I work as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Portuguese at Winston-Salem State University, Department of World Languages and Cultures, and I have been serving as the Interim Chairperson of the Department. I am a native of Brazil.

I moved to North Carolina in 2001 to pursue a PhD in Comparative Literature at UNC. In 2006 I decided to call Greensboro home and took a job at UNCG.

Biography | Couto for the North Carolina Workers

Jeanine Couto is originally from Brazil. She moved to North Carolina in 2001 to pursue a PhD in comparative literature at UNC. She has called Greensboro home since 2006.

Jeanine works as a visiting assistant professor of Portuguese at Winston-Salem State University and serves as interim chairperson of its Department of World Languages and Cultures. She previously worked at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Jeanine is a first-time candidate for political office.

2026 North Carolina General Election

General Approach


Because the county's role in regulating affordability in NC is indirect, the county should lobby the legislature to change it. Under the Dillon rule, counties in North Carolina cannot directly own a business, and NC law provides limited options for controlling prices. Effective permitting enables the county to influence pricing.

Affordability | Couto for the North Carolina Workers

General Approach


Because the county's role in regulating affordability in NC is indirect, the county should lobby the legislature to change it. Under the Dillon rule, counties in North Carolina cannot directly own a business, and NC law provides limited options for controlling prices. Effective permitting enables the county to influence pricing. Guilford can streamline permitting for businesses that endeavor to remain affordable, as monitored by the county based on confirmed reports initiated by the public. Similarly, the county can streamline permitting for businesses that improve competition in the sale of essentials to help constrain costs.

Water
The county’s legal authority to regulate water should be used to ensure that water remains affordable and accessible to all residents, given its essential role in life and health.

c) The County should transition to entirely low- or zero-emissions vehicles, as well as eliminate all diesel buses and replace them with electric buses.
d) In order for our buses to be staffed, County workers (bus drivers included) should be paid a thriving wage of at least $25.00/hr. to mitigate the impacts of staffing shortages.
e) The Guilford County Commission should coordinate with other commissions so that a commuter rail is designed to supplement bus travel and is based on the needs of low-income residents and workers in each municipality.

Environmental Justice | Couto for the North Carolina Workers

Calls for Guilford County to lobby the state legislature for greater authority to address affordability.

Proposes streamlined county permitting for businesses that remain affordable or improve competition in the sale of essentials.

Supports using the county's authority to regulate water to keep it affordable and accessible to residents.

Proposes a minimum $25 hourly wage for county workers, including bus drivers, to address staffing shortages.

- Calls for Guilford County to lobby the state legislature for greater authority to address affordability.
- Proposes streamlined county permitting for businesses that remain affordable or improve competition in the sale of essentials.
- Supports using the county's authority to regulate water to keep it affordable and accessible to residents.
- Proposes a minimum $25 hourly wage for county workers, including bus drivers, to address staffing shortages.

Economy

All people, regardless of who they are or where they come from, should have access to quality education, books, art, culture, and sports facilities. Yet none of these can be enjoyed in the absence of health. The county may be the only source of healthcare for many; it should endeavor to have the state's best health department accessible to all.

Quality of Life and Public Equity | Couto for the North Carolina Workers

b) Road improvements should begin in flood-prone areas of the County that have been historically underserved.
c) Ensure county greenways are expanded and maintained.
e) Increase and prioritize the installation of infrastructure that is meant to mitigate the effects of flooding and act as a filter for runoff from streets and other impervious surfaces.
f) Floodplains should be converted to green space.

Supports access to quality education, books, art, culture, and sports facilities for all residents.

Calls for an accessible county health department serving all residents.

Supports expanding and maintaining county greenways.

- Supports access to quality education, books, art, culture, and sports facilities for all residents.
- Calls for an accessible county health department serving all residents.
- Supports expanding and maintaining county greenways.

Public Services

3.1 Any restrictions imposed by the NCGA on inclusionary zoning should be
challenged. Our commission must be committed to doing what is
right for its citizens and therefore should be willing to challenge restrictive
provisions from the state in court.

Housing | Couto for the North Carolina Workers

1. Progressive Property Tax
a) Guilford county should collaborate with the NCGA to permit greater
county and municipal collaboration for property taxes within county and city limits. The county should push to pass a progressive property tax as follows:

b) Property taxes for properties valued under $250,000 should be lowered by $.07/$100.00 of valuation.
c) Property taxes for properties valued from $250,000 to $350,000 should remain at the current rate of $.3735/$100.00 of valuation.

d) Properties valued over $350,000 should have taxes increased by $.10/$100 of valuation for every $100,000 of valuation over $350,000 up to the maximum allowed by state law.
e) The revenue generated by this new tax structure should be used to address infrastructure needs, build low-cost housing, open health care facilities for the poor and underinsured, and provide housing and assistance for the unhoused of the county.

2. Use county money to build/acquire housing for the unhoused. The county is a property owner, and its property is not just an asset in the inflated housing
market. County government is not an investor seeking profit, and development should be predicated on humanitarian needs. If housing programs, sources of funding or planning restrictions interfere, the county should work around these limitations directly and without delay to prevent homelessness and housing insecurity. Housing should not have any preconditions.

3. Favor zoning requests for developers that ensure that either 20% of all new
housing is set aside as low-income housing (at 30% AMI) or 5% of new housing is given to the county to use for housing purposes. This is the platform position in the absence of legislation mandating these numbers.

4. Housing that sits idle when people are homeless must be discouraged.
Investors that buy houses as speculative properties, with the intent of resale at a profit, are taking housing off the market for indefinite periods. For this
reason, the county should double the property tax on all housing that has been
unoccupied for more than three months. The county will then use proceeds from this tax to acquire and build additional low-income housing.

5. Housing vouchers should be included in the income of prospective tenants in regard to affordability guidelines in all rental applications. Landlords should be fined heavily by the county if they exclude housing vouchers as part of the income requirements for tenants.

6. The county should promote the creation of tenant unions as sources of collective power in negotiations with landlords and property managers. A significant percentage of the population of Guilford county are forced to rent at ever-increasingly high costs, and the city must offer support to ensure these residents are aware of their rights and are treated fairly.

7. AirBnB has the potential to drive up housing prices and lower the availability of housing, as it has already done in other jurisdictions, like New Orleans. Short term rentals should be only allowed in housing in which people live. Empty housing should not be used for short term rentals (e.g. AirBnB).

4. Flooding and Infrastructure


a) The County should offer to purchase properties at premium prices from residents in flood-prone areas, and forbid future development of commercial or residential properties in those areas. Any properties purchased in this manner should be converted to green space.

Calls for challenging North Carolina General Assembly restrictions on inclusionary zoning.

Advocates for a progressive property-tax structure, including lower rates for properties valued under $250,000.

Proposes using revenue from a progressive property tax for infrastructure, low-cost housing, health care facilities, and assistance for unhoused residents.

Proposes using county funds to build or acquire housing for unhoused residents without preconditions.

Favors zoning requests that reserve 20% of new housing for low-income households or provide 5% of units to the county.

Proposes doubling property taxes on housing vacant for more than three months and using the proceeds for low-income housing.

Proposes requiring landlords to count housing vouchers as tenant income and fining landlords who exclude them.

Supports county efforts to promote tenant unions for negotiations with landlords and property managers.

Proposes allowing short-term rentals only in occupied homes and barring their use in empty housing.

Proposes buying properties in flood-prone areas, barring future development there, and converting purchased land to green space.

- Calls for challenging North Carolina General Assembly restrictions on inclusionary zoning.
- Advocates for a progressive property-tax structure, including lower rates for properties valued under $250,000.
- Proposes using revenue from a progressive property tax for infrastructure, low-cost housing, health care facilities, and assistance for unhoused residents.
- Proposes using county funds to build or acquire housing for unhoused residents without preconditions.
- Favors zoning requests that reserve 20% of new housing for low-income households or provide 5% of units to the county.
- Proposes doubling property taxes on housing vacant for more than three months and using the proceeds for low-income housing.
- Proposes requiring landlords to count housing vouchers as tenant income and fining landlords who exclude them.
- Supports county efforts to promote tenant unions for negotiations with landlords and property managers.
- Proposes allowing short-term rentals only in occupied homes and barring their use in empty housing.
- Proposes buying properties in flood-prone areas, barring future development there, and converting purchased land to green space.

Housing & Urban Development

As of September 2, 2026, Jeanine Couto’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Public Safety

3. Increase access to public transit throughout the County.


Public transportation should be free at the point of use.
The County should conduct regular ridership assessments of current bus routes and assessments of areas that currently do not have bus routes to determine whether there is ridership demand in areas of the County that are currently underserved.

Proposes fare-free public transportation, with regular assessments to identify underserved areas needing bus service.

Proposes transitioning county vehicles to low- or zero-emissions models and replacing diesel buses with electric buses.

Calls for coordinating with other commissions to design commuter rail that supplements bus travel and serves low-income residents and workers.

Prioritizes road improvements in historically underserved, flood-prone areas and infrastructure that reduces flooding and filters runoff.

- Proposes fare-free public transportation, with regular assessments to identify underserved areas needing bus service.
- Proposes transitioning county vehicles to low- or zero-emissions models and replacing diesel buses with electric buses.
- Calls for coordinating with other commissions to design commuter rail that supplements bus travel and serves low-income residents and workers.
- Prioritizes road improvements in historically underserved, flood-prone areas and infrastructure that reduces flooding and filters runoff.

Transportation & Infrastructure

Electricity
Electricity is a natural monopoly regulated by the state, so the county does not have direct control over it. However, it does have some direct leverage over the publicly owned utility in the city of High Point and indirect leverage over Duke through county permitting. In addition, the county can streamline solar permitting for homes to create some competition among electricity providers.

Make the County government carbon neutral by 2030.


a)The County must educate residents and developers and collaborate with state legislators, county officials, and nearby municipal officials to place greater emphasis on climate emergency preparedness and to dedicate time, funding, and resources to combating climate change by all means possible.

2. The County should revise the Climate Action Plan to include significantly stronger measures and use it as a resource to educate residents about County-wide initiatives to address the impacts of climate change.

a) The County should reduce building emissions by passing zoning laws that require compliance with sustainable building standards, given that building electricity use accounts for substantial emissions.

2. The County should revise the Climate Action Plan to include significantly stronger measures and use it as a resource to educate residents about County-wide initiatives to address the impacts of climate change.

a) The County should reduce building emissions by passing zoning laws that require compliance with sustainable building standards, given that building electricity use accounts for substantial emissions. Guilford County should be willing to challenge the North Carolina General Assembly, if necessary, to determine whether its limitations on stronger environmental standards for municipalities will hold up in court.

6. All County projects and rezonings should have an environmental assessment done before approval. While density is understandably necessary given North Carolina's rapid population growth, the commission must hold developers accountable to ensure that high-density developments are not built at the expense of the environment.

a) The County commission should reject rezonings that do not include considerations for stormwater impacts, considerations for tree cover, measures of the impacts of urban heat islands and increases to impermeable surfaces, and so on.

Proposes streamlining residential solar permitting to increase competition among electricity providers.

Plans to make county government carbon neutral by 2030.

Proposes strengthening the county Climate Action Plan and requiring sustainable building standards through zoning laws.

Proposes environmental assessments before approval of all county projects and rezonings.

Proposes rejecting rezonings that omit analysis of stormwater, tree cover, urban heat, and surfaces that do not absorb water.

- Proposes streamlining residential solar permitting to increase competition among electricity providers.
- Plans to make county government carbon neutral by 2030.
- Proposes strengthening the county Climate Action Plan and requiring sustainable building standards through zoning laws.
- Proposes environmental assessments before approval of all county projects and rezonings.
- Proposes rejecting rezonings that omit analysis of stormwater, tree cover, urban heat, and surfaces that do not absorb water.

Energy & the Environment

YouTube

Jeanine Couto

- Advocates for a progressive property-tax structure, including lower rates for properties valued under $250,000.
- Proposes using revenue from a progressive property tax for infrastructure, low-cost housing, health care facilities, and assistance for unhoused residents.
- Proposes using county funds to build or acquire housing for unhoused residents without preconditions.
- Favors zoning requests that reserve 20% of new housing for low-income households or provide 5% of units to the county.
- Proposes doubling property taxes on housing vacant for more than three months and using the proceeds for low-income housing.
- Proposes requiring landlords to count housing vouchers as tenant income and fining landlords who exclude them.
- Supports county efforts to promote tenant unions for negotiations with landlords and property managers.
- Proposes allowing short-term rentals only in occupied homes and barring their use in empty housing.
- Proposes buying properties in flood-prone areas, barring future development there, and converting purchased land to green space.

Isaac Brickman

Walter Ley

Derek Mobley

Pat Tillman

- County Commissioners create and pass laws at the county-level. These laws show up in very tangible ways, such as determining how much you pay property and sales tax rates, public transportation, and maintaining infrastructure.
- County Commissioners are responsible for preparing and passing the county budget. The budget determines how much funding goes to various public services, such as public transportation, law enforcement, repairing roads, and maintaining infrastructure.
- County Commissioners oversee the administrative duties of your county’s government to ensure the safety, comfort, and well-being of county residents.
- County Commissioners can create, change, or abolish offices, positions, departments that are not required by law. 
- County Commissioners are elected to 4-year terms, with no term limits. Typically, you only vote for the County Commissioner that represents your county commission district.

Creates new laws and passes the budget for your county.