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If you want to get to know Andrea Harper, don’t just look at her resumé look around Habersham County. Her impact can be seen everywhere. The fenced animal run at the Habersham County Animal Shelter, where dogs run free and future pet owners get to know their companions, that was Andrea. Funded by her donation and dedicated in the name of her mother who loved animals. It shows she doesn’t simply write checks. She invests personally, emotionally, and practically in the wellbeing of the people and creatures who call this community home. The Habersham County Wall of Honor, which stands as a testament to those who served, Andrea was the treasurer who helped make it a reality. The summer reading programs at the Cornelia Library that enrich generations of young minds, Andrea spent more than a decade championing that work as a board member and four years leading it as President. The 4-H participants winning recognition statewide, the families served by Sharing and Caring in Cornelia, the long-range planning that shaped the City of Baldwin; Andrea has had a hand in all of it. “Giving back to my community is a way of life for me,” Harper says simply. “My parents instilled it in me at a very young age.” She has been a Habersham County resident for more than twenty years. She's a mother of two sons and grandmother of three. She's a lifelong Republican whose commitment to community has been her daily practice. In 2011, Habersham County voters first elected Andrea to serve as their District 2 Commissioner, a position she held for two consecutive terms. During that time, she built a firsthand, working knowledge of county government that few can match. She understands how decisions made in a commission meeting ripple out into the lives of ordinary residents. Her engagement with local government has never been limited to the years she held office. Long before her first election and throughout her time as a private citizen, she has been a familiar and consistent face at county commission meetings, planning and zoning hearings, and municipal meetings across Habersham County. Where many residents tune in only when an issue directly affects them, Andrea continues to show up, because she believes an informed, engaged citizenry is the foundation of good government. That kind of sustained attention means she would return to the commissioner’s seat without a learning curve, and ready to lead from day one. That depth of knowledge is precisely what the county needs right now. The county faces real challenges, landfill capacity, employee morale, and the careful stewardship of the county budget to name a few. These aren’t abstract policy debates; they are issues that affect all of Habersham County.“ Our county must thoughtfully confront these important issues,” Harper says. “Residents deserve practical solutions and leadership that listens. I want to preserve our quality of life while addressing the challenges we face, I care deeply about Habersham County and the people who call it home.” Listening is something Andrea does well, and her service to our community demonstrates that lifelong truth.