Though Karen Pack's relationship with Polk County goes back a long, long way — longer than most of the candidates seeking a seat on the county commission — it wasn’t until 2022, when the state decided it wanted a slice of her family’s land along highway nine, that she realized that not everything was hunky dory with county politics. While the county commissioners eventually agreed to write to the State Department of Transportation opposing the widening our portion of the highway, the wording of the letter left enough wiggle room for the state to justify plowing ahead without the county’s official support. 
Two years later she added her name to ballot, as a Democrat. 
Of course, her history of community involvement, and her reasons for running for office, are far more complicated than that. In fact, as you’ll hear, she’s done a lot of thinking about the bigger picture surrounding county politics. She told me the full story earlier this month at the Saluda Library.
Resources:
2022 Polk Lore interview
Karen Pack campaign website

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