Former councilman running for office

Former Warner Robins Councilman Dean Cowart is running for the at-large council seat currently held by Chuck Shaheen.

Cowart, who has been attending recent council meetings, said his biggest priority is to get the city on a better financial footing. He said in recent years the city has been balancing its budget by taking money from its reserve fund and utility operations and he wants to stop that.

The said he believes it can be done through achieving savings elsewhere and he is particularly interested in finding ways to reduce health care costs. He said he would not support raising taxes or fees “until we determine there is no other way.”

Cowart served from 1997 to 2011 when he did not seek re-election for his Post 2 at-large seat. He is an auditor for the Defense Contract Management Agency, which he said ensures that the Department of Defense is getting good value from its contracts.

He is the second person to announce for Shaheen’s Post 1 at-large seat. Eric Langston, a Robins Air Force Base employee, has also said he is running for the seat. Shaheen, who previously was mayor, has said he does not expect to seek re-election for council but might run for mayor if the council approves the creation of a city administrator position.

Qualifying for the November election beings Aug. 21.

This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Former councilman running for office."