Note: This is the first in a series of profiles on the four candidates running for House District 129 in the Dec. 20 special primary.
Scott Cambers said he wants to increase the engagement and effectiveness of Augusta’s legislative delegation.
Cambers is one of four candidates in the Dec. 20 Democratic primary to replace Rep. Wayne Howard, who died in office Oct. 13. The other candidates are Karlton Howard, Davis Green and Brad Owens.
If elected, Cambers would join the Augusta legislative delegation’s four other representatives. They are Republican Mark Newton and Democrats Brian Prince, newly-elected Lynn Gladney and Gloria Frazier.
Like all of the candidates, Cambers has a military background. He served six years in the Army National Guard, where he suffered a concussion after misfired shrapnel struck his helmet. While in the Georgia Army National Guard, he obtained a masters of public administration from University of Georgia.
Asked why he’s running for the seat, Cambers said it’s to improve Augusta’s representation under the Gold Dome.
“I’m running because when I take a step back and think, ‘Are things going to be better in two years?’ I don’t,” he said. “So, I want to actually get the community involved and make progress on that.”
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On the issues, Cambers said low public-sector salaries are holding Augusta back and sending workers to neighboring counties.
“A lot of our public sector is kind of in a bad spot right now, because there are so many opportunities just a short distance away,” he said.
To change that, Cambers suggested using some of Georgia’s $6 billion surplus to help raise the salaries.
“Not just for Augusta, but for other struggling counties that are losing public servants, deputies, people you kind of need, and use that budget as a stimulus for these areas,” he said.
Cambers is an advocate for ranked choice voting. The process avoids runoffs because voters rank candidates on their ballot rather than selecting just one. It’s a system in use now by overseas military since state lawmakers shortened the window between elections and runoffs.
Cambers said it’s hard for regular citizens to gauge how the delegation is doing.
In addition to the five representatives, the delegation has two senators, Democrat Harold Jones and Republican Max Burns.
“Generally, I don’t feel like there’s an easy way for citizens to understand what’s happening, why it’s happening, what they can do to cause an effect,” he said. “I feel like it’s all done behind closed doors, and then announcements are made.”
Cambers said he’ll bring much-needed transparency and engagement to the office.
“My main goal is to get citizens engaged with the government, get them optimistic and actually feeling like they have a voice,” he said. “We have so many great minds in Augusta, and I want to work with them to create policy and legislation, not just wait for a lobbyist to write a bill.”
While at UGA, Cambers interned for the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee under former U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.
Asked if Republican dominance in the Georgia General Assembly slows the efforts of the majority-Democrat Augusta delegation, Cambers said that’s no excuse for the delegation not to be getting things done.
“I feel like we should be kind of like, not accepting that,” he said. “It’s more than just working across the aisle. It’s saying, ‘Hey, I have a bill to get x amount accomplished in y amount of time, and this person is blocking it. Let’s raise awareness of what the barrier is,” he said.
Early in-person voting in the special primary continues weekdays as well as Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Linda Beazley Room of Augusta Municipal Building. All polling places in the district will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 20.
MORE: House District 129 profile: Davis Green
Susan McCord is a staff writer with The Augusta Press. Reach her at susan@theaugustapress.com
