COVINGTON, Ga. — Qualifying for November municipal elections does not begin until August, but Scotty Scoggins has decided to get a head start on his campaign by announcing his intention to run for a seat on the Covington City Council.

Scoggins, who owns Scoggins Travel Agency and also works as a manager at Home Depot, said he intends to run for Post 2 in the West Ward, which is currently held by longtime councilwoman Hawnethia Williams.

“With humility and excitement, I am thrilled to be in the running to serve on the Covington City Council representing the West Ward Post 2,” Scoggins said. “I look forward to representing everyone in Covington fairly, but with a slight emphasis on those who live in the West Ward. I will run a positive campaign, focused on promoting ‘One Covington’ and being an advocate for the city and not just a manager of the city. It would be a great honor to serve my community on the City Council. I promise to listen to everyone and always encourage open, honest, and respectful dialogue with the goal of building a better Covington. One that thrives economically, educates our children, and encourages community involvement. Together we can achieve all of these things while still maintaining the “small town” charm that this city is known for. 

We live in a wonderful, beautiful city. Let’s build on what has already been done, and work together to make it an even better place to live, work, learn and play!”

Scoggins and his wife, Shelley, who have been married for 34 years, have lived in Covington for only two years, but he said his wife’s family has lived in the city for more than 27 years, “so we are very familiar with the town.” 

The Scoggins family currently resides in Clark’s Grove, where Scoggins said he serves as president of the Neighborhood Association. He is the father of two adult children — Brandon and Chelsea — both of whom live in Covington. He has a 1-year-old granddaughter, Violet, and are expecting another named Lynnleigh in June. His family attends Covington First United Methodist Church.

Scoggins enjoys volunteering. He currently serves as the social media coordinator for Newton Trails. Over the last three years, he has raised more than $30,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, part of which came from his inaugural Vampire Run in 2020.  

Scoggins’ work experience includes stints with Turner Broadcasting, Bellsouth, Fiserv and SunTrust, he said.

If elected to West Ward Post 2, Scoggins said his primary areas of focus would include:

• Collaborating with others on the council, the mayor, the city and interested citizens to focus on Clark Street and surrounding areas with the goal of laying the foundation for more affordable housing for young couples and families that wish to move here.

• Developing a circle of investment (public and private) starting with one half mile in each direction of the city square, with the objective of promoting more businesses to join the city merchants resulting in more jobs, more visitors, and a larger tax base.

• Advocating for the homeless in our area.

• Promoting safety on the trails and streets.

• Partnering with schools, both public and private, focusing on less advantaged or at-risk students.

• Supporting disadvantaged or forgotten families.

• Encouraging people to move their businesses and families to Covington and the surrounding area.

Other council seats up for election include West Ward Post 3, currently held by Anthony Henderson, and East Ward Post 1, currently held by Susie Keck.

Covington’s municipal election will be held Nov. 2 at city hall within the courtroom chambers located at 2116 Stallings Street.

Candidate qualifying will be Aug. 16-20 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.