By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY – Susan Cox has been a strong advocate for children for as long as she can remember.
That’s why the Salisbury resident decided to run for the southeast seat on the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education.
“When I told my family that I was going to my file, …. my sister said ‘You’ve been an advocate for children your entire life,’ ” Cox said. “I’m the oldest of five children and they know that I’ve always been in their corner and always will be.”
“I plan to advocate for children in Rowan-Salisbury, that is one of my most important priorities.”
If elected, Cox said she’d like to focus on doing “everything humanly possible” to return control of the school system to the local school board. She said the federal No Child Left Behind Act set public schools back tremendously.
“I’m very passionate about that because I have been a teacher and I have seen the need that exists and have seen how our hands are tied because of federal and state regulations,” she said. “I know that if we had local control we could do a much better job … we know our students, we know our faculty, we know our school system and we can best determine what we need to do for them.”
Cox said she’d also she’s also interested in investigating teacher workload and working conditions.
“I think I have knowledge that maybe teachers would be reluctant to share with school board members,” she said. “And I know because I’ve been here.” Reviewing curriculum would be another top priority for Cox.
Cox said as a retired teacher, parent and concerned resident she could offer a multi-faceted perspective.
“If elected, I intend to approach the position from those angles,” she said. “I want to serve the parents, teachers, principals, students and residents.”
Cox, who will face off against fellow Salisbury resident Dr. Lynn Marsh, said she feels like now was the right time to run.
“My interest was sparked years and years ago, but I had a family, a home, I was a teacher and I was very active in my church,” she said. “I felt at that point in time, my efforts and energy were split enough. I retired a couple of years ago and just thought now is the time to serve in this capacity.”
There are two other open spots on the board.
Incumbent Dr. Jim Emerson will have some competition from newcomers Michael Lambe and Josh Wagner for the east seat.
Connie Johnson, Chuck Hughes, Quentin Woodward Jr. and incumbent Bryce Beard are vying for the Salisbury spot.
Election Day is Nov. 6.

At a glance
Susan Cox
Age: 61
Address: 2410 Hill Top Drive, Salisbury
Phone: 704-856-0569
Email: shill33@carolina.rr.com
Employer: Retired teacher from the Rowan-Salisbury School System, Cannon School, Timber Ridge School and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Education: Bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Tennessee, exceptional children’s certification from Pfeiffer University 
Previous elected office: None
Community involvement: First Reformed Church of Landis, preschool board, board of Christian education, Sunday school secretary former deacon, support local charities by involvement with Rowan Helping Ministries and Relay for Life 
Family: Husband, Daryl; son, Todd