Massachusetts' Sixth U.S. House district has a colorful recent history.
From 1937 until 1969, the North Shore district was represented by first George Bates, and then his son, William, both Republicans from Salem.
Following William Bates' death, Democrat Michael Harrington was elected to the seat and was followed by another Democrat, Nicholas Mavroules of Peabody. In 1992 Danvers' Peter Torkildsen regained the seat for the GOP; but four years later he was defeated by the incumbent, Democrat John F. Tierney of Salem.
In the last two elections, Tierney defeated Republicans Stephen O'Malley and Richard Barton, receiving almost 70 percent of the vote each time. Now a new Republican challenger has appeared: Richard A. Baker Jr., currently the director of intellectual property licensing for 3Com Corp., who holds many patents in his own name with others pending.
Baker has spent most of his life in the Sixth District and currently lives with his wife and son in West Newbury. His bachelor degrees in science and English (a dual major) were earned at the University of New Hampshire; his postgraduate work in intellectual property and computer science took place at Franklin Pierce Law Center and Harvard University, respectively.
It seems safe to say that Baker is no lightweight. However, his political experience is limited to time spent on the Pentucket Regional School Committee.
In a nation professionally run by dedicated and efficient politicians, this meager resume of public service would be an immediate disqualifier. But in one that has been ill-served for a half-century by a horde of careerists he's a hot prospect, and a reasonable response to the most appropriate slogan of the day: "Who could do worse?"; and its corollary: "Throw the bums out!"
Baker openly reveals some issues that have driven him to seek election. For example, it drives him bonkers to witness herd voting on issue after issue, which he interprets as "a sign of a dysfunctional legislative body." He vows to vote independently if elected, not blindly according to the rules of party discipline.
He vows, as well, to read the substance of every important bill before he casts his vote, a practice he finds egregiously missing in the current Congress.
Baker believes the job requires an easy familiarity with numbers, something he has gained during his many years as a business executive. It is his view that too many of those who oversee the federal budget (like his opponent he terms "a lawyer without financial experience") are not by background as capable of understanding their task as they should be. He makes similar comparisons relative to his management experience.
Unsurprisingly, Baker has great concerns about the loose controls over U.S. intellectual property. He sees American brainpower being regularly stolen by foreign competitors, which he equates to the theft of a highly valuable American asset — the one that keeps us competitive in a world full of low-wage economic opponents.
Baker's comments on fiscal responsibility and the economy lack specificity and teeth, boiling down to his belief that he's more capable than Tierney in such matters.
But his approach to energy is impressive. He would:
Encourage conservation and make speculators nervous about the future price of oil. When the price goes up, he would release oil from the strategic reserve until it stabilized. Also, he would outlaw the production of oil from corn because it is an inefficient process that also attacks food supply.
He would drill for oil wherever possible and reasonable because we can't get away from it in the short term. He would encourage innovation and a system of rewards for those who develop more efficient energy solutions.
He's an interesting man with something to say.
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Robert Kelly writes regularly for the opinion pages of The Salem News. Contact him at robert.kelly5@verizon.net
