New commissioner makes history
Oct. 20—GUILFORD COUNTY — New Guilford County Commissioner Brandon Gray broke another barrier in local politics when he took his oath of office Thursday night.
Gray becomes the first openly LGBT commissioner to serve on the board. At its meeting the Guilford County Board of Commissioners approved the nomination of Gray, who was picked unanimously Monday night by his fellow Democrats in District 6 to become a commissioner.
Prior to taking his oath of office, Gray told The High Point Enterprise that his appointment as a commissioner "shows how far we have come as a society."
But considering communities in other parts of the country are passing anti-LGBT laws, his selection as a commissioner is a positive statement about Guilford County, Gray told The Enterprise.
Gray was sworn in by Guilford County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Reese, who made history herself when she was named the county's first openly LGBT Superior Court judge following her appointment by Gov. Roy Cooper in October of last year.
Gray got a standing ovation after taking the oath with members of his family by his side.
Gray will fill the unexpired term of former commissioner James Upchurch, who resigned Oct. 2 to take a job out of state. Upchurch switched from a Democrat to Republican in December 2021 citing his disillusionment with the board's Democratic leadership. But the Guilford County Democratic Party got to fill the opening because Upchurch was nominated as a Democrat when he won the seat in the 2020 general election.
Gray gives Democrats a 7-2 advantage on the board.
Gray, 28, is a Democratic Party activist and small business owner who lives in western Greensboro. He announced this past March that he would run for the District 6 seat in the 2024 elections.
Gray will serve in the unexpired term through December 2024. District 6 covers north High Point, western Greensboro and southwestern Guilford County.
In other business during an afternoon work session prior to the evening meeting, county staff updated the commissioners on a series of capital projects. The county has $55 million in active project work outside of projects for Guilford County Schools, amounting to 55 active projects and 10 more projects in the pipeline.
County Manager Michael Halford said that in his 30-year career in local government management he's never seen the level of projects undertaken by one government entity.
Among the projects in High Point are work at the jail to waterproof the building and on the generator, roof and HVAC system and renovation of the courthouse interior. The county also is in the process of upgrading the parking deck downtown near the courthouse.
A consultant told the commissioners as part of a facility and space master plan presented at the work session that the average age of a county building is 42 years. In downtown High Point five county buildings cover nearly 400,000 square feet, the consultant reported.
The commissioners also received an update on the status of bond sales for the start of $2 billion in projects meant to transform the county's public schools for decades to come. The county has issued $120 million so far and plans to issue $180 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year. But the issuance will balloon to $570 million for the following fiscal year as new school construction and renovations of school buildings escalate.
County staff told the commissioners that the county is on schedule to set aside tax revenue to pay for the obligations.
pjohnson@hpenews.com — @HPEPaul — 336-888-3528
