Working for Rockingham County

A Ruffin native said she believes she can be an asset to Rockingham County and is joining this year’s race for three available commissioner’s seats.

Leanna Lawson said through her background in education and nursing, she can work with the community to make the county a better place.

“I want Rockingham County to be more than just a bedroom community,” she said. “Basically, people sleep here and they work out of town and spend their money out of town. We have to do something to get the young people to stay here. They go to college, leave and they don’t come back. We have to get some jobs for them.”

Lawson said she is very concerned about the health and welfare of citizens in the county. She is active in many committees including the Annie Penn Hospital Foundation Board, Rockingham county Health Department Board of Directors, Reidsville Alliance Board and the Board of Directors at CenterPoint Human Services.

Over the past several months, she said she’s met with various municipal leaders and county employees to find out more about what it takes to be a commissioner and what citizens are concerned about. She said jobs tops the list of needs countywide.

“I think we need to find a way to focus on economic development to see some new jobs come into the area,” she said. “I hope Rockingham County can find a way to create a positive atmosphere for job creation. We have great organizations trying to get jobs in here  , but we’ve got to market our available space. There are great opportunities for developments in the Reidsville Industrial Park, but we have to get others to see it.”

Lawson said she also wants to ensure all citizens have access to a quality education and she wants to maintain the quality of Rockingham County’s public safety programs. A continued focus on protecting the county’s valuable land resources and rivers is also a top priority, she said.

“I think it’s also important to figure out a way for people to know what’s going on,” she said. “Not enough people in Rockingham County are completely informed with what’s going on – not everyone takes the paper. Overall, we’ve got to get more people involved in their community and their governments. We have a lot of people in the county with negative attitudes concerning voting, but they need to realize their vote counts and their voice needs to be heard.”

When asked why she felt running for commissioner was something she wanted to do, Lawson said she simply wanted to help.

“I’ve worked at the polls for many years and even helped various people with their campaigns, and I just felt like I could be an asset for the community,” she said. “I feel I’m qualified because I’m a native of this county and I’ve worked in the community for a long time. I hope if I get elected, I will be a worthy person for the county because I’m committed to service. I’m willing to learn and I want to utilize the right sources to help our county.”

She said her family was excited upon hearing the news that she would run for local office.

“My son thought it was fantastic and my husband said to go for it,” Lawson said. “Everyone is excited and offering their help in any way. The support has been amazing.”

Lawson said she will do her best to be a reliable and approachable person citizens can come to with their concerns or suggestions.

“I will be the very best commissioner I can be and not work for me, but for the good of Rockingham County,” she said.

She is married to Ernest Lawson, who retired from the military with nearly 22 years of service. They have two adult children and five grandchildren. She is a registered nurse with a masters prepared and a retired associate professor from Rockingham Community College.

Lawson also worked as a former occupational health nurse with Cone Mills Corp., American Tobacco and at Annie Penn Hospital. During her husband’s military service, she worked for the U.S. government as a nurse in Frankfurt, Germany.