By Sierra Legrier, CG Commentary

Luke Scott was sworn in on December 19th 2008 by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. Courtesy of Luke Scott.

Commuting student by day and city councilman by night, Luke Scott is a native of Wellston, Ohio, and, at 18, the youngest person to be elected to City Council in the state.

The city of Wellston, located in the heart of Jackson County, has a population just over 6,000 people. One of the things that most people don’t know about Wellston is that it’s a coal town. Every September the people of Wellston come together for one of the few citywide events of the year, the annual Wellston Coal Festival. At the festival, Scott says, community members of all ages come together and enjoy food, fun and games.

“Most of the people who first settled in Wellston were coal miners,” Scott said. “It is important for us to honor those who have made livings and provided livings for much of our community through coal mines, and we do just that, every year just after Labor Day.”

Although he admits to not having much to keep him entertained as a child, Scott attributes a Wellston upbringing to becoming the man he is today, a man who has a profound love and appreciation for the town he grew up in. Scott says the best part about living in a small town is that, “you know everyone. You always feel at home.” An 18-year-old running for city councilman could surely take advantage of the relationships built with a substantially smaller community of people.

In Wellston’s 2009 City Council election, Scott ran against Chad Marquis, a candidate more than twice his age. Marquis also had the benefit of running Republican in a town with a 70-30 Republican voting ratio. “I had my work cut out for me,” Scott said. Developing an interest in politics at an early age, Scott believes that politics “when practiced correctly, can help better your community and the people you serve.”

Learning how to connect with voters is undoubtedly one of the key ways underdogs have come to hold political positions in our country’s history. Scott said he believes that the nurturing and supportive nature of those in his community gave him the confidence to tackle and ultimately defeat the odds.

“When I first announced my campaign, people thought it was a joke. ‘He ain’t gonna win,’ they said.” Scott said he went door-to-door almost every day petitioning votes and promising the people of Wellston that he had only their best interest at heart.

“Restoring the trust of the people” was just one of the main goals Scott emphasized during the election. He also cited maintaining utility rates and establishing a fiscally responsible budget as two of his most important platform issues. In keeping with his competitive spirit Scott attributes “fighting corruption in City Hall” as the driving force behind his entire campaign.

After running a successful city council campaign, Scott now continues to pursue his undergraduate degree in political science at Ohio University while setting his sights on his next career goal. He aspires to be an elections attorney and merely shrugs at the mention of seven more years of college. For now, his city’s deficit is what he is focused on, along with making sure that the people of Wellston know he is working for them and not “the good ol’ boys.”

Much like his southern dialect, Scott notices many differences between himself and other OU students from larger Ohio cities. While Scott often travels to Columbus for shopping and other weekend activities, he in no way feels that his town has failed him. His dream of a future career as Ohio’s Secretary of State will inevitably lead him away from his hometown someday, but Scott says that over the years he has built friendships that will last him far beyond his time in Wellston, “The hospitality and friendship you gain from small town life is unforgettable no matter where else you go.”

Editor’s Note: Some of you who have been following our stories might be wondering, “Why on earth is College Green publishing a story about a young politician from a coal town?” I asked myself this very question. The answer is this, whether we like to admit it or not, coal is a big part of Ohio’s history. I strongly believe that Luke Scott’s story is a reminder that even “small coal towns” produce some of the most interesting and motivated members of society. Not everyone from a coal town becomes a miner. –Katherine Bercik