Candidate Rebecca Rollins King
ANSON COUNTY — Like 14 other candidates with change on their minds this election season, Rebecca Rollins King has also decided to throw her hat into the ring for Wadesboro town council. The list may be long this year for only three available town council seats, but King is confident her ideas are what Wadesboro’s future needs.
“This is not a political move for me, so what I can absolutely promise the town of Wadesboro is what you see, is what you get. I will always think of others’ wants and needs before my own and I will be seated at the table for the only purpose of serving others. I don’t have an agenda, and I feel it may be time for people who have fresh eyes and minds to be a part of Council. I’m just one of us, for all of us,” says King when asked why she wants to run.
She remembers her first and only foray wading into the political pool thus far came when she was only 18 and working as a reporter in Chesterfield, SC.
Recalling the moment when she was first bit by the political bug, King said, “A few months into my first ‘real’ writing job, my editor gave me the assignment of covering the Chesterfield, SC Town Council meeting. I had no clue at the time, but I was eager to prove I could handle anything he gave me. I remember being captivated by the process and it fascinated me following the decisions Council made, the ‘what, where, how, and why’ of what went behind each decision, and the passion people had as they came to represent the public.”
King acknowledges the “bug” has lain dormant inside, though she never forgot how seeing the political process up close once filled her with wonder.
“It planted something in me that hasn’t sprouted until this year, when I made the choice to put my name in the hat. I will never try and sell myself; I will never try and tell you that I am seasoned, that I come with years of experience. I don’t. I am not about politics, I am about people, and how I can help,” said King.
There are three ways she believes she can accomplish helping the people of Wadesboro; “Keep Main Street Alive and Thriving,” “Investing In Our Community’s Future,” and “Resilient Growth.”
Goal number one, to keep Main Street alive and thriving, King said she plans to achieve by strengthening small businesses around town through downtown revitalization, promoting local shopping initiatives, and creating new opportunities to bring people to Wadesboro.
King’s strategy for completing her second goal of investing in Wadesboro’s future, she says, “Will focus on how we can improve the quality of life for residents such as working to expand recreational spaces, strengthening access to health care, housing, and transportation.” She adds, “I will champion smart growth that balances our economic opportunity and the well-being of our citizens so that Wadesboro isn’t a place to drive through, but a place people want to call home.”
Overall, King says she feels hopeful for Wadesboro’s future. She contends the small business community currently thriving in town is unique enough in its own right to draw in tourists.
She says, “We have a variety of small businesses that are unique and reliable. Often, after you visit a shop, you can come back, and the next time you will be treated like family. Town revitalization is important to me, and I feel it would be something we could work together on and make Wadesboro a town that people want to visit. Investing in our small businesses, our local arts, and creating things for our youth to do are extremely important to me. Time and resources spent on the people who call Wadesboro home is where we can put our focus on.”
Putting politics aside, King says she lives in Wadesboro with her husband, Jason and their three children, Ryleigh, Camryn, and Mason.
Acknowledging the list of fellow competitors for town council, fifteen, is lengthy given there are only three seats available, King says she believes aside from her, her daughter’s principal, Kevin Adams, is an excellent choice to fill another Council Seat.
King said, “I cannot express how much of an asset he would be to Wadesboro Town Council, just knowing how the children and staff are treated at WES. The entire team of staff and teachers are absolutely rockstars and go above and beyond.”