WEST NEWBURY — Local inventor and former Pentucket School Committee member Richard Baker is hoping to use his background to reinvent the way people feel about politics and Congress.

"Over the last seven years, I have watched Congress and the administration and am unhappy with the level of professionalism I see there," said Baker, 49, a lifelong Republican. "I think we can return to a Congress which is led by a body of statesmen and leaders of the community."

Newburyport Daily News - May 30, 2008

Richard Baker of West Newbury qualified as a candidate on the Republican ballot for the Sept. 16 primary.

He is running for congressman from the Massachusetts 6th Congressional District, the seat now held by Congressman John Tierney, D-Salem, and so far is the only challenger.

Baker, 49, submitted 2,266 certified signatures to Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin's office last Friday, more than the 2,000 required to qualify for the ballot.

Baker, an inventor and former Pentucket School Committee member, is the director of intellectual property licensing at 3Com Corp. in Marlborough.

A campaign kickoff will be held Thursday, June 12, at Sylvan Street Grill in Peabody. Tickets are available at www.richbaker08.com.

To the editor:

After years of failed energy policies that contributed to skyrocketing fuel prices and environmental degradation, the Bush-Cheney White House and their congressional allies now seek to divert the public's attention.

After almost eight years of subsidizing a wealthy oil industry and refusing to appropriately diversify our energy resources, their best and brightest solution is drilling — a path that would further distance us from what should be our shared goal of reducing our dependency on fossil fuels.

Oil, like it or not, will continue to be essential to the economic health of the United States and other Western industrial democracies for the foreseeable future. Wishful thinking about "alternative energy" isn't going to drive the kids to soccer practice or make the lights come on anytime soon.

Oil at $140 a barrel and higher is having a huge impact on individual Americans and the nation's economy. It is driving up the cost of food and other products. And with gasoline averaging more than $4 a gallon, it's that much more expensive for Americans to get to work in order to earn the money to pay for it all.

Last night's Fishtown Horribles Parade had a lot of marching bands — and included a lot of unique floats and costumed characters.

But few were more unique than the walking and costumed electric guitar band that was making its first unified parade appearance — anywhere.

Now is the time for innovative solutions to America's energy problems. In the past three years, the cost of gasoline has risen from $1.89 per gallon to more than $4 per gallon. Three years ago, my commute to Marlborough cost me $2,000 a year in gasoline, and this year the commute would cost close to $5,000 without the savings I get from carpooling.

We need someone representing us in Congress who understands the impact of our nation's approach to energy, someone who can propose viable, practical solutions to a rapidly increasing expense that is hurting everyone on the North Shore. The burdensome spike in oil costs is the result of complex factors that require a multipronged solution to effectively address our short-term and long-term needs.

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.