I got a zoning letter, and I began to insist upon community engagement. I was like, ‘Why are you planning things for us but doing it without us?’ So we had a very robust discussion with [N.C. A&T State University, and we established an advisory committee with A&T and [The University of North Carolina Greensboro], and I saw the impact of planning. I started to see the benefits of the community is involved.

You’ve been on council for a while now. One issue that comes up is the relationship between residents and local law enforcement. Recently, there was a controversial traffic stop in which local police pulled over a car of young Black men. What did you think about that incident?

I’m reasonable enough to understand that people need police. I just simply always say, when you come, come with respect. I know you have to do your job, but do it with respect. We also want to be transparent with what they do. I’m just saying there has to be police accountability.

Since that traffic stop, there has been a push from some in the community for written consent for traffic stops. What is your opinion on that?

I do think we need to revisit them. I’d like to see more breakdown of the data. It is concerning to me. I just don’t want these stops to lead to anything tragic. I understand that sometimes you have to make stops because of safety. But it’s something I would absolutely consider as I’m hearing from the community. 

One of the most controversial votes in recent memory was the council’s decision to cap and cover Bingham Park, which is in District 1. You voted to cap and cover as opposed to a full remediation of the site. Can you talk about why you voted that way?

It’s still controversial. I understand the sentiment of the community. I’ve been meeting with them for several years. Full remediation was where I, too, wanted to go. I wanted full remediation, but full remediation is not off the table. If the money fell from the sky, we could get started on full remediation. But in talking to professionals, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, meeting with the EPA, going up to DC, lobbying our state and federal [governments] for funding, it became quite obvious that we weren’t going to get the funding. We could keep asking for funding for 20-30 years, but then where would we be? While we wait to get funding for full remediation, we found an alternative.

Cap and cover allows you to have a passive area to walk through and allows you to develop a nice recreation area. I didn’t want us to sit and not do anything until we got the money to do a full remediation. I looked at it from a practical standpoint. Some of Barber Park that you walk through is cap and cover. That was part of the reason why it closed. We’re going to create great spaces over there. I’m in this community too. I live a mile from Bingham Park. I want to see something good there.

There’s been a lot of talk about housing and how it affects District 1. What are your thoughts when it comes to housing stock?

My vision is to continue what I’ve been doing. Housing is currently being built in East Greensboro in District 1, housing that is attainable for the first-time homebuyer. We want housing to raise the values over here, but not displace people.

I’ve been pushing for stronger code enforcement, not just building new housing. It’s about rehabbing the housing that is here. My vision is to see East Greensboro continue to grow. There’s a lot of good stuff happening in District 1. My vision is to continue on that trajectory of increasing housing and to get those city-owned lots moving. My vision is to uplift District 1 with safe, stable, secure, quality housing products that are attainable for everyone. Everyone needs a roof over their head.

I think we’ve got to build mixed-use, mixed-income. That seems to be a product we have not achieved. We’ve got to get developers to understand how we have to grow these communities. Not just low income but middle income too. I hear the argument that District 1 is saturated with affordable housing, but they’re not all quality. That’s what we have to focus on, too. Is it quality? I don’t apologize for supporting the projects that have come.

Looking back on your tenure thus far, is there anything that you would have done differently?

There was one project recently. It was affordable housing off of Vandalia Road. I supported it initially because I know the developer’s product. They’re local. But in looking back, hearing the community’s concerns, I’m thinking maybe I shouldn’t have supported that. With the area, the traffic concern. Maybe the product was too large. 

What about some of your proudest moments?

I look around District 1, and it’s cleaner than it used to be. One of the biggest things is that people now understand who we are. You don’t get the frowns or the, ‘Oh, it’s just a crime area.’ No, it’s not. It’s a great area.

We’ve increased home ownership. As I ride through District 1, I see activity going on, industry coming. I’m proud to see that the face of East Greensboro is changing. I’d like to think that I am a part of that. I’d like to think I’ve helped create a path to move forward.