RICHMOND, Va. -- With the regular session of the Virginia General Assembly nearing completion, Speaker Don Scott is reflecting on the his time overseeing the historic House of Delegates, the oldest continuous democratic body in the west.
"It's been fun. It's been exciting. I'm having a ball," said Scott. "I think we're moving forward at the right pace, which is important, which was always what I wanted to make sure that we did a really, really good job of being efficient, being fair, getting bills debated, and then moving forward as fast as we could."
It is history that Scott added to in January when he was sworn in as the first Black Speaker in the over 400-years of that body's existence.
"Every day I walk in here, I'm in awe of the place. Not only of the decisions that have been made in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia and also the history of the country. Virginia's history is the history of America and how it began," said Scott. "I'm always mindful that when I out in the room…I can see all of the past speakers on the wall, I can take that into account. And I'm always cognizant of those who came before me, Black and white. But, mainly, I can feel the energy of those folks who are enslaved here…I'm always prideful, that I get to stand in these shoes and grateful that I get to stand in these shoes with a sense of pride, representing those people who didn't get a voice in his place from 1619 to 1865."
Scott's ascension to that position has been rapid as he was first elected in 2019, became minority leader in 2022, and was elected Speaker this session after Democrats took back control of the House of Delegates in last November's election.
Scott said he did not get into politics to become a leader, but to help the community that elected him, Portsmouth, and the Commonwealth.
"Ken Melvin, Judge Melvin, before I was sworn in up here, January 8, 2020…he told me that you don't need to have a title to be a leader. And so I took that to heart," recalled Scott. "And so, I just did what I did and took on the fights that I took on without titles because I wanted to get things done."
Scott says in order to prepare for Speaker, he watched previous how previous people did the job.
"When you have a football game or basketball game, you go watch the tape. So, what I did was went back and watched other speakers. I watched Todd Gilbert, I watched Eileen Filler-Corn, I watched Tom Moss," said Scott. "The things that I've learned is you can be yourself and do a good job and keep your personality and have some fun while you're doing it. Sometimes there's some very serious matters that you have to…consider the gravitas of the subject."
"I know people can find this hard to believe, but Democrats don't have always all the best ideas. And Republicans don't have all the best ideas. Sometimes great ideas come from the Republican side of the aisle. And so we would just want the best ideas to win and have some sunshine and some daylight, put on them and then that's what we vote on and may the best idea win."
Away from the House floor, Scott's office is covered with parts of his life that led up to this -- including his time as a naval officer, earning a law degree, and his wife and daughter.
"So, I can be reminded of who I chose to go down this path with and who I do things for," said Scott when giving CBS 6 a tour. "I got a picture of my daughter. Because that's the future and that's who I work for every day."
Scott also has a photo on his wall of a breakfast he had with former Virginia Gov. Doug Wilder, the first Black person elected to be governor in the U.S.
"I felt like The Godfather, kind of, giving me the tips that I needed to be able to continue to survive."
But the journey to this point was not without detours as Scott spent nearly eight years in federal prison for drug charges while in law school. Critics have brought those up in the past, including a recent social media post from the Republican Party of Virginia as reported by the Washington Post. Condemnation of the message came from lawmakers on both sides, including Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin and the message's author was fired.
Scott said he ignores comments like that for the most part and points to what he has accomplished since.
"I'm like Jay-Z. Get the dirt off my shoulder. You know what I mean? I care to keep it moving. There are people who are going to always look backwards and there are people who are going to look forward. I'm one of those people who look forward," said Scott. "There's a reason that the windshield is a lot larger than the rearview mirror."
And Scott said he credits his many friends, family, and mentors for helping accomplish what he has and his faith in God.
"When you have people like that in your life, and you have the ability and talent, which is God given, to do these things, then you have an obligation to do them."
And Scott added to anyone who may faces challenges on their way: do not believe what others say about you and never give up.
"It's not just hard work. It's not just smarts. You have to have the discipline to stay focused on your goals. And if you do all of that, then you can get to where you're going."
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