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Bech challenges Olver for 1st Congressional District

Nathan Bech Reminder Publications submitted photo
By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



WEST SPRINGFIELD On Monday, Nathan Bech, R - West Springfield, announced that he will be challenging Congressman John Olver, D, for his seat as the U.S. Representative of the 1st Congressional District of Massachusetts.

"Our country faces serious challenges and the current congress seems more interested in partisan squabbling than finding real solutions," Bech said. "I am committed to representing the people of Western and Central Massachusetts, not a partisan ideology. John Olver is certainly part of the culture of Washington, D.C., not West Springfield."

Bech, a 33-year-old graduate of West Springfield High School, explained that he will be focusing his campaign on several major issues such as the economy, healthcare, national security and ending the war in Iraq.

Bech is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was honorably discharged from the United States Army in 2005 after serving 13 years as a reservist and on active duty.

He said he believes that his military service and study of Middle East Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst will aid him in finding solutions for a peaceful end to the war as well as a change in the conduct of foreign policy.

"How are they [Congressmen] supposed to hold our generals and civilian defense leadership accountable when they do not speak the same language?" Bech asked, noting that less than 22 percent of Congressmen have served in the military.

He has a bachelor's degree in political science from Colgate University, is a graduate of the Defense Language Institute and is fluent in Russian and Spanish.

Bech noted that he also lived in Cairo, Bethlehem and Jerusalem in order to gain a broader perspective on Middle East.

He said that if elected he will also focus his efforts on improving healthcare for servicemen and women as well as all citizens.

Bech noted that he will be just as dedicated to solving local issues within the 1st Congressional District as those on the national level.

"Right now Massachusetts is in real trouble when it comes to working on bipartisan solutions; our governor, two senators and 10 congressmen are all Democrats," he said. "It would be nice to have at least one voice that could be heard about the priorities for Massachusetts if John McCain is elected president."

Bech said he believes "the most important issues facing Massachusetts are the economy, healthcare and national security."

"I plan to make these the centerpiece of my campaign. For example, it is disgraceful that Holyoke is the sixth poorest city in the nation, when it is so close to some of the world's best institutions of higher education. We should make the entire city of Holyoke a federal economic empowerment zone, with massive tax incentives for private business to locate there. We should partner with [the] Commonwealth to match that commitment. Most importantly, we must make sure that the children of Holyoke are not trapped in a failing education system that continues the cycle of poverty."

Bech also notes his views on "the issues" on his campaign Web site. He writes that he is pro-life; he supports Sen. John McCain, Republican presidential candidate "110 percent"; he believes gun control is "a state and local issue"; he is a proponent of sealing the border to halt illegal immigration; and he is against the death penalty. Bech also wrote that peace and reconciliation must be encouraged in order to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that the U.S. "must finish what we started" in Iraq.

For more information about Bech visit his campaign Web site at www.nate2008.org.