Published: June 24, 2008 10:47 am            

Scott builds on his passion for politics

Election profile

Brad Scott first got interested in politics when he was in elementary school in Catoosa County.

“A teacher got me involved in the Bob Dole campaign (for president). It was grass roots — putting up yard signs, making phone calls,” he said.

“I was active in the Bush campaign in 2000, went to the national convention as a page. I started getting active here in Catoosa County. I established the Young Republicans in Catoosa County. I later became chairman of the Republican Party (in Catoosa County),” he said.

Scott, 23, is seeking the Republican nomination for state House of Representatives District 3. Republican incumbent Ron Forster is not seeking re-election. Scott will face Catoosa County attorney Tom Weldon Jr. and Dalton attorney Robert D. “Bob” Jenkins in the July 15 primary. District 3 includes parts of Catoosa County and the western and southern part of Whitfield County. The winner will face Democrat Ralph Noble in the November general election.

“I’ve been working in campaigns across the state, building relationships with the governor, the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, and I believe my involvement in politics will help me, if elected, as a freshman representative already having those relationships built,” Scott said.

Scott, a youth minister at Fairview Baptist Church and a native of Ringgold, is scheduled to graduate from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in political science and secondary education. He has an associate’s degree in early childhood education from Northwestern Technical College in Rock Spring.

“The No. 1 issue I’m hearing from people is the economy and gas prices,” he said. “There are things we can do at the state level towards gas prices by reducing the sales tax on gasoline.”

Scott describes himself as a conservative Republican who favors small government.

“One area I would not be in favor of cutting is education,” he said. “I believe our schools in Catoosa County and Whitfield County are doing a great job. We need to continue what we are doing.”

Scott says he’d like to see the state stop passing unfunded mandates onto local school systems, citing measures such as state limits on class size.

“I believe it should be local control. The local school board should have the decision on that,” he said.

Scott says he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for Georgia to try to get more water from Tennessee.

“It would be cheaper to look at ways of using our water on the coasts — salt-water filtration plants. Things like that would be more economical than pumping water from Tennessee,” he said.

He said he would have voted for the water plan adopted by the General Assembly in the last session.

“I just wish we would have started planning a long time ago,” he said.

Scott said he would work with local governments to try to bring more money back to Northwest Georgia from Atlanta.

“It is the job of a state representative to work with local governments — the county commissioners, the city councils — in coming up with plans for bringing back revenue, bringing back grants to this area,” he said. “But the key is working with local governments.”

        

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