“We need new leadership in Southside. I will work with anyone, regardless of party, to find creative solutions for the unique problems facing our region,” Otto Wachsmann announcing his candidacy for the House of Delegates
On Tuesday, Republican Otto Wachsmann announced he is running for the 75th District in the Virginia House of Delegates. The district stretches from Sussex County down to the North Carolina border and from the city of Franklin west to include parts of Lunenburg County.
Wachsmann is currently a pharmacist and owner of Stony Creek pharmacy, which has been in his family for more than 50 years. An active member of the community, Wachsmann also served 16 years as a member of the Stony Creek Volunteer Fire Department and is a member of the Joyner Gray Yale Ruritan Club.
As a pharmacist and small business owner, Wachsmann kicked off his campaign with the message of a “new prescription for Southside.” As a longtime resident of the area, he feels the region is being left behind and new leadership is needed for the district.
In a statement, he said he has “watched as businesses close and jobs leave our region, our healthcare system fail our neighbors, with leaders in Richmond more interested in partisan politics than helping rebuild our community.” He said as a pharmacist he sees “on a daily basis the struggle those in our community have with paying for prescriptions and navigating the complex health insurance maze of requirements that even health care provides often do not understand.”
In addressing healthcare, Wachsmann notes the high cost of prescription drugs along with the lack of accessible quality care in rural regions. He believes with his detailed knowledge of the medical field, along with decades of experience working with patients as a local pharmacist, he understands more than most what is needed to tackle these issues.
With a deep understanding of the region, Wachsmann looks to bring fresh ideas and new leadership to an area of Virginia that has continued to see high poverty rates and unemployment. Wachsmann stated, “as a small business owner, I also understand how important it is to promote policies that bring back and keep jobs in Southside.” He continued, “that starts with lowering taxes, eliminating burdensome regulations, and investing in our students to prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.”
On his campaign website, Wachsmann states the need to make Southside an attractive place to open a business as well as working with local governments to identify and bring new businesses into the region. Further, he cites the need to protect agriculture and create a business climate where the industry can thrive.
On top of a struggling local economy and failing healthcare for residents in the region, Wachsmann also sees the need to invest more in the public schools. He pledged to be an advocate for the district’s teachers and help provide them the resources they need in the classroom to ensure students are receiving the best education possible.
“Its problems like these that make so many of us in Southside feel forgotten. While we hear about the rest of the state moving forward, we continue to feel stagnant,” he reiterated, mentioning that as a Delegate he would be committed to working with anyone, regardless of party, to find creative solutions for the unique problems facing the region.
Wachsmann is passionate about the need for a leader in Richmond who will work to finally get Southside moving in the right direction. “We deserve a leader that will put our community ahead of politics,” he said, “it’s time for a new prescription for Southside.”