FORMER GASTON COUNTY BOARD CHAIRMAN DAVID C. BEAM DIES AT 91

GASTONIA, N.C. – Former Gaston County Commissioner David C. Beam, who served from 1980 to 1988, died this week at the age of 91.

Beam served as vice-chairman and then chairman for six of his eight years on the board, representing the Cherryville Township. Beam was in the chairman’s role when longtime county attorney Charles Moore was hired as the county’s full-time attorney in 1986.

“Mr. Beam was a gentleman in every respect. He was elected in a partisan election, but he did not act as a partisan in conducting the County’s business,” said Moore, who retired as County Attorney in 2020. “He was always seeking a path that would make Gaston a better place for every citizen, no matter how they voted. He continued doing that even after he left public office. Elected officials would do well to model his methods.”

During his time as chairman, Beam oversaw several critical projects, including the development of a new solid waste management plan and opening of the current Gaston County Landfill north of Dallas in 1986; the multi-year savings plan that led to the construction of Gaston County’s Public Health building on Hudson Boulevard; and addressing financing questions to expand water and sewer line connections between various cities and towns, which was critical to future industrial, commercial and residential growth.

Phil Hinley, who served as County Manager from 1980 to 2001, called Beam “a man of vision,” who was willing to tackle hard subjects.

“He was chair of the Gaston County Commission when Gaston implemented countywide zoning. It doesn’t sound like much but at the time it was explosive,” Hinley said. “The night of the vote, the commissioners and their families received death threats. I had to station plainclothes and uniformed police around the courthouse.

“David wanted the county to grow in an orderly fashion, and he felt zoning was the way to do it. At the time, Gaston was the largest county in population not to have zoning in the state of North Carolina.”

Hinley said Beam also led construction of a new county jail, but perhaps most importantly, made the county save money every year to pay for the construction of the new Public Health facility on Hudson Boulevard.

“That was the only county building that was ever paid for before it was occupied by employees,” Hinley said.

Beam worked for decades in the financial services industry, rising through the ranks to eventually become president and CEO of Cherryville Federal Savings and Loan. Upon leaving the board after two terms in 1988, his colleagues commended him for his strong sense of fiscal responsibility and willingness to address some of the county’s long-standing issues.

“We stand on the shoulders of those who come before us,” current Gaston County Board of Commissioners Chairman Chad Brown said. “Mr. Beam was a great example of steady leadership and putting a passion for service into action. I am grateful for his willingness to make Gaston County a better place, and we mourn today with his family and friends for their loss.”