Vance County Commissioner Col. Archie Taylor has received The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor that a North Carolina governor can award to an individual for contributions to the state and to his or her local community.
Rep. Frank Sossamon delivered remarks – and a framed certificate – to Taylor during a recent commissioners meeting.
Sossamon cited Taylor’s 28 years of military service and said that career “speaks volumes about his commitment to duty and leadership.”
That service, along with his service since 2012 on the local board of commissioners and other civic and service organizations, sets Taylor apart. Taylor lost a close primary race in March and will leave the board in December.
“His longstanding involvement in economic development initiatives…his strategic vision and proactive approach have played a pivotal role in promoting Vance County, both locally and beyond,” Sossamon said.
Over the years, Taylor has been an ardent supporter of education, the arts, the Boy Scouts. Maria Parham Health, Rotary, his church, just to list a few.
He was named Vance County Citizen of the Year in 2021 and also received the George R. Watkins Citizen of the Year from the Occoneechee Council of the Boy Scouts.
In brief remarks after the presentation, Taylor expressed his surprise and thanks for the honor.
He said he has a plaque on his wall with a quote attributed to Robert F. Kennedy which states “’One man can make a difference and every man should try.’ That’s all I’ve tried to do – make a difference everywhere I’ve been,” he said.
He invited others to join him. “Our county gets better as more and more people get involved.”
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/col-archie-taylor.jpg294560WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2024-10-21 14:16:122024-10-21 21:14:20The Local Skinny! Archie Taylor Receives Order Of The Long Leaf Pine
Vance County Commissioner Archie B. Taylor, Jr. is seeking re-election to his District 2 seat and said he’s interested in helping the county continue to attract economic development, work on public transportation, reduce crime, support education and get a new jail built.
An interview with Taylor aired on Monday’s TownTalk segment as part of WIZS’s ongoing coverage of local contests in the Mar. 5 primary elections. Taylor faces challenger Valencia Perry. Early voting continues through Saturday, Mar. 2.
Taylor, a highly decorated and retired Colonel in the U.S. Army, has been a commissioner for more than a decade and said that he wants to continue to help attract businesses to the county that will provide jobs for high school graduates as well as for college graduates so people who grow up here don’t “run off to Raleigh or Charlotte” for higher paying jobs.
It’s economic development that will bring jobs to the community, he said.
“I’m interested in helping the sheriff build a new jail,” Taylor said, adding that commissioners are looking for “north of $30 million” to make that a reality.
Public transportation is an issue that Taylor also supports. As a member of the KARTS board, he said he hopes to continue to increase public transportation throughout the county.
He, along with others, are awaiting the release of the county fire study. “I certainly am interested in seeing what the fire study will say about our fire station,” he said. “We are blessed in this county to have something that many in this state envy – we have a county-owned, fully paid fire department,” he said. “It’s extremely important for us to maintain a fully paid station that is reporting to the county and is on the county payroll. I think our study is going to support that.”
He applauded the efforts of McGregor Hall and its contributions of not only culture, but revenue to the city and county. He said he would like to see the city and county return the favor by providing some form of financial support to the entertainment venue.
The current project to create a men’s shelter in the former City Road Methodist Church building is something that Taylor is watching with interest, too. He thanked N.C. Sen. Lisa Barnes and N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon for their help in getting $150,000 toward the transformation.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Vote-560x264-1.jpg294560Laura Gabelhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngLaura Gabel2024-02-19 13:23:032024-02-19 18:39:36TownTalk: County Commissioner Candidate Archie Taylor
Archie Taylor, Jr., the incumbent for the District 2 seat of the Vance County Board of Commissioners, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Tuesday at 11 a.m.
Taylor, a Democrat, is running against challenger Michael Fisher for the seat. Filing after the primary election, Fisher, a Democrat, said in an earlier interview with WIZS that he was required to run as an unaffiliated candidate and petition for voter signatures in order to add his name to the November 2020 General Election.
A retired military officer and businessman, Taylor was elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2012. He served as Chairman of the Board in 2015 and 2019 and currently serves on the Vance County Public Safety Committee.
Taylor also serves on the Board of Directors for the Vance County Department of Social Services, Maria Parham Health, McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center, Vance County Public Schools Foundation and Occoneechee Council: Boy Scouts of America.
Below is a portion of Taylor’s responses to questions asked during the Town Talk interview:
Archie Taylor, Jr., the incumbent for the District 2 seat of the Vance County Board of Commissioners. (Photo courtesy County of Vance)
Q: What does a vote for Archie Taylor mean for the future of the Vance County Fire Department, fire districts and Vance County Rescue Squad?
A: I am a strong proponent of the Vance County Fire Department; they have served the county well for over 60 years.
Now we have this element inside of the Rescue Squad – along with some others in our community- who would disband the Vance County Fire Department. Instead of eight volunteer fire departments, there would be nine because they would get rid of the Vance County Fire Department, distribute its employees and have the Rescue Squad take over firefighting in the county. I think that is absolutely a huge mistake for our county.
Mine has been the primary voice, largest voice, loudest voice of making sure we keep our Vance County Fire Department as is and build a model around something else. That’s one of the biggest differences between me and my opponent.
A vote for me is a vote to keep the Vance County Fire Department intact.
Q: How does your platform address areas of growth and concern in the community?
A: When citizens in District 2 call on me for assistance, I jump right on it and do my best to help them, whether its finding grant money to have water lines installed or cleanup of dilapidated houses in the area.
I was able to get Carver School a multi-purpose room when it was the only school in the county that didn’t have one. I was also able to help Middleburg Steakhouse reopen and am proud of the Board’s involvement in the opening of the new Vance County Animal Shelter.
Right now, I’m working on helping bring broadband internet access to our county. We [the Board of Commissioners] looked at several options and explored the most cost-effective means. We found Open Broadband to be the best solution for us. It not only provides the installation of internet throughout our county but is also good for our citizens in terms of what they’ll have to pay.
Q: What is your stance as far as using taxpayer money to fund areas such as the Vance County Rescue Squad and the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center?
A: I question why Vance County pays over $100,000 for rescue work. As pointed out in The Daily Dispatch recently, Granville County has $20,000; Franklin has $40,000; Warren has zero dollars allocated to rescue, and yet Vance County has over $102,000. So, I’ve questioned that for six months or so, and I guess we will come to some resolution on that.
McGregor Hall is a very important part of our county’s economic development; it brings our community over $2 million in revenue every year based on a study done by NC State University. We are very fortunate to have a facility of its type.
McGregor Hall is one of the only performing arts centers of its kind in the state that gets no public money at this time. I think it’s important that we figure out some way to help McGregor Hall because it provides a big economic impact to our community, and we want big economic impacts.
To hear the interview in its entirety, including additional questions and responses, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.
(This is not a paid political advertisement. Political candidates are offered equal air time/coverage on WIZS.)
