Scott Little is running for the District 5 seat on the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners, and, if elected, his responses to questions posed for this article suggest that his colleagues and constituents will know exactly where he stands.
Little and Pam Peacock are challenging incumbent Johnny Westmoreland in the May 21 Primary, and all three qualified as Republicans. The winner will face no opposition in the General Election in November.
Little is a third-generation member of a Milledgeville family, and he and his wife, Julia, have a three-year old daughter. Little is a singer/songwriter, residential real estate investor, and business owner. He was one of the founding members of the revitalization of the defunct Milledgeville Jaycees chapter, in which he served as vice president and president.
Little has served on the board of the Camp Dream Foundation for 10 years, about half of that as chairperson.
“We are a non-profit that holds a summer camp for those with physical and developmental disabilities,” he explained.
Little was straightforward and to the point when addressing topics and issues in the upcoming election.
“To serve Baldwin County and be a participant in its growth,” was his reason given for deciding to run for the board seat.
Little believes he is the best candidate for District 5 and offers what he believes is a realistic view of Baldwin County and what is needed for the future.
“Character, work ethic, and transparency” are what he has to offer as a county commissioner. “I have the ultimate skin in the game, a three-year old.
“Today,” he asserted, “I am prepared to tell her and every other child in Baldwin County to get out of here after high school/ college. Go somewhere you have a chance at success. I would love to tell her and every other child in Baldwin County something different, and I am prepared to participate in reaching that goal.”
The candidate then explained that comment.
“Obviously, I want my daughter to raise her family in Baldwin County,” he clarified. “In order to make that a reality, Baldwin County needs to be a place of economic opportunity for our children and grandchildren.”
The candidate was asked if Westmoreland has done something or failed to do something that contributed to his decision to enter the race.
“He is in his 12th year as a commissioner, and I believe in term limits,” Little said. “While I am grateful for his time of service to Baldwin County, I also am not confident that someone his age is in tune with or eager to pursue the growth crucial to our children and grandchildren.” He said three terms would be his choice for the maximum length of time for a commissioner to serve.
Little would not make any comments regarding the county commissioners’ handling of the airport hanger expansion project that created significant opposition before the proposal was rejected.
“I have no desire to point fingers at the board and disparage their decision or how they arrived at it,” he stated. “I see the airport as a crucial asset to Baldwin County’s economic growth. I support ‘thoughtful’ airport expansion.”
Little was somewhat non-committal initially on the creation of a formal planning and zoning process with an advisory board.
“P & Z certainly can benefit the community,” he acknowledged, but added, “It also can have negative impacts to property owners. The power the board is given and the make-up would determine my support for it.”
When the concept of an advisory board that only studied zoning requests and made non-binding recommendations to the Board of Commissioners was suggested, Little took the same position as District 4 candidate Andrew Strickland.
“This sounds like a board with no power,” he said. “Another hoop for citizens and businesses to jump through with no finality. I feel like that decision is better left for voters to decide, not the commission.”
Confronted with the idea that a planning and zoning process would establish more regulations for and control of land use in the county, Little offered a similar point of view.
“There are pros and cons to this. Baldwin County gets to make more regulations that help control the planning of our future. However,” he cautioned, “that could have a negative impact on citizens and businesses. Again, I prefer to leave that to the voters to decide, not the commission.
The candidate likewise took a strong stance on recreation.
“It is crucial to our quality of life,” he asserted. “We are able to gather with all parts of the community while fostering the passions of our youth.”
Little said Baldwin County has the capability to help shift the tax burden locally.
“If we can get our park dialed in to, say, mirror a Southern Pines in Dublin, we then become a desired destination for tournament directors in the travel ball space,” he said. “Those tournaments bring upwards of 2,500 people for a single day and 5,000-6,000 for a two-day (event). Those take place 36 weekends a year.
“The result of that is we are now importing contributors to the SPLOSTs that we already have in place,” Little pointed out, “thus having non-residents contributing pretty heavily to our tax base.
“Right now,” he concluded, “SPLOSTs are just another tax on us, but, with an up-todate recreation department, we are then able to turn that around, and the SPLOSTs are now working for us, not us for it.”