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Sam and Karen congratulate Billy Joe Kepley on 2006 Election night.
Sam was elected with 15,672 votes
To check 2006 Primary or Election results click on f the
links below to view unofficial results.
2006 Primary Election Summary
2006 Primary Election Detail
2006 Election Summary
2006 Election Detail
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February 11, 2002
Dinner brings out Republican candidates By WILLIAM KEESLER
The Dispatch
DENTON — Saturday night’s Davidson County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner was a coming out, of sorts, for Republican candidates in this year’s elections.Sam Watford of
East Davidson, a paving and utility contractor who serves on the county planning board.
Watford raised some eyebrows Saturday night by distributing cards with a $1 coin attached. “Something for You, Shining and New, In 2002,” the inscription read. The coin was intended not to buy votes but to encourage Republicans to take a card and remember its message, Watford said. “If you’ll look at the tables, you’ll still see a lot of brochures,” Watford said. “But most of ours, people have put them in their pockets".
Ben Watford, the candidate’s brother, said they spent $500 in contributions on the gimmick.
Click here for complete article.
February 19, 2002
Candidates file to run for
office
By CHERRIECE WRIGHT and WILLIAM KEESLER
The Dispatch
The 2002 election season officially kicked off Monday as the Davidson County
Board of Elections opened at noon for candidates to file to run for office. Sam Watford, 49, a paving and utility contractor from
East Davidson who serves on the county planning board. Watford said he is seeking the office because it involves managing people, growth and money, all areas in which he has experience. He said he would like to see forward strides made in education and said he is optimistic about the county’s economic future.
Watford said he wanted residents to know he was serious about his candidacy
and hopes it will show through to residents during the campaign season. “I
bought a new pair of boots for some serious politicking,” Watford said,
joking.
Click here for complete article.
September 11, 2002
Commissioners will see new faces following primary By ERIC FRAZIER
The Dispatch
Republican voters in Tuesday’s primary sent two of the three incumbents
running for re-election to the November ballot. Sam Watford of Thomasville, in his first bid for a commissioner’s seat, was the top vote-getter for the Republicans with 5,450 votes. Watford was endorsed by Sheriff Hege. “I’m new to politics and Sheriff Hege has helped me a whole lot,” Watford said. “You could say I’m taking what we call ‘Politics 101.’” The 49-year-old grading and utilities contractor serves on the county planning and zoning board. Watford’s campaign theme is “less tax is good government, and less government is better government.”
Click here for complete article.
Click here for primary results.
October, 2002
Forum
By Kristen Johnson
The Thomasville Times
For the eight candidates competing for a seat on the Davidson County Board of Commissioners, education and economic development go hand in hand.
Candidates spoke at a forum held Thursday evening in the cafeteria at E.L. Brown Middle School. Each candidate was given four minutes to speak and answer a question randomly assigned to him or her. The last candidate to speak was Republican Sam Watford. Watford said economic development was “without a doubt” a priority for him — but said he felt the “best answer to these tough times is to help the working man in business for himself expand through help with zoning and permitting.” Watford also suggested revising the county’s land-use plan. “Growth around our municipalities is stressing our schools, highways and quality of life,” Watford said. His question dealt with the relationship between city and county fire departments, and whether responses to county schools could be done by the fire departments closest to that school. “There are mutual aid agreements between city and county fire departments,” Watford said. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think those agreements already address the issue.”
Click here for complete article.
October, 2002
Forum
By Kristen Johnson
The Thomasville Times
Several candidates for Davidson County Board of Commissioners were put
on the spot by a group of roughly 50 voters who took the gloves off at Friday
night’s forum. Lexington resident Fred Sink questioned candidates about the recent decision to increase the county’s sales tax one-half cent. “We get taxed more and get the same services,” Sink said. “The people can’t bear more taxation. Would you vote to rescind that extra half-cent if you were elected?”
“It’s supposed to be a temporary half-cent tax,” Republican Sam Watford
said. “If it came to be that we no longer needed the money, I’d vote to
rescind it.” Truell was the only candidate to raise his hand when asked by Arcadia resident Mark Scott if he “really believed” the DCSO under Hege’s administration had reduced crime by 61 percent. As audience members laughed, Watford — another candidate formally endorsed by Hege — raised both hands.
Click here for complete article.
October 23, 2002
Editorial
The Dispatch When you stand in front of the voting machine on Nov. 5, our hope is that you will resist the temptation to leave the voting booth after pressing just one button for a straight ticket. We think this is especially true in the selection of four members of the Davidson County Board of Commissioners from nine candidates.
Our favorites are, in alphabetical order, Watson Gregg, Loretta Martin, Max Walser and Sam Watford. What a terrific board it would be if these four were elected to join the three Republicans who are in the middle of their four-year terms.
Sam Watford, a member of the county planning and zoning board, is a civil engineer with his own construction company. His expertise in economic development matters would be invaluable on the board. He promises to oppose any tax increases and is widely known in Thomasville for his activity in civic organizations. A pilot, he would promote as a favored location our under-promoted county airport if FedEx displaces some private planes in Greensboro.
Click here for complete article.
November 6, 2002
Election Results
By ERIC FRAZIER
The Dispatch
A Democrat will join the Davidson County Board of Commissioners for the first time in 12 years as Max Walser was the leading vote-getter in the race for the four open seats. Walser received 22,924 votes for 14 percent. Republicans took the next three places: Sam Watford came in second with 22,820 votes, followed by Don Truell with 22,444 votes, both at 14 percent and incumbent Cindy Akins with 21,635 for 13 percent. While shaking hands, Walser and Watford acknowledged that the final vote canvass could conceivably reverse their ranking with only 104 votes between them. In an interview afterward, Watford called Walser “a sharp guy” and said he was looking forward to working with him. Asked what he thought the voters’ message was, Watford, 49, a resident of the
East Davidson area, answered, “Change, since the top three vote-getters are not incumbents.” Watford attributed his win to good organization. “I’d like to thank a lot of people who worked hard. Next to the sheriff’s organization, we put together the best organization on the Republican side. “Getting here is the easy part. Living up to voters’ expectations, as well as my own, is the hard part,” Watford added. Watford campaigned on the proposition that “less tax is good government and less government is better government.” He guaranteed that he will not raise taxes. Watford questioned whether incumbents were “playing politics with your money”
by first cutting trash and recycling box site hours over the summer then
reinstating the original schedule shortly before the election. He also
questioned the vote to implement an additional one-half cent local option
sales tax Dec. 1, just before the holiday season. This was Watford’s first run
for elective office.
Click here for complete article.
Click here for election results.
February 23. 2006 12:00AM
Sam Watford files to keep commissioner seat
By ESE ISIORHO
The Dispatch
Unlike many candidates before him, Republican incumbent Sam Watford was
without an entourage as he filed to keep his seat as a Davidson County
commissioner Wednesday.
"It was a rainy day, and I was waiting on a rainy day to file," he joked in
an interview.
The 53-year-old underground water and sewer utility contractor is completing
his first four-year term as commissioner and says he needs more time to make
some changes in the county.
"Even though we've had some successes, the goals that I had hoped to
achieve, especially in the area of economic development in our county, have
not materialized," he said. Watford said if "allowed the opportunity by the citizens" to
serve another term, he will work to ensure that the sewer line project,
which is part of a $66.4 million school bond approved in the November
election, is completed properly and in a timely manner.
Click here for complete article.
GOP candidates make pitch
BY ROBERT COOPER
The Dispatch
Faced with the opportunity to set themselves apart before the May primary,
many Republican candidates ended up striking similar points at a forum in
Abbots Creek Thursday night. Incumbent Sam Watford answered the two questions in the quickest possible
way, saying the biggest challenges for the next term would be "anything
having to do with money." In particular, he mentioned funding the Medicaid
program, which in North Carolina is the burden of individual counties, paying
down the school bond referendum and ensuring every school in the county is
attached to the sewer system by 2010. He promised smart budgeting and his
construction experience would help him tackle the issues.
Click here for complete article.
May 02. 2006 11:22PM
Watford earns top votes; Akins misses the cut
BY ROBERT COOPER
The Dispatch
Voters have selected four Republican commissioner candidates — Sam
Watford, Billy Joe Kepley, Don Truell and Kenny Moore — to square off
against the Democrats in November, leaving behind one incumbent candidate
and several strong contenders.
In Tuesday’s primary election, Sam Watford led the pack with 3,592 votes
(16 percent) with the other candidates following close behind.
Incumbent Cindy Akins came in fifth and won’t return to the board. “I’d like to thank the people that voted for me,” Watford said
Tuesday night at the Davidson County Governmental Center after the results
were announced. “You always try to do the best you can for this
county.” Watford and Kepley embraced amid a crowd of family and supporters.
“I look forward to working with you,” Kepley quietly said to Watford.
Watford, 53, of Thomasville, is one of three incumbents who ran and will
continue on to the November election with fellow incumbent Truell. This is
Watford’s second run for office. He owns a construction company
specializing in underground utility construction.
Click here for complete article.
2006 Primary Election Summary
2006 Primary Election Detail
October 11. 2006 1:00PM
Candidates flock to women's club forum
By ERIC FRAZIER
The Dispatch
Incumbent Republican county commissioner Sam Watford spoke also for fellow
incumbent Don Truell, who as a former Thomasville mayor was playing in the
Mayor's Cup golf tournament.
"I'm sticking with one issue -economic development," Watford said,
promising to continue "aggressive recruitment."
He called it important for the tax base, jobs and to improve the
appearance of the county by filling empty factory buildings.
Click here for complete article.
November 01. 2006 1:00PM
School construction and jobs are on forefront of
commissioners' race
BY GLEN BAITY
The Dispatch
The third single-term commissioner campaigning for another four years on
the board, Watford hopes to win re-election to see sewer service extended
to the remainder of Davidson County. He forecasted the project's
completion for 2010. After the massive layoffs and factory closings over
the past several years, Watford said he'd be reluctant to offer incentives
to a furniture manufacturer, although he noted that Davidson County had
always had a "hands-based" job market. Watford said he couldn't see the
county moving too far afield from that type of labor. Still, he
voiced confidence in the Davidson County workforce. "I think we're
pretty well-qualified to do anything." Like the majority of the
candidates, he concedes that something must be done to help fund new
schools to meet ever-increasing student numbers. But whatever the solution
is, Watford said he's flatly opposed to borrowing money to accomplish it.
"I believe in taking the money you have and doing what you can," he
said. Watford reiterated his displeasure that social issues have begun
appearing on county government agendas. "There's a movement among
politicians to use moral values for their own personal and political
gain," he said. "It has absolutely no business in county government."
Click here for complete article.
November 08. 2006 1:00PM
Kepley, three incumbents give board of commissioners
familiar look
BY GLEN BAITY
The Dispatch
Davidson County voters returned three incumbents and one former
commissioner to the board in the multi-seat plurality contest. Incumbent
Democrat Max Walser lead the field of eight candidates with 17,229 votes
(15 percent). Following closely with 16,519 votes (14 percent) was former
three-term commissioner Billy Joe Kepley, who will return to the seat he
lost by only five votes in the Republican Primary in 2004. Rounding out
the field were incumbent Republicans Don Truell, with 15,795 votes, and
Sam Watford, with 15,672 votes (14 percent each).
Click here for complete article.
2006 Election Summary
2006 Election Detail
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