O'Steen knows politics, offers 'some new ideas'

Cleveland O'Steen is no political novice.

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Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff

Cleveland O'Steen (right) talks with resident Alex Sakraida in Cascades Pointe at Augusta apartments. The political science professor wants to improve Augusta's public transit system.

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Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff

Cleveland O'Steen (right) talks with resident Alex Sakraida in Cascades Pointe at Augusta apartments. The political science professor wants to improve Augusta's public transit system.

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He's just relatively new to Augusta, having lived here for only three years.

"I just think we need a new face, some new ideas and representation of all of District 3," he said. "I want to be held accountable. I want to keep (constituents) informed on the daily decisions that are affecting their lives."

Mr. O'Steen knows how politics work. He holds a master's degree in political science and is an adjunct political science professor, formerly at Paine College, now at Georgia Military College. He once worked as a policy analyst for the Michigan Democratic Party.

His experience isn't just academic. He's held public office as a trustee for Buena Vista Charter Township, Mich., an unincorporated community of 10,000.

He was appointed to fill an unexpired term and served from 1998-99, then ran for school board in 2000 and lost. He was elected township trustee in 2004 as a Democrat.

Starting in 2003, he said, family issues had him back and forth between Michigan and Augusta, where his now-ex-wife's parents lived. He resigned the Michigan job in September 2006 and became a permanent Augustan.

Now he's ready to jump back into public service, and to do that he's looking to pull off a tough feat -- unseating Commissioner Joe Bowles, a popular incumbent who's raised more than three times as much as Mr. O'Steen in campaign contributions.

"People have the right to choose who represents them, and I feel like I have some good ideas, and I could work with commissioners to move Augusta forward," he said.

His strategy involves reaching out to all of District 3.

"On the Hill, that's one part," Mr. Osteen said. "But in District 3 you've got Bridgeport, you've got Elderberry, you've got Barnett Crossing, Cameron, Kingston subdivision, Belair Estates, Buckhead, and behind that, Granite Hill."

One of his major issues is Augusta Public Transit, which loses about $4 million per year and has been called lackluster. Though he concedes most District 3 residents probably have two cars in their garages, Mr. O'Steen said he has students at Georgia Military College who ride the bus and, to make an 8 a.m. class, either have to arrive an hour and a half early or an hour late.

Routes need to be adjusted so buses run later, he said. Transit also needs to provide better information about where buses run, he said.

Mr. O'Steen said he disagrees with Mr. Bowles' proposed solution -- privatizing the service.

When Mr. O'Steen was a trustee in Buena Vista, the township privatized its janitorial service and workers took heavy pay cuts, he said.

Whatever improvements privatization leads to for riders, it's not worth what that would do to longtime employees, he said.

A better strategy, he said, is to increase ridership by improving the system.

"If people use the buses, it'll generate money," he said.