Meet the Warner Robins Council Post 2 candidates – Stephen Baughier

Longtime Warner Robins resident Stephen Baughier wants to make a difference and engage the citizens more. Baughier is running for Warner Robins City Council Post 2.

Baughier and his family moved to Warner Robins in 1979 and is a 1996 graduate of Warner Robins High School. After high school, Baughier entered the United States Navy and served as an electrician’s mate on the USS VICKSBURG (CG-69) based in Mayport, Florida. After completing his Naval Service, he returned home to Warner Robins and earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting from Georgia College and State University. He also served a six-year enlistment with the United States Air Force Reserves at Robins Air Force Base with the 94th Aerial Port Squadron. Stephen has 15 years of accounting experience, including seven years as a project controller for Northrop Grumman. More recently, he founded CampFI. which is a series of personal finance retreats held throughout the country for individuals looking to gain control of their financial lives through responsible, common-sense money management with a focus on lifestyle optimization and happiness. He also volunteers as a math tutor at the Central Georgia Technical College Adult Education Training Career Center.

“I am running for a number of reasons,” Baughier said. “First, I want the continuation of a life of service. I’m at a point in my life where I am well enough taken care of, and with that, I want to give back to the community that has given so much to me. I’m honest, have a track record of service and I believe my educational background could be beneficial to serving on City Council. I have a lot of experience with large contracts, forecasting and planning budgets, and my heart is in the right place.”

Baughier said one of the main concerns he hears from citizens is that they are tired of the mayor and council not getting along.

“I believe the mayor and council should get along, however, the reason you have a mayor and six different council members is to bring different perspectives and to not agree on everything,” Baughier said. “If you had a mayor and council to agree on everything then you wouldn’t need but one person to run the government. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but yes it can be done in a professional way. What we need to improve on is communication between the governing body and the citizens. Right now besides coming to the council meetings and maybe going on to the city’s website, I can’t see what’s coming down the line or what projects are in the works. There should be a mechanism, or a blog the mayor and each council member maintains every couple of weeks or once a month to share what’s going on.”

Early voting for the Nov. 5 election began last Tuesday and will go until Friday Nov. 1. Warner Robins registered voters are to cast their early vote at City Hall in the Carolyn Robbins Conference Center. Hours for early voting are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Election Day, voters will cast their ballots at their assigned precincts. For more information regarding voter registration, go online to www.mvp.sos.ga.gov or call 478-929-1133.

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