© 2026 Blue Ridge Public Radio
Blue Ridge Mountains banner background
Your source for information and inspiration in Western North Carolina.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Notice - Brief audio interruptions on 88.1 BPR News and 88.1 HD2 BPR Classic while performing maintenance today - Notice

Former Forsyth County Commissioner Dave Plyler has died

Dave Plyler on the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners
Courtesy Forsyth County Government
Former Forsyth Commissioner Dave Plyler

Longtime Forsyth County public servant Dave Plyler has died.

Plyler served on the Board of Commissioners for nearly 30 years and was chairman for ten of those.

When he retired in 2024, the commission passed a proclamation honoring his accomplishments, which include a statewide recognition for being an outstanding county commissioner.

Before working in local government, Plyler served in the United States Air Force and had a lengthy broadcasting career working for local radio and television stations.

In a post on social media, current Commission Chair Don Martin called Plyler a “friend to education, supporter of the arts and his home community of Kernersville.”

"His warm smile and congenial personality brightened many occasions over the years," Martin said. "He will be missed by all who knew him."

The Sheriff’s Office also released a statement, saying Forsyth is a “greater county because of his contributions.”

Amy Diaz began covering education in North Carolina’s Piedmont region and High Country for WFDD in partnership with Report For America in 2022. Before entering the world of public radio, she worked as a local government reporter in Flint, Mich. where she was named the 2021 Rookie Writer of the Year by the Michigan Press Association. Diaz is originally from Florida, where she interned at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and freelanced for the Tampa Bay Times. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of South Florida, but truly got her start in the field in elementary school writing scripts for the morning news. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.