Depending on the times, voters make their selection based on a variety of factors.  For some it is a simple matter of party affiliation, ethnic identity, or neighborhood loyalty.  For others, the selection revolves about a specific issue or group of issues.  Unfortunately, once elected, politicians often forget who they are and where they came from, and the issues change.  At least as important in making the right selection is a candidate's background and  training.  I will make the case this year that  this consideration is more important than all  others.  In 2000, when the economy was  humming and we were at peace, the most i  important issues in contention were the  "cultural" issues.  Now, after 10 years of  war, the effects of a decade of neglect to  our infrastructure, the gutting of our  manufacturing base by pursuit of "free" i  instead of fair trade, 2 years of the most  serious depression in 80 years brought on  by the greed of financiers and their  politicians, and the mounting evidence that  we are overtaxing our environment to our  ultimate peril, the agenda is very different. 

The problems we need to solve now are  economic and technical in nature.  The  case I will make is that we need  Representatives with skills and experience in those fields if we are to find our way out of the mess in which we find ourselves.  With 13 years experience in public planning and the architectural and engineering business, another 12 years as owner and manager of a capital equipment manufacturing company, and the last 13 years exporting New England seafood to Europe, I believe I have the skill set that makes me the best qualified candidate to serve in Congress.  Politically, my service as a two-term City Councilor-at-large gives me the experience to best serve the constituent service needs of the people and community leaders of the 9th District. The following is a summary of that specific experience:

Public Planning

After school, my early employment history involved the public sector, working in the City of Beverly Planning Department and then serving as Executive Director of the Southern Essex Solid Waste Council, a regional planning agency which I was instrumental in organizing, joining together 19 North Shore cities and towns to build a resource recovery facility.

Technical Services

Five years of public planning experience gave me skills which led me into the technical services (architectural and engineering) industry.  Over a ten year period I worked for a number of major, regional A&E firms, becoming VP for business development.  During this period, I had interdisciplinary responsibility for interface of the company with major public and private clients on a wide range of public infrastructure, commercial and industrial development, and housing projects throughout New England.

Manufacturing

My experience in the field of wastewater treatment and with the fishing industry, led me to start a business designing and installing specialized water treatment systems for holding live seafood (lobsters, crabs, shellfish, and finfish).  As an owner and CEO of Marine Biotech Inc., I was instrumental in installing major commercial, seafood holding systems here in New England (source for export) and throughout the world (destination for distribution).  In the 1980s, Marine Biotech diversified to build a significant component of the infrastructure used by the medical research community, which was using live fish in the Genome mapping project.

Export Trading

Marine Biotech manufactured capital equipment with an extended “life expectancy.”  As such, there was limited “repeat business,” and growth was geographical.  With a growing family, I was spending more time than I wanted overseas.  I concluded there was a better future in working with the blades (seafood products) instead of the razors (holding systems), so I sold my share in Marine Biotech, and opened North American ImEx, the company I have operated since 1997.  ImEx is essentially a brokerage operation, but we provide additional services in consolidation, logistics, product development, packaging, etc. to provide our overseas customers with a comprehensive sourcing service for seafood from North America.

Public Service

After school, in the period of public planning, I organized cities and towns into a regional planning district and was “elected” to lead them in their common purpose as Executive Director of the agency.  This experience involved working with and getting votes out of City Councils, Boards of Selectmen, and Boards of Health, as well as daily interface with Mayors, Town Managers, and DPW Directors, in 19 communities.  As the work of this agency involved a Special Act of the Legislature, I also needed to work with the region’s delegation to the Massachusetts Legislature.  I learned through all this, how to count votes, and how to get things done.

For someone considering this life experience as he or she evaluates whether they will actively support, or simply vote for, my candidacy in 2010, here is the summary case I make:

Most of the significant problems facing our society (the economy and jobs, energy, the environment, public infrastructure, etc.) have technical implications.  I have direct experience including most of the disciplines involved, and will be better able to seek out and evaluate the information necessary to propose, as well as vote on Congressional actions which address these problems.

While I have important political experience, and I know how to count votes and get things done in that arena, I have been living and working in the real world over the past two decades.

I have proven I can gain the trust of my peers.  But leadership is more than demonstrating popularity.  More importantly, it involves developing solutions to common problems, and persuading others to support those solutions.  In contrast to the incumbent, I offer my constituents this quality of leadership as well.