By Traci Chapman
Published on February 2, 2008

Len Scott is looking to the future as he prepares for a campaign to retain his Ward 6 City Council seat.

Political newcomer Katherine Callahan will challenge Scott for the position in the April 1 election.

“There are more things I want to contribute and accomplish as a Council member,” he said. “We have a great group of people (on the Council), and I look forward to continuing the work we’ve started.”

Scott was elected to the Ward 6 seat in 2005. Since that time, he said he has tried to be a “voice of reason” at times when emotions ran high, both among Council members and when dealing with residents over issues such as zoning requests and fireworks.

“Sometimes in the past, there were some pretty heated discussions about certain issues,” he said. “I’ve tried to use my business experience to help guide what needed to be accomplished and what I felt was best for the city.”

That business experience includes his ownership of a Goodyear store in Bethany, a job in which he says he is not afraid to get his hands dirty to get the job done.

“It’s about teamwork. I believe in that for my business, and I definitely believe that on the City Council,” he said. “We have a great team on the Council and staff — starting with David Cockrell — that have helped our city grow and thrive. That partnership extends to all of our residents.”

He said a strength of the Council is that there has been no ward-related infighting during his tenure.

Scott said the city’s growth, including the coming bond elections for proposed Czech Hall Road repairs and a new baseball complex, are essential to the future.

“We need to grow and make sure we don’t become stagnant,” he said. “Mustang is a vibrant city with a lot to offer. Look at all we have accomplished in a short amount of time — new businesses like Lowes, the Town Center and a lot of positive development. We still have a small-town community feeling because of the great people who live here, but we also have a lot of positive growth and change.”

Scott said while he believes economic development and the ability to attract new business to the city should be of primary importance, it is also important to nurture and help businesses already in the community.