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Forsyth commission chair Don Martin to step down next year

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Amy Diaz
/
WFDD
Martin, second from right, pictured at a recent commission meeting.

Forsyth County Board of Commissioners Chair Don Martin won’t seek re-election next year. He made the announcement Monday as the candidate filing period opened.

Martin has served on the commission for more than a decade, after spending 19 years on the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education.

He says he’s stepping aside as he nears his 75th birthday.

“I think that’s the biggest reason it’s time to step back," he says. "I think it’s easy to serve too long.”

Martin says he’s especially proud of his work pushing for a sales tax referendum to boost teacher pay, advancing economic development projects, and the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

His term runs through December 2026.

April Laissle is a senior reporter and editor at WFDD. Her work has been featured on several national news programs and recognized by the Public Media Journalists Association and the Radio Television Digital News Association. Before joining WFDD in 2019, she worked at public radio stations in Ohio and California.