
WHO IS DAVID?

David grew up in Salisbury, going to kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, and high school. He practiced as a CPA and as a lawyer here before moving to Washington, DC. There, he served US Senator Terry Sanford who was selected as one of the ten best governors of the 20th Century for his bold vision of the future that made North Carolina the most productive southern state. David created a specialty pharmacy and moved it from DC to Salisbury 20 years ago. That business was on the Inc. Magazine list of fastest growing companies in the country for six consecutive years and was selected the best community pharmacy in the United States in its category in 2014.
In 2019, David purchased several buildings in downtown Salisbury, brought them back to life, and used some unused areas to create Caterpillars, an incubator for small businesses.
As a CPA, attorney, business creator, who has worked in government, banking, and managed non-profits, he brings a unique and broad perspective to city government.
He has been on City Council since 2015.
David grew up in Salisbury, going to kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, and high school. He practiced as a CPA and as a lawyer here before moving to Washington, DC. There, he served US Senator Terry Sanford who was selected as one of the ten best governors of the 20th Century for his bold vision of the future that made North Carolina the most productive southern state. David created a specialty pharmacy and moved it from DC to Salisbury 20 years ago. That business was on the Inc. Magazine list of fastest growing companies in the country for six consecutive years and was selected the best community pharmacy in the United States in its category in 2014.
In 2019, David purchased several buildings in downtown Salisbury, brought them back to life, and used some unused areas to create Caterpillars, an incubator for small businesses.
As a CPA, attorney, business creator, who has worked in government, banking, and managed non-profits, he brings a unique and broad perspective to city government.
He has been on City Council since 2015.

EARLY VOTING
Thursday, October 14 through Saturday, October 30
Rowan County Board of Elections at West End Plaza (near Babcock Furniture)
1935 Jake Alexander Blvd. W, Salisbury, NC 28147
Hours
Monday-Friday, 8 am – 7 pm
Saturdays 8 am – 3 pm
Sundays 1 pm – 5 pm
Election Day
Tuesday, November 2, 2019
6:30 am – 7:30 pm
At all municipal precincts
WHAT DAVID HAS DONE
Fixed Fibrant
When first elected, David searched for ways to improve Fibrant. He attended national conferences (at his own expense), met the key people in the industry, followed up with meetings at various locations around the country, invited consultants to Salisbury, and helped drive the city to a solution.
David led the public referendum in which over 80% of voters approved the lease to Hotwire Communications. That partnership has eliminated millions of taxpayer funded operating losses, saved the city taxpayer over $5 millions in equipment replacement costs, and will generate millions in lease revenues.
Separately Elected Mayor
David promoted having a separately elected mayor which was overwhelmingly approved by the voters.
More Convenient City Council Meeting Time
David took action to move city council meetings to a more convenient time for citizens and moved public comment to the beginning of the meeting so that citizens didn’t have to wait for an unspecified time to share their thoughts with city council.
EDC
David is actively engaged with the Economic Development Commission to retain existing companies and attract new businesses to Salisbury and Rowan County.
Kiva
David initiated and guided Salisbury through the process of joining and investing in Kiva, an international program that provides capital to minority businesses. At the time of this election, almost 20 minority businesses are seeking funding, and those that are successful will receive matching funds from the city.
Re-write City Ordinance on Right to Protest
David spent almost two years helping re-write city ordinances balancing the right to protest under the 1st Amendment while preserving public safety. During the difficult days following George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, hundreds of people engaged in protests with minor incident because of the flexibility of the ordinance and the flexibility of law enforcement.
What SALISBURY Needs to do NOW
Hire a great City Manager
Although it’s not the sexiest job, the most critical issue facing city council immediately is selecting a new City Manager to lead the city. The future success and growth of Salisbury is directly related to hiring a knowledgeable, engaged, creative, problem-solving, budget-conscious leader for more than a dozen departments and almost 500 employees.
Continuously improve public safety
Public Safety is job #1 for any government. We must provide our public safety officers with the tools they need to do their job. I’ve supported every “ask” from both the Police and Fire Departments.
Foundations for Police and Fire Departments
I’ve helped create foundations for both the Police and Fire Departments to provide the amenities our public safety officers need and want to show them that we care about them.
Community Policing
When I first ran, I proposed a community policing model. Now, every neighborhood has an officer and every officer has a neighborhood. I helped raise the funds to provide bicycles for police to get them out of their cars an onto the streets with the citizens they serve. No crime is good, but these efforts and terrific leadership have put crime on a downward path for the past few years in Salisbury.
New Fire Station
We must move forward on our new fire station. That will make more citizens safer and cut everyone’s insurance rates.
Budget priorities
Many city departments – including Police, Fire, and Public Works – have salary scales below those of surrounding communities. Our salaries must be competitive so that Salisbury is not a training ground for employees who then seek alternative opportunities. We must
- Pay competitive wages,
- Maintain our $125 Million infrastructure, and
- Balance our budget
We can – and must – do ALL of this without raising taxes through economic development, downtown improvement, development incentives, and housing growth all of which raise the tax base.
Environmentally Friendly Transit
We need to continue to right-size our Transit fleet so that it can be more nimble, serve more neighborhoods and more riders, and be environmentally friendly.
Create a Downtown that is a “Go-To” Destination
Downtown is changing. Bell Tower Green is opening. The Empire Hotel is back into redevelopment. Downtown is being streetscaped to be more traffic and pedestrian friendly.
Some major properties in downtown are now under local ownership and are being improved.
Salisbury has several designated Opportunity Zones. With Downtown poised to generate new development, hopefully more redevelopment dollars will be invested.
CONTACT DAVID
david@davidpost4salisbury.com