A crowd of about 50 gathered yesterday at the Crossroad’s Institute in Galax to support Susie Dixon Garner as she [1] officially announced her decision to run for the 5th District House of Delegates in Virginia.

Garner, who is a native of Galax, has the experience and expertise to be an outstanding delegate. She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Emory University in Atlanta, and earned her master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She served 12 years on the Galax City School Board, and currently serves on the boards of Wytheville Community College and the Crossroads Institute. As a professional, Garner is a certified pubic accountant and owns her own accounting firm, Susie Dixon Garner & Co., where she and her husband John have served the Twin County region for many years.

In Garner’s speech yesterday, she stressed the need to enhance economic development through a number of ways, such as infrastructural improvements (water, sewer, power, broadband Internet), properly funded public education, appropriately and financially supported transportation projects, (specifically Highway 58), and incentives for businesses to locate in the 5th District. She also stressed the unique advantage our region has in attracting tourism dollars:

“Nobody’s going to outsource the New River, Whitetop Mountain, or Hungry Mother State Park. We must determine the best way to preserve and enhance these resources while at the same time, use them to our advantage. Tourism, in conjunction with developing new, high-tech jobs and expanding our economy through small entrepreneurial ventures is a formula for success.”

Please support Susie Dixon Garner as her journey to Richmond beings. Stay tuned for more on her campaign, including an offical website!