WATAUGA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, District #2
PAY ATTENTION: Only those voters living in Commissioner District #2 will see this race on their ballots. To find out if this race will appear on your ballot, go here: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/ Fill in at least your first and last name and county and submit. Then click on your name. Then scroll down to the category “Your Sample Ballot.” Click on the ballot for the March 3rd primary, and it will show if you are eligible to vote in this race.
NOTE: Candidates are presented in the order they will appear on your ballot. You may vote for one. The top vote getter in the March primary will advance to the November election.
I present candidate snapshots below but encourage you to read the candidates’ complete and unedited Pam’s Picks Questionnaire responses in full before deciding who you support. There is a direct link to those responses under each candidate snapshot.
Reason for my Endorsement: District #2 voters should be honored to have two such quality candidates to run for this seat. Russell has served as a progressive county commissioner and as a state legislator. He is by far better known than Luther in the community and the clear front runner for the primary win. Luther is a highly qualified first-time candidate with a doggedness and vision and smarts that knock my socks off.
I have been surprised by the occasional misinformed gossip ginned up about this race — anger that Russell is even having to run a primary, anger that he has a comparatively unknown challenger, and that there was some kind of “set-up.” Seriously? Alleged conspiracies are at best a counter-productive strategy. Spreading unfounded accusations does neither candidate any favors.
And since when did progressives decide that primaries were a bad thing anyway? Why are progressives resentful or angry about the opportunity to make a personal choice between two strong and qualified candidates? Shouldn’t we be celebrating them both instead? Primaries are a good thing. Primaries are where real change happens. Primaries are our opportunity to shape not only the present, but the future we’re trying to build forward.
I have tried to put all that gossip and innuendo aside and have seriously struggled (lost sleep in fact) considering my endorsement for this seat. I know Ray Russell well. His list of accomplishments both as a legislator and a county commissioner are impressive. We even joined forces when Russell, at the time a sitting commissioner, was himself a victim of Sen. Hise’s partisan gerrymander. If not for Russell there would not have been a referendum put before the voters to counteract the Ralph Hise targeted gerrymander of the County Commission, and Russell and I worked together for over a year to find a law firm to file the lawsuit to uphold the redistricting referendum that was approved by every one of the County’s precincts and with over 70% of Watauga voters in 2024.
But I am not an “Establishment Democrat,” never have been, never will be. I’ve always believed that progress comes from inviting new voices to the table. Real progress doesn’t come from waiting your turn. It comes from stepping up. For over two decades, I’ve made it my #1 priority to help and train young progressives trying to step into service and leadership – to challenge old assumptions, to commit to the long-term work of running for office and governing, and to take responsibility for the future they will inherit.
Young progressives are living the consequences of today’s policies right now—raising a family, navigating schools, housing, and many living paycheck to paycheck (if they’re lucky enough to find a job). That perspective matters when decisions made will shape the county and country for the next 20–40 years. I have celebrated and supported talented young progressives who are curious, evidence-driven, and willing to question assumptions that no longer serve us. And we currently face challenges that I believe demand new thinking, long-term accountability, and leaders who will live with the consequences of today’s decisions for decades.
The Conservatives get that. Why don’t Progressives? Whichever of these two candidates wins the primary, he will face off against a 37 year old Republican in the November election.
Russell brings an impressive, strong, commendable record and experience. Experience always matters, but it’s not the only consideration. Instead, I believe this primary is the moment to choose where we want to go next. And, as I discuss in “My Take on this Year’s Election,” I believe the moment has changed.
This election is about what kind of experience we need now, and it’s not every day you meet a progressive, young candidate like Luther who brings the tools, drive, energy, intelligence, and creativity to build the county’s future, and not just manage what already exists or has been decided. His answers to the questionnaire demonstrate a clearheaded perspective with new and creative approaches and the commitment to build a county that works for families today and for the hard work ahead. It’s his time now, and he’s ready.
My decision was not made lightly. Yours shouldn’t be either. Good progressives can respectfully disagree. Some of us will weigh certain qualities higher than others. Even my husband and best friend have taken me to task over past, and likely present, endorsements, and that’s okay. Having said that, both candidates took a lot of time answering the questions thoughtfully and in detail, so the least you can do before casting your own ballot is to take the time to read them both.
Ray Russell
https://www.facebook.com/ray.russell.7
You can read Russell’s Pam’s Picks Questionnaire responses HERE.
Read Russell’s professional biography HERE.
See a list of Bills that Russell sponsored as a State Legislator HERE.
Russell and his family have lived in Watauga County for 35 years. He has a bachelor’s degree from Freed-Hardeman University, a master’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Memphis, and a Ph.D in Computer Science from Georgia Tech. Russell spent 30 years as a computer science professor at Appalachian State University and founded the popular RaysWeather.com in 2000. He served one term in the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2018 and was then appointed to serve out John Welch’s unexpired term on the Watauga Board of Commissioners, serving on the Board from 2022 to 2024.
Following is a snapshot of Russell’s questionnaire responses
I encourage you to read Russell’s full and unedited answers by clicking this link
Russell says he is running for the Watauga County Board of Commissioners now because “Government cannot solve every problem. But good government has a responsibility to act when inaction makes things worse. It must know when to lead, when to partner, and when to step back. My approach is practical and people-centered: use evidence instead of slogans, focus on outcomes instead of ideology, and make hard choices based on values rather than convenience.”
When asked how he planned to plan to bring a different and important perspective to the County Commission for District #2, Russell says:
While arguing that the County’s budget is already “lean,” Russell says if required to cut one specific item in the current budget, he would consider the new special appropriation for the Watauga Heritage Museum: “It may be a worthwhile cultural project, but it is not a core county responsibility. At the same time, the board reduced funding for Hospitality House, which provides essential services to people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. It was a choice of programs over people, the wrong choice.”
Russell says that if elected and serving as a minority party on the Board, “that does not mean serving without influence.” When asked to name two instances in which he would have voted differently from the current Republican Board, Russell answered:
- “I would have voted differently on the decision to cut the county’s $10,000 allocation to Hospitality House.”
- “I would have taken a different approach to workforce housing.” According to Russell, the previous Board had moved forward with a workforce housing study which produced “a viable three-phase concept with both rental units and affordable homeownership, largely supported by federal grants. The remaining challenge was securing roughly $12 million in local or partner funding. At that point, the effort stalled. I would not have walked away.”
In response to what two or more issues Russell, if elected, would commit to placing on the Board’s agenda within the first few months of taking office and for which he would commit to motion for a full vote of the Board, Russell answered:
The Retreat at Boone is the second large housing development to locate out of the Town of Boone and dig private water wells and septic systems to serve many hundreds of renters. When asked what action, if any, Russell thought the County should consider to regulate similar high impact housing development strategies in the County, his response was that under NC law, a developer has the right to rely on private wells and septic systems and that those rights should be respected. However:
NC counties can choose to distribute sales tax money to municipalities either on an “ad valorem” (based on property values) or “per capita” (based on population) formula. Years ago the Board of Commissioners in Watauga County switched from a “per capita” to ad valorum” formula. When asked if the county should switch back to “per capita,” Russell responded:
Russell further explains he believes Board members are not effective when putting motions forward that have no chance to succeed:
When asked if he would support a comprehensive land-use plan to guide County development to include recommended locations for workforce housing, environmental protections, and/or public facilities in the Country, Russell replied: “A comprehensive land-use plan of the type implied in this question has a snowball’s chance in hell of being adopted by a Republican majority that will be in control for the foreseeable future… At the same time, doing nothing is not a plan.” Russell acknowledges, however, that the County needs to address “developing deeper into valleys and steep terrain,” “farmland loss,” and environmental protection.
Regarding the County’s shortfall in childcare availability, Russell says he brought the relevant parties together to conduct the study that identified the shortfall: “Any proposal for a county-run childcare system would raise conservative alarm bells immediately and would be dead on arrival…. I would support setting aside county funds—administered through the Chamber of Commerce—to provide competitive grants to childcare providers for the explicit purpose of expanding capacity.”
Russell says one of the most important environmental issues right now are the result of Hurricane Helene, especially in regard to damaged river and stream banks. He also asserts that affordable housing and transportation are the single biggest environmental challenges: “Roughly 6,000 people commute into Boone from outside the county each workday…. If we built enough housing to allow those workers to eliminate long commutes and instead use AppalCART or drive short local trips, the county could roughly 36,000 to 38,000 metric tons of carbon emissions per year.” Russell would also like to see the County get out in front of potential data centers because of their massive electrical and water usage: “The County should adopt high- impact industry standards that make data centers infeasible here.”
Russell fleshes out other environmental concerns that the county can address directly or in partnership with other agencies in his questionnaire, including, but not limited to addressing failing septic systems, better stormwater management, protecting forest and tree canopies, illegal dumping enforcement, and water source protections.
David Luther
http://www.davidforwatauga.com
https://www.instagram.com/davidforwatauga
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580866330060
You can read Luther’s Pam’s Picks Questionnaire responses HERE.
Luther is 38 years old and lives with his wife and young son in the New River 3 precinct. He is a Deep Gap volunteer firefighter and EMT, Army veteran, member of nonprofit and town boards, and a new father. He works as a marketing director for a financial technology company, where he manages “complex projects, multimillion-dollar budgets, and cross-functional teams.” He serves on the Boone Board of Adjustment and as a board member of Hospitality House and has campaigned in support of a “Tenant’s Bill of Rights” for Watauga County: “…my MBA work has sharpened how I think about finance, operations, and organizational decision-making. The private sector doesn’t always map onto local government, but ‘accountability’ shouldn’t be a slogan for either — it’s whether the work got done and whether it moved the numbers.”
Following is a snapshot of Luther’s questionnaire responses
I encourage you to read Luther’s full and unedited answers by clicking this link
Luther says he’s running for County Commissioner because:
If elected, Luther promises to immediately prioritize a Minimum Housing Code, Childcare as infrastructure, and teacher and firefighter retention supplements and school improvements: “When commissioners discuss housing costs or workforce retention, I’m not reading about abstractions. I’ve lived them.”
District 2 includes most of Boone and its suburbs and parts of Deep Gap. About the district he would represent if elected, Luther says: “I don’t just see reports about housing affordability — I see the human cost when housing becomes an investment rather than a human necessity. I see how quickly a family can fall from “stable” to “stuck,” and how hard it is to climb back out when rents rise faster than wages. I live here, I serve here, and I know what growth looks like when it hits roads, response times, and housing costs.”
Luther says he toured the WCSO building with Sheriff Hagaman to better understand their needs. He said the Sheriff told him his priorities were “interventions addressing substance use and mental health that drive recidivism, along with maintaining and improving the existing facility. As a result of that meeting, Luther said if had to eliminate or substantially reduce one line item in Watauga County’s budget, he would cut “the (County’s) recurring $100,000/year capital improvement set-aside — $100,000 a year for six years — for “Law Enforcement Center Future Expansion” by $50,000 and allocate existing and future funds to a Watauga County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) needs assessment.” Luther says he “would then redirect that $50,000 into measurable mental health and substance use crisis response programs that reduce repeat calls and let deputies focus on crime and public safety.”
The Pam’s Picks questionnaire asked the candidates to identify two decisions in which they would have voted differently from the current all Republican Board. Luther said he would have voted “no” on the Commissioners’ passage of the November 2025th “Ordinance to Regulate Solicitation.” because “government must be careful when it regulates speech in public spaces.”He would have also voted “no” The FY 2025–26 budget priorities: “There’s too little housing stability capacity for the scale of the problem. The Board adopted a budget in June 2025 with a net total of $136.9 million. Meanwhile, the Capital Improvement Program shows Workforce Housing funded at $50,000, the same level as Commerce Park improvements.”
If elected in November each candidate was asked to identify two or more issues he would commit to placing on the Board’s agenda within the first few months of taking office and for which he would commit to motion for a full vote of the Board. Luther said he would (1) Adopt a county Minimum Housing Code: “North Carolina law explicitly authorizes local governments to adopt minimum housing codes to address dwellings unfit for human habitation, with a defined enforcement structure in the general statutes…. This is a “do the job we were elected to do” issue. “ and (2) A Retention package: “A supplement strategy with clear targets: vacancy rate goals, turnover goals, and a transparent method for reviewing supplements annually” with quarterly public reporting.
According to Luther, developments like the Cottages of Boone and The Retreat choosing wells and on-site septic instead of annexation and municipal connections “represents a strategy to avoid annexation requirements and the accountability that comes with them:”
Luther adds that the county’s role isn’t to rewrite state rules, it’s to use the tools the County does control like “development conditions where legally available, coordination with AppHealthCare, monitoring expectations, and financial assurances so the public isn’t left holding the bag.”
NC counties can choose to distribute sales tax money to municipalities either on an “ad valorem” (based on property values) or “per capita” (based on population) formula. Years ago the Board of Commissioners in Watauga County switched from a “per capita” to ad valorum” formula. When asked if the county should switch back to “per capita,” Luther responded “yes.” He would revisit the sales tax distribution with what he described as a serious, public analysis and put a motion before the board for a vote to take the distribution back to a “per capita” formula.
Luther further notes that Watauga commissioner districts #1 and #2 generate most of the sales tax in the County “but a disproportionate amount of that revenue goes to sparsely populated areas with expensive homes and costly views:”
Luther supports the development of a comprehensive land-use plan to guide County development to include recommended locations for workforce housing, environmental protections, and/or public facilities: “Watauga needs a comprehensive land-use plan, even if the county doesn’t adopt full zoning, to protect our community’s people and property values from external extraction. It’s our last line of defense against outside interests who will do anything to the land we cherish in order to turn a profit at the community’s expense:”
Luther notes that State law explicitly authorizes comprehensive land-use plans and describes their purpose as “guiding the present and future physical, social, and economic development of the jurisdiction.”
Luther would support a county-funded childcare program and/or county-funded subsidy program to address the County’s shortfall in childcare opportunities: “Childcare is economic infrastructure and a key component of quality of life, and I strongly support county investment.” He says the County’s childcare study documents not only the number additional licensed and after school childcare seats needed in the County, but also their affordability pressure on families:
Luther says the protection of the County’s waterways is paramount because these waterways are where we get out drinking water, they affect property values, and support the outdoor economy that draws people to Watauga County. He promises to deliver on “protective planning — buffers, steep slope considerations, runoff impacts — in the county’s land-use planning and capital strategy, fund monitoring and early warning work, require strong coordination with AppHealthCare Environmental Health, and push enforceable monitoring and maintenance expectations where legally available.”