Who is George Scott? Biography, issues of Democrat challenging Scott Perry for Congress

Sam Ruland
York Daily Record

George Scott said running a political campaign is sort of like running a congregation — and he should know.

On Nov. 6, the former U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and Lutheran minister will go head to head with incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott Perry for the newly drawn 10th Congressional District seat. 

Democratic challenger George Scott speaks during a debate against U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-York County, at the Country Club of York on Wednesday, September 19, 2018. The 10th Congressional District boundaries encompass the cities of Harrisburg and York. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania redrew the district in 2018 after ruling the previous map unconstitutional.

“It’s kind of like I’ve gone from having a congregation of a couple hundred, to dealing with a congregation of 750,000,” Scott laughed. “But it’s a great congregation to be a part of.” 

Scott describes himself as a lifelong Democrat. Growing up on a farm in south-central Pennsylvania, he said his parents played a large role in his political upbringing. 

Both were active Democrats, taking on leadership roles in the community. His father was head of the Adams County Democratic Party, and his mother was never far behind. 

It was an area that certainly had more Republicans than Democrats, Scott said, but he never remembers that feeling strange. 

“I don't remember the extreme bitter language back and forth between the two parties,” Scott said. “People disagreed on the issues, sometimes quite strongly, but it was different politically then from what it is now. People could disagree without being disagreeable.” 

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Particularly under the current administration, Scott said, there’s been a demonization of each other that's weakening democracy — “it’s pulling the very fabric of our democracy apart.”

Scott hopes to rectify that and be a positive source in the political spectrum.

The 2016 election was, for him, and he suspects for most people, a “wake-up call.”

“I saw the negativity that took place, not just within our political dialogue but also within local communities — within my own congregation — and even within families,” Scott said. “And that was deeply concerning to me so I decided to run."

However, who is George Scott? 

He said he wears so many hats that it’s almost hard to keep track of them all himself. There’s George Scott the lieutenant colonel, the Lutheran minister, the father— and he hopes his next hat — congressmen.

The lieutenant colonel 

Scott served 20 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. His tours included operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Enduring Freedom, according to his campaign.

Having spent so much time overseas — a year in Korea and four years in the Middle East — Scott said he has developed a fairly in-depth understanding of the world that we live in. He sees its complexity.

George Scott

His time in the military shaped his view on politics and formulated some of his views on major issues in the upcoming election. 

“I understand how valuable it is to be in a peaceful relationship with other nations,” Scott said. “And that using our military to go into war is not something that should be taken lightly.” 

That time in the service, he said, also taught him the importance of leadership. 

“That taught me everything from how to organize and recruit people,“ Scott said,“ to how to put resources together and build teams that could face tough issues and overcome them.”

He said that's what is missing in Congress today. 

“We have a Congress that is increasingly dysfunctional. It’s in need of people who are willing to lead in a way that brings people together rather than divides.”

STORY CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO.

The minister

The call to be a pastor came later in life. 

In the army,  he was a military intelligence officer. 

“I continued to use that skill set when I retired from the army, and in 2009, I felt a calling to the ministry," he said. "It was a persistent perception that there was something more I needed to be doing with my life.

So Scott settled in Pennsylvania, in Northern York County, and has been in ministry ever since.

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“It was certainly a risky step, but I think it was a continuation in many ways of the service I provided when I was an army officer,” Scott said. “I spent 20 years serving our nation. Ministry allowed me to serve again — to help people on a day-to-day basis.”

The combination of serving in the military and serving in the ministry, Scott said, has led him to understand the importance of putting people first — “of making sure we work for something greater than just our own individual needs, of the importance of reaching across boundaries.”

STORY CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO.

The husband and father

Scott’s wife, Donna, is a small-business owner. 

He said through her work, he is able to understand the challenges small-business owners face each day. 

“I’m very sensitive to the fact that small businesses are, on the one hand, the primary engine of job creation but they also require an incredible amount of effort and small changes and policies by the government.”

His daughter, Alexandra, is a junior in college studying agriculture.

“I grew up on a farm and agriculture of course remains important not just within the state of Pennsylvania, but especially in the 10th Congressional District,” Scott said. “So her being involved in that keeps me mindful of farmers and others involved in that industry.”

His son, Nicholas, is a senior in high school. He spent part of the summer driving his father around to campaign events. His 18th birthday is on Election Day — meaning he’ll being heading to the polls for the first time alongside his father.

What issues matter most to him

Scott describes himself as a servant leader. It’s the style of leadership he learned in the military and that was deepened through ministry. 

One of the first things you learn in ministry, Scott said, is to lead by listening. He said that carries directly over into this role serving as a congressional representative.

“So naturally, the issues that matter most to me are the issues that affect peoples' day-to-day lives,” Scott said. “It starts with listening to people and understanding where they are and the issues that keep them awake at night.” 

He ranked his four major concerns:

  1. Ensure that everybody has access to quality, affordable healthcare. 
  2. Create better-paying jobs and ensure there are skilled workers to fill those jobs. 
  3. Support public schools that are strong and safe. 
  4. Protect the programs that senior citizens rely on — social security and medicare.

“On top of that, what I had been seeing over the course of several years in ministry in south-central Pennsylvania,” Scott said, “was that there's a lot of people — a lot of families — that are really struggling even though they're working full time or working more than one part-time job.”

And these people need a voice, Scott said — “they need representatives who will watch out for everyone here within the 10th district, not just certain folks.”

“People are just so hungry for change,” Scott said. “And not just any kind of change. But a return to civility, a return to bipartisanship a return to government that’s focused on their needs.”