After over 20 years of serving in the State House, Verla Insko announced her retirement on September 15, as she will not run for reelection when her current term ends on December 31, 2022.
One of the longest running Democratic members of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Insko has been a state representative since 1997.
Insko said that she has worked to better the lives of North Carolinains and has fought for many progressive changes.
“I believe that the purpose of the government is to make sure that not just society works, but that it works for everyone,” she said.
Insko was inspired to get into politics after moving to North Carolina from Hawaii and seeing the shape the state’s education system was in.
“There wasn’t even kindergarten when we moved here,” Insko said.
Insko decided to run for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) Board of Education after being recruited by several other parents, who also wanted to better their children’s education. She was a part of the CHCCS board for eight years before earning a spot on the Orange County Board of Commissioners. Once she was on the Board of Commissioners, Insko said she realized she could do more in the General Assembly, which led her to run for office.
Throughout her career, Insko has been an advocate for health care, climate change awareness, public education and civil rights. Even though Insko dealt with several important issues, she felt most passionate about her work with mental health.
“I was able to get money for mental health services and for [Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities] services, and we still have a lot of distance to go to get our mental health system funded correctly,” Insko said.
Insko said that, as the the North Carolina House of Representatives came to lean increasingly to the right over the course of her tenure, it became more difficult to get bills passed, prompting her to focus her energy on raising money to help more Democrats get elected. However, now Insko feels like it is time for someone else to fill her role.
“I had my chance to do what I could, and I think it’s time to go ahead and step aside and let somebody else have a chance,” Insko said.
Insko plans to use her retirement to spend time with her grandchildren and catch up on all of the activities her political career put on hold.
Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger, who has worked directly with Insko on many occasions, believes it will not be easy to replace Insko.
“Mrs. Insko has been a champion for mental health issues and really standing up for people who are disadvantaged. I think those are going to be hard shoes to fill,” Hemminger said.
While Insko is reaching the end of her time in office, she believes young people wanting to get involved with politics will help the Democrats.
“We are getting a lot of younger members that are really eager to get in and do the work and I think that that’s a really good sign,” Insko said.
