Unaffiliated County Commissioner David Guice Says He Will Not Seek Reelection
Guice, 66, said it is time for retirement, but also cited discouragement in working with the Commission's Republican majority.
BREVARD — David Guice, the lone unaffiliated Transylvania County Commissioner, said this week that he will not run for reelection, ending a 40-year career in elected office and/or public employment.
The primary reason for his decision, said Guice, 66, is that he is just ready to retire.
“When you add up all that time that I’ve given back to the community, I just feel it’s time for me to move on,” said Guice, a father, grandfather and son of an elderly parent.
“It’s just time to spend some time with my family.”
Guice had previously served on the Commission from 2000 to 2008 and was later twice elected as a state representative — all as a Republican.
He left the party in protest of its direction under then-president Donald Trump in 2019 along with Commissioner Page Lemel and Commission Chair Mike Hawkins, both of whom were decisively beaten in the following year’s election.
More recently, Guice has spoken about the Commission’s lack of progress on “easy” issues that have attracted Republican support elsewhere and that, he says, would clearly benefit the county. These include support for small area planning and multi-use trails.
“It’s difficult to want to move ahead when people don’t seem to want to find a solution,” he said. “There’s no question that is a factor” in his decision.
Republican Commissioners, including Larry Chapman, have pushed back on this criticism, saying they are following up on their own — and voters’ — commitment to small-government conservatism.
Guice, who moved to Transylvania as a young probation and parole officer, went on to a long career in the field, rising to a position overseeing juvenile justice and adult corrections statewide.
He will remain in the county, he said, and support non-profits including the SAFE Inc. domestic violence treatment center and the Salvation Army.
Guice said he wanted to make his announcement in advance of the filing period for county offices, which for party-affiliated candidates runs from noon Dec. 6 to noon on Dec. 17.
Unaffiliated candidates may begin collecting signatures after the first of the year, and their petitions are due before the March 8 primary.
Complete filing information will be available shortly on the county’s Board of Elections website. Candidates wishing to announce runs on NewsBeat are encouraged to email brevardnewsbeat@gmail.com.