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State
Senator Steve Badour
Leads by Example
D.J. Deeb, M.A.,
M.S., M.Ed.
(04/04/07)
 Methuen’s Democratic State Senator
Steve Baddour recently announced that he will not be a
candidate for Congress. The reason: He wants to be
a father to his two daughters, 5-year-old Victoria and
4-year-old Isabella. While many politicians talk about
family values, Senator Baddour leads by example.
Senator Baddour is truly refreshing to have as an elected
official in liberal Massachusetts. Although he is a
Democrat, Senator Baddour’s voting record largely
reflects that of a fiscal conservative and common sense
thinking.
It is easy to criticize members of Congress and often the
criticism is well-founded, but being a member of Congress
is a very demanding and difficult job. It takes a
real toll on family life. Members of Congress have
to fly back and forth frequently to and from Washington,
D.C. for meetings and important votes all week
long. At the same time, they need to be visible in
their home district all the time. In addition, they
need to constantly fund-raise and campaign for
re-election every two years. Thus, being a member
of Congress is not an easy job, to say the least.
This begs the question: Where does time exist for the
family when one is in Congress?
Current Congressman Marty Meehan has been masterful at
balancing the time between his responsibilities in
Washington, D.C., his obligations in the district that he
represents, and his home life. But now Rep. Meehan’s
children are getting older and he too wants to be closer
to home. Thus, he accepted the position of
chancellor at UMass Lowell. In my opinion as an
alumnus, Rep. Meehan is a great choice for this
position. He has the essential contacts and the
ability to raise private donations for UMass
Lowell. These will help to make a great university
even better.
In this day and age when more than half of all marriages
end in divorce, when more and more children come from
broken homes, it is crucial that parents make their
children their top priority. In announcing that he
will not be a candidate for the 5th Congressional
District, Senator Baddour stated, “Anyone can be a
member of Congress. I’m the only one who can
be the father of my two daughters.” Well said,
senator! Not only does Senator Baddour say it, he
lives it. There is no question in my mind that
Senator Baddour would have been a very strong contender
if he had chosen to run for Congress. I’ll
even go as far as to say that I’m pretty sure he
would have won. But, instead, Senator Baddour
resisted the temptation and did the right thing by
putting his family first.
I would have liked to have seen Senator Baddour run and I
would have supported him for Congress. He has
always supported small businesses, lower taxes, firearms
ownership by law-abiding citizens, tougher crime laws,
accountability for the Big Dig project, and family
values. Although I am disappointed that he will not
be a candidate, Senator Baddour made the right decision
by choosing his family over politics.
D.J. Deeb is an
adjunct Professor of History and Government at Bunker
Hill Community College. He teaches Social Studies
full-time at Reading Memorial High School. He is an
elected member of the Dracut School Committee and Greater
Lowell Regional Vocational-Technical School Committee.
*Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The March 2007 Edition
of the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2007, Valley Patriot, Inc.
We publish 12,000 newspapers and distribute in Andover,
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Salisbury Beach, and Lowell.
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