Republican Anne Crockett-Stark of Wytheville announced Wednesday that she won’t run for re-election to the House of Delegates this fall and will leave the legislature after four terms.

Crockett-Stark, who is called “Annie B.” by friends and colleagues, represents Wythe and Carroll counties and part of Smyth County. She was first elected to the House in 2005.

“Having served four terms, I am now moving on to enjoy other adventures that are on my personal ‘bucket list,’ ” Crockett-Stark wrote in an email to constituents. “I want to thank the network of family and friends whose support and efforts blessed me and afforded me this great opportunity. It has been such a privilege and a pleasure to serve the Best people in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

Crockett-Stark, a retired teacher and guidance counselor, served one term on the Wytheville Town Council and six years on the Wythe County Board of Supervisors before she defeated Democrat Benny Keister of Dublin to win the 6th District House seat in 2005. Her grandfather, Sam Crockett, served in the House of Delegates during the 1930s.

Before the General Assembly adopted new district boundaries in 2011, Crockett-Stark represented parts of Giles, Pulaski and Tazewell counties and all of Bland County in addition to a portion of Wythe County.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Crockett-Stark, 70, said she considered retiring three years ago, but told House Speaker Bill Howell, R-Stafford County , that she would run for one more term in 2011.

“I felt that when I was 70, I would quit running, that I wanted to have some time for family,” Crockett-Stark said. “I’ve served eight years, and I’ve put in long hours with it.”

Crockett-Stark said she was proud to have sponsored legislation in 2008 requiring state colleges to develop written emergency management plans, establish threat assessment teams, and implement an emergency notification and broadcast system. The bill was one of the campus security measures that the General Assembly passed in response to the 2007 mass shootings at Virginia Tech. The emergency alert system has prove n useful in subsequent emergencies, she said.

“I feel like that bill that I carried had a lot of uses, sadly, in the last few years,” she said.

Crockett-Stark noted that she also had a hand in pushing for economic development legislation that benefits rural and distressed areas and for state budget priorities important to her district.

And she found ways to address issues important to her district without getting bills passed, she said. For instance, Crockett-Stark earlier this year worked with the Virginia Department of Transportation to exempt school buses from weight limits on U.S. 52 on Fancy Gap Mountain, an issue important to Carroll County.

“I made a decision, and I think a good decision, because there are other people that I’m sure want the opportunity,” Crockett-Stark said of her decision not to run. “I hope I’ve served my people well.”

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