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Managing Editor WEST SPRINGFIELD Jeff Beatty has been difficult to ignore as he travels around the Commonwealth seeking support for his challenge against Sen. John Kerry. He travels in a specially decorated motor home that provides a rolling office for the candidate and a home away from home for his Jack Russell terrier. "People have told me they have seen more of Jeff Beatty in the last six months that they have John Kerry in the last six years," he said with a smile at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield last week. Beatty was attending a fundraiser at the theater. Beatty is the Republican candidate that was a second choice for many in the party. James Ogonowski was considered a front-runner, but he failed to turn in the adequate number of signatures on time to put him on the ballot. This left Beatty with the time to focus on the November election rather than worry about a primary fight and he will need that time to wrestle Kerry out of incumbent's perch. He said that he doesn't owe anyone anything and is his own man. "By being elected by Massachusetts citizens, my job is that I would advance what is in their interest," he said. Beatty has a background that gives him a unique perspective on security issues. An Army veteran who served in the Delta Forces, he was recruited by the FBI to be a Special Agent and a member of the hostage rescue team. He then served with the CIA in its Counter Terrorism Center. After leaving the government, he formed TotalSecurity.US, a company that trains and advises companies and organizations on security issues. Beatty's expertise on security issues made him a frequent guest on a number of national television news shows from 2001 to 2006. A quick search of the Internet yielded 40 archived videos on various sites featuring Beatty. This is not Beatty's first run for office. Living in Harwich on Cape Cod, he ran unsuccessfully against Congressman William Delahunt in the state's 10th Congressional District in 2006 and pulled only 29 percent of the vote. Picking Pittsfield earlier this year as one of the places he announced his intentions to run, Beatty said he wants "the people of Western Massachusetts to know they are as important as those [people] in Boston." The economy has been of prime concern to Beatty, who has conducted small economic summits in various locations around the state. His conclusion is the Commonwealth isn't the home of one economy, but rather many smaller economies. "I don't have a cookie cutter approach [to the economy], " he explained. The needs of Western Massachusetts are different that those of the coastal communities of the state with the fishing industries, he noted. He was interested in the 5,000 or so available jobs in the Springfield area that are not being filled due to a lack of qualified applicants. The challenge, he said, is taking the steps to train a local workforce to take those positions. Beatty also believes Massachusetts must develop a friendlier environment for business development. Lowering taxes for businesses is one part of the solution. "We can't tax your way to economic stability," he said. He would like to fund projects to develop businesses that "have strings to make the [business] environment better." Beatty is a supporter of increased funding for teachers and educational programs that would give people the skills they need for the workforce. Federal funding for state programs is also something Beatty would work to increase. According to a survey conducted by the non-profit Tax Foundation in 2005 the latest information available -- Massachusetts ranked 40th in the amount of federal funding it receives for the tax dollars it sends to Washington, D.C. According to the survey, the Bay State gets 82 cents back for every federal tax dollar. New Mexico was ranked first and received $2.03. Beatty laid the blame on Kerry for not securing more money for the state. "That's unacceptable," he said. On a national scale, Beatty believes in lowering taxes, controlling spending and smaller government. He referred to himself as a "walk-in" candidate, as he wasn't groomed for the role, but rather decided to run because he did see these goals being accomplished. As a small businessman who worked as a Teamster as a youth, Beatty said he has the relevant experience to "understand the impact of policies." He would work toward the modification of NAFTA. Although he said he was not a protectionist, he would like a "level playing field" for American businesses. On the war on terror, his priority would be to support the killing or capture of Osama Bin Laden. He said he had attended a briefing at the invitation of one of his security clients, hosted by the Secretary of Defense's office, at which a number of business people saw almost the same presentation former Secretary of State Colin Powell made at the United Nations, justifying the invasion of Iraq. When it was time for questions, Beatty asked if the government had physical proof through soil samples or eyewitness accounts of chemical manufacturing from American intelligence agents. He explained that while he was in government service, the philosophy wasn't to have American forces committed until the intelligence work was completed. His questions were dismissed with the response that the Bush Administration was "virtually certain" of their conclusions and he said he has not approved the way the war has been executed. He said under those conditions he would not have voted for the war, unlike Kerry. Because Al Queda is a "stateless foe," he predicted the U.S. military would have to evolve to effectively fight them. "We're going to different places to disrupt them," he explained. "One way to degrade them is to get Bin Laden," he added. He hopes that civic groups and the media arrange for debates between him and Kerry, but said he wouldn't actively pursue the organization of forums himself. His job, he explained, is to win the race. He acknowledged there is a difference in financial resources, but said he was going to spend every penny he receives to reach his goal. "This is so important," he said. "A senator makes life and death decisions.we have to win this race." Beatty's Web site is www.jeffbeatty.com. | ||||||
