Letter: Neal for Congress
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To the Editor:
I am urging voters to vote for Richie Neal on Sept. 1. I have known Richie for many years and know that he cares deeply about Western Mass and his constituents. I also know that he has delivered for us time and again.
For those of us who remember what it was like to lose General Electric or Sprague Electric, we remember the shock and the pain that rippled through our community. The Berkshires cannot afford to neglect our major employers or lose jobs again. And make no mistake, jobs in the Berkshires are on the ballot this year.
On one hand, we have Richie Neal who has brought millions of dollars to Berkshire Medical and our health-care systems. On the other hand, we have Alex Morse who has promised to support legislation that will deal a death blow to rural hospitals like ours by endorsing an insurance company bill that would restrict money to local hospitals for such things as surprise medical billing. On one hand, we have Richie Neal who has consistently delivered millions of dollars in contracts to General Dynamics while on the other hand, we have Alex Morse who vows to vote against such funding. These are not handouts to rich corporations. These are contracts to provide good jobs in Western Mass. Berkshire Medical and General Dynamics provide 2,800 and 1,400 jobs in Berkshire county respectively. In Richie, we have a fierce advocate who delivers funding for economic growth while Alex would jeopardize those jobs.
Richie has a long record of delivering money into our district, specifically in the Berkshires. When Trump budgets threatened programs vital to the Berkshires, Richie has outmaneuvered him time and again to save needed programs we rely on, like heating assistance, community block grants and money for the arts. Richie Neal's efforts include providing over $1 billion in relief to more than 10,000 small businesses across Western Mass in CARES Act, that he helped author. His opponent said he would vote against this act. If Morse had his way, those businesses would have received nothing. Think about what that would mean to our economy.
Now that Democrats are primed to take back the White House and Senate, Neal's position as chair of the Ways and Means Committee will be more beneficial than ever. He has already authored an infrastructure bill that has passed the House and will fund important projects in the Berkshires while creating jobs. This includes fixes to roads and bridges, upgrades to waste water treatment plants and connecting Pittsfield to Boston via rail.
This year the choice is clear: we just have too much to gain by keeping Richie Neal. He has a proven record of delivering for us. Whether you vote by mail, early or in-person, I ask you to join me in voting for Richie
Dan Bosley
North Adams, Mass.
Tags: endorsement,
