They say the early bird gets the worm and High Point’s Bruce Davis is hoping the early declarer gets the mayor’s job.

On Tuesday, Feb. 12, Davis became the first candidate to throw his hat in the 2019 ring for the seat currently occupied by High Point Mayor Jay Wagner, who everyone expects to declare his intent to run for reelection later this year.

Davis, a former Guilford County commissioner who runs Kid Appeal Learning Center, said that when he ran for mayor in 2017 he came very close to winning and that inspired him to run again this year.  He said that, with major downtown development and a lot of other projects going on right now, it’s an important time for the city and he would like an opportunity to guide that growth.

“Things are moving at warp speed right now,” Davis said.

Davis also said there also are a lot of challenges the city faces currently and one that really stands out.

“We have to do something about violence,” Davis said.

He said he supports a Cure Violence program for the area and has other strategies as well to help reduce crime in High Point.

Davis said one key benefit he brings to the table is that he used to be a Guilford County commissioner and he knows how to work with that board.  He said the relationship between High Point and Guilford County has really suffered lately and he wants to be part of restoring that.  The two local governments had a massive falling out a year and a half ago when Guilford County chose not to help High Point fund a new downtown stadium.

Davis, who served in the Marine Corps, said he’s a lifelong resident of High Point who loves the city, understands the complexities of government and has the skills to lead it into the future.

Along with running for mayor of High Point in 2017, Davis has run for the state Senate twice and for Congress in both the 13th and the 6th Congressional districts.