State Sen. Linda Garrou, D-Forsyth, announced Tuesday that she will not run for re-election this year, after redistricting moved her home into Republican state Sen. Pete Brunstetter's 31st District.
Garrou, 69, who has been in the state Senate since 1999, said she was "grateful for the support and encouragement" she has received from residents of Winston-Salem over the years.
"It has been my great honor to serve the great people of Winston-Salem," Garrou said in a news release.
Garrou represents N.C. Senate District 32. But after Republicans took control of both houses of the General Assembly last year — and took charge of redistricting — she was drawn into Brunstetter's district.
That district is primarily Republican, and Garrou would have faced a difficult task in challenging Brunstetter.
"I'm going to miss serving with her, because I enjoy serving with her," Brunstetter said Tuesday. "Her reputation was, and is, as a person who can be approached by people from either side of the aisle. You may disagree with Linda on a particular issue, but you always knew you could discuss it with her."
Attempts to reach Garrou on Tuesday evening were not successful. The Senate Democratic Caucus announced her retirement and said Garrou was "a champion for teachers and education." She had served as chief budget writer before the Republican takeover and "fought to protect our universities, community colleges and public schools," the caucus said.
She also played an important role in a number of local issues, including the establishment of state funding for the Institute of Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University, a source of cutting-edge research and a linchpin of Winston-Salem's growing biotechnology sector.
State Rep. Earline Parmon, D-Forsyth, said Garrou "was a voice in the legislature for issues that were important to the county and the city."
Parmon has said she would run for Garrou's seat if Rep. Larry Womble, D-Forsyth, decides not to run for it. Womble is recovering from an auto accident.
Garrou is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the redistricting maps, but a North Carolina court recently ruled that it would not delay the May 8 primary election while that matters works its way through the courts.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement