Fulk, who won the November contest for the Dan River District seat, said she is looking forward to her first term, with plans to focus on economic development.

“I know it’s not good,” she said of the current situation, “but we can’t keep taxing people. I think we can build things up.”

In addition to generating tax revenue, building the economy will lead to job creation, which will give youngsters a reason to stay in the county.

“We’ve lost 1,000 people in a year in Patrick County,” Fulk said of the population decline. “That’s not growth; that’s loss.”

She also plans to focus on the school division.

“We lost a lot of good teachers this year. That doesn’t help our reputation,” she said. “I also want to make sure our school system stays well.”