Photo courtesy of Town of Troutville
By Matt de Simone
After nearly a decade, Troutville will soon have a new mayor later this year. David Horton, who served as the town’s mayor since 2015, recently announced his resignation from the position.
Horton, who has been a resident of Troutville for the last several years, was born and raised in Carroll County. He spent many years working as a firefighter beginning in 1971. Around the time he retired, he moved to Botetourt County working for the county’s Animal Control department for the next 15 years.
Horton took some time out of his day last week to share memories about his time as mayor, beginning with how he came into the position.
“Mayor Bill Rader was the mayor when I moved here,” Horton recalled. “I had lived here about two years, I guess, and there was an opening on Town Council. I can’t remember who mentioned it, but someone said to me that I should run. I did and they voted me in. A few years later, the former mayor moved and council named me acting mayor. And it was that way up until about two weeks ago when I resigned and retired.”
Horton is proud of his time as Troutville’s mayor and some of the things he was able to help provide for the community like the fencing along town park, purchasing a new pickup truck for the water department, and a new speed limit sign that digitally tracks speeds notifying drivers of how fast they’re going. Horton is also particularly proud of painting the Troutville water tank, which he said was a project he helped start two years ago.
Additionally, Horton shared some of the things he loves about the Troutville community.
“It’s a great little community with some great people,” Horton added. “I even came up with the sign at the water department that says, ‘It’s a great little town to live in.’ I know everybody that lives in town. Every time I’ve ran (for mayor), no one ran against me. I don’t know whether that’s good or bad, but I guess they liked what I was doing.”
Horton said that the last couple of years were challenging for him as mayor, which led him to decide to step down. He expressed his excitement for Vice Mayor Laura Bumgardner assuming his duties over the next few months and noted gratitude for Town Clerk Judy Carter who Horton said of Carter, “She’s very knowledgeable and does a great job for the town.”
In closing, Horton wanted to share a few words about his time as mayor, acknowledging the community for their support.
“I want to thank the citizens of Troutville for voting me in and keeping me in,” Horton said. “They’re great people. I love this town.”
