Longtime Forsyth Commissioner Dave Plyler to step down, drop re-election bid

Commissioner Dave Plyler, whose smooth baritone voice has been a feature of Forsyth County government meetings for 40 years, is resigning effective June 30 and will not seek re-election.

Plyler was already well-known in the area long before he got into politics. He started on local radio airwaves as a teenager. Among his early broadcast work was covering the Woolworth sit-ins in 1960, a key moment in the Civil Rights movement.

His broadcast career led him to jobs in local radio and television, including a long stint at WXII TV.

Plyler made a failed attempt to win a seat on the Forsyth Board of Commissioners as a Democrat, before winning a seat as a Republican in 1994. His long tenure on the board includes a decade as chairman. 

Now in his 80s, Plyler says the time has come to step down.

"I’m retiring, reluctantly, only because the Good Lord has let me live this long, and he’s saying ‘Don’t do this anymore, Plyer.’ So, I’m hanging it up,” he said.

Plyler filed to run for his seat again but has announced he’s no longer seeking re-election. 

Forsyth County elections director Tim Tsujii says because mail-in ballots have already been sent out, Plyler will remain on the primary ballot. Should he win, it will be up to local Republican Party leaders to pick his replacement.