State Representative and University alum, Austin Scott, walked through Athens Monday as a part of his 1,015-mile “Walk of Georgia.” Scott has been campaigning all summer for the Republican gubernatorial candidacy in 2010.

Question: When did you graduate from the University?
’92. I went to the E.J. Leverett School of Risk Management and Insurance. [Leverett] was actually one of my professors. I think I was either his last class or his next-to-last class.

Question: What organizations were you involved with on campus?
Sigma Alpha Epsilon. That was pretty much what I was involved in – the fraternity.

Question: Why are you running for governor?
I was born in the state, raised in the state, educated in the state and I want to see Georgia reach its potential. I think we can do a better job than we’ve been doing. I’ve been in the [Georgia House of Representatives] for 14 years and I am as frustrated as I think other Georgians are with where we are not only as a country, but as a state as well. There are things that we hear from Georgia citizens out there as we’ve made the walk. The No. 1 concern we hear is the economy. The No. 2 concern is state funds for public education. No. 3, we hear, is water and water-related issues.

Question: Why are you doing the walk?
Well, the walk gives the opportunity to shake a lot of hands and meet people and see a lot of Georgia. We started in Chickamauga, walked all the way down to Bainbridge. From Bainbridge, we walked to Brunswick. Brunswick to Savannah. Savannah to Augusta. Augusta to Athens. Now, we’re heading to Toccoa and Clayton and then back to Atlanta. We shake hands and meet people and ask the question, “If you were governor for a day, what would you do and how would you do it?” And it helps us understand what Georgians priorities are.

Question: Why should students vote for you?
Well, I won’t ignore them. It wasn’t that long ago that I was a student. I’m proud of the University of Georgia. At the same time, I think there are things that need to be changed in the University System. I do not intend to allow members of the Board of Regents to conduct business with companies that they own. If you’re going to serve on a state board then you’re going to have to agree not to do business between that board and your private company. It’s just common sense good government to me. So, we’ll have a prohibition against anybody who has the ability to expend public funds from spending with their private companies.