Guilford County Commissioner James Upchurch has had an interesting and tumultuous three years on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, so it’s only fitting that his service on the board end in a surprising way.
On Monday, Oct. 2, Upchurch, announced that he is resigning from his District 6 seat on the board.
His resignation will be effective at midnight on Oct. 2.
Upchurch won a seat on the Board of Commissioners in 2020 running as a Democrat. However, after a year on the board, he changed his party affiliation to Republican, due to what he called excessive and unnecessary spending by the Democrats. He cited other disagreements with the Democratic Party as well.
Commissioner Upchurch did not immediately respond to calls from the Rhino Times. However, according to a press release sent out at noon on Oct. 2, he “has accepted an opportunity in another state and will no longer be able to complete his term as Commissioner.
Upchurch was also running in the Republican primary to become state auditor.
He had already told the Rhino Times earlier this year that he did not plan to seek another term on the Board of Commissioners.
In a prepared statement, Upchurch said, “It has been an honor to represent my hometown as their County Commissioner and be a part of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. When I ran for office, I made a commitment to make our county more transparent, support our schools, establish a livable wage for our county employees and create an environment that supported High Point. In response, I led the efforts to create the communications department. That allowed us to stream meetings on social media and host town halls through the county such as the budget town halls this year. Our board put a school bond on the ballot, and the voters approved it. We implemented a pay plan for employees and established a $15 minimum hourly wage. High Point has received more support than ever before from the county, including receiving $7 Million from the county to support the catalyst project.”
Upchurch went on to say that he was proud of the things he and the board had been able to accomplish in the past three years. He also said that he had greatly enjoyed advocating for the betterment of the community and Guilford County.
“Guilford County is my home,” he said. “I’ll be back regularly and look forward to seeing all the great things that are yet to come.”
Special election to fill the seat — or — County chair appoints and R or D? Pays $45,000 a year untl Nov. 2024???
This should be interesting !!
Talk about commitment issues… This fecker has apparently quit everything he’s ever tried, or am I missing something?
Yep, you’re missing the idea that he’s playing politics for some sort of gain, whether it’s financial or social (perceived) he sees something for himself in each move he makes. It is obvious he does not make changes for the good of the community he purports to serve.
You’re absolutely right and I’m happy to see him leave.
You are right, Just Sayin. Good riddance. He doesn’t seem to keep his word on anything.
Just as well. Most likely, he would not have been reelected.