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Scotty Scoggins: A Vampire Run, A Run for City Council, and the Messy Middle Mindset – Episode 57

Scotty Scoggins: A Vampire Run, A Run for City Council, and the Messy Middle Mindset – Episode 57

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 The Town Square Podcast is leveling up! Episode 57 is not only a meaningful conversation with community leader Scotty Scoggins—it’s also our first-ever video podcast, now streaming on YouTube. Hosts Gabriel Stovall and Trey Bailey sat down with Scotty to talk about his community involvement, the growth of the Vampire Run 5K, his campaign for Covington City Council West Ward, and his philosophy of leadership that fits squarely in our podcast’s mission: creating unity, not uniformity.Whether you’re watching on YouTube or listening on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, this episode delivers insight, laughter, and the kind of “messy middle” conversation that makes The Town Square Podcast a vital space for Newton County and beyond.Meet Scotty Scoggins: A Life Shaped by ServiceScotty’s story begins in Chamblee, Georgia, where his father coached Pop Warner football for nearly three decades. His dad wasn’t just a coach—he was a mentor, a volunteer, and even recognized as Ronald Reagan’s Volunteer of the Year for the Southeast. Scotty grew up on the sidelines of championship teams, learning that life is about doing a few things really well, paying attention to details, and serving others.Those lessons carried him into adulthood, where he’s worn many hats: accountant, community volunteer, school board candidate, library board member, and most recently, founder of The Vampire Run 5K and now Covington City Council candidate.The Vampire Run: Putting the Fun in FundraisingScotty’s passion project, the Vampire Run 5K, was born out of personal tragedy. In 2014, his mother passed away from acute myeloid leukemia (AML). To honor her memory and support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), Scotty laced up his running shoes. What started as a personal fitness journey quickly grew into a movement.In 2020, with traditional races canceled during the pandemic, Scotty launched the first Vampire Run. The theme was simple but brilliant: blood cancer sucks, and vampires suck blood. Set in Covington—the filming home of The Vampire Diaries—the run merged fitness, fandom, and fundraising.Year 1: 78 participantsYear 2: 182 participantsYear 3: 256 participantsYear 4: 450 participantsYear 5 (2025 projection): 600–700 runnersThe race is unlike any other. Runners and walkers alike enjoy photo stops at Vampire Diaries filming locations, appearances by Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers along the route, costume contests, and a Founders Day parade float restored by volunteers. It’s less about finish times and more about fun, community, and fundraising.To date, the Vampire Run has raised tens of thousands of dollars for LLS. As Scotty says, “We put the fun in fundraising.”From Gwinnett to Covington: Lessons in Politics and CommunityThis isn’t Scotty’s first foray into public service. In the 1990s, he ran for Gwinnett County School Board, narrowly missing a runoff. That campaign led to an appointment to the library board, where his advocacy for parental oversight of materials sparked countywide debates and even appearances on talk radio shows.Scotty admits he’s not afraid to stir the pot when necessary. But over time, his approach has shifted from partisan politics to practical problem-solving. “Local politics isn’t about politics,” he told Trey and Gabriel. “If you can’t pay your water bill, it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or Republican—you still can’t pay your water bill. The question is: how do we fix that?”Running for Covington City Council: The West Ward CampaignScotty first ran for Covington City Council (West Ward) in a previous election, earning an impressive 43% of the vote—much higher than typical for newcomers in that race. He attributes that to one simple strategy: knocking on doors, listening to people, and showing up.His platform focuses on four key priorities:Transparency – Making government decisions easier to understand and more accessible.Affordability – Ensuring residents can keep up with rising utility costs and housing.Smart Growth – Learning from Metro Atlanta’s mistakes in overdevelopment.Access to Decision-Making – Creating more ways for residents to be heard without requiring them to attend 10 a.m. weekday meetings.Scotty emphasizes that being a good neighbor is at the core of his campaign. “We should be helping each other out,” he says. “Those with means should be helping those without. That’s what community is.”The Messy Middle PhilosophyWhat makes Scotty a perfect guest for The Town Square Podcast is his messy middle mindset. He resists political labels, embraces conversation across divides, and believes the truth is often found somewhere between extremes.He recalls his days in college organizing bipartisan “Political Awareness Society” meetups in pubs, where students from both parties put topics in a jar and debated them over food and drinks. Today, he still carries that spirit.“The ...
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