SHELBURNE FALLS — Greenfield Community College economics and business professor Thomas Simmons, a Shelburne Falls Libertarian running for the First District Congressional post in the Nov. 8 election, says that although he’s always been interested in politics, this is his first bid for public office.
Simmons, one of two unenrolled candidates hoping to unseat longtime Democratic incumbent Richard Neal, has spent 19 years teaching at GCC, from which he plans to retire this year, and before that was administrator of Martha’s Vineyard’s regional planning agency for 10 years.
A graduate of Hofstra University with a law degree from Hofstra as well, Simmons has also worked as a commercial fisherman, a tractor-trailer driver and a lawyer representing Vietnam veterans on the Agent Orange case.
“In an election year with a lot of unhappiness and unrest, from all sides and an incumbent who’s been there 27 years without much opposition at all, it just seemed like now is the time to offer another voice, another alternative,” says the 56-year-old candidate.
The issue that drew him into running is the Common Core federal educational initiative, which he says has “tied the hands of teachers and dumbed-down the education of our students,” and has been supported by Neal.
“I see schools devoting resources away from teaching and learning, toward creating reports and data for politicians and government to show they’re meeting certain criteria,” Simmons says, with implications for colleges, where “60 percent of students coming into GCC, for example, are in need of developmental math and English, so they’re not college ready. But state funding levels are all based on how quickly you get them in and out of the system and how few credits they have to take in order to get their degree.”
In addition to multiple-choice standardized tests that don’t measure critical thinking skills, he says, “There are all these unintended consequences. Even in my political race, I shy away from easy answers. We’re in a Tweet world where people ask, are you for or against this? Issues are complicated, and the devil’s always in the details.”
When he decided in April to run, Simmons made a commitment to collect necessary signatures in as many of the 85 First District towns as possible, and beginning in June traveled to 80 of those communities in Franklin, Hampshire, Berkshire, Hampden and Worcester counties.
“In talking with people in the hilltowns and the Berkshires, many people didn’t know who their congressman was, and when I mentioned his name, they were not even familiar with him, or if they were, the response was not positive.”
As a Libertarian, which the former Long Island Republican-turned Democrat became about 10 years ago — Simmons says he comes at Neal from some issues from the left and at others from the right.
“I have a real hard time with his penchant for embracing large, out-of-state corporations, both in his fundraising and his votes,” Simmons says. “I’m very much against corporate welfare, and he’s been one of prime supporters in Congress for the Import-Export Bank, which lends money at below-market rates to foreign companies who are not credit-worthy to buy American goods. That may sound good in theory, but last year, 82 percent of that money went to buy products from Boeing in Washington state, which has nothing to do with western Mass.”
Simmons also criticizes Neal from the left, for opposing legalization of marijuana. “I favor (Massachusetts ballot) Question 4. Prohibitions have never worked,” Simmons says abut marijuana legalization.
Stressing his environmental position, he says he would outlaw neo-nicotinoids that are hurting the bee population, and “was thoroughly against the Tennessee Gas Pipeline,” a project Neal, “was fairly silent on,” especially because it would have taken private property by eminent domain for private business.
Simmons favors “significant” military budget cuts, but says he also favors gun rights “by a long shot,” yet he describes himself as a “a leftist Libertarian (who is) a little suspicious of large bureaucracies, whether corporate or governmental. I like local control. And I’ve also been a union president for four years, so I have a great respect for unionization.”
Simmons calls for simplifying the tax structure, and proposes addressing the growing income gap with a corporate income tax plan based on a German and French model that offer a $1.15 direct tax credit to companies for every dollar they give across the board to all employees in profit sharing.
“The company saves money, but the money goes toward the employees who created the profit in first place,” he says.
As an independent candidate, Simmons says he needs to attract “a good chunk” of independents who are tired of both major parties.
“It may sound a little discordant, but as a Libertarian, it’s not, because I come from both perspectives of getting the government out of your wallet, and getting them out of your bedroom. So I can appeal to both sides.”
On the Web:
www.simmons4congress.com
You can reach Richie Davis at rdavis@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 269