Greetings!

My name is Patrick Foran and I am a candidate for the 1st Barnstable State Representative seat which includes the towns of Brewster, Dennis and a large portion of the town of Yarmouth. 

I was born in Worcester, Massachusetts and moved with my family to Dennis when I was ten years old.  I am a graduate of Cape Cod Academy in Osterville and Assumption College in Worcester.  Upon graduating from Assumption I purchased my first home in Yarmouth in 1999.  I have been a resident of Yarmouth for ten years.  My wife Melissa and I do not currently have any children but we do have a dog named, “Gilligan”.

Work Experience

I am the Vice President of Finance for our family owned insurance agency, the EBS Foran Group, as well as the founder and President of Foran Realty.  Both of these businesses are located in Dennis.  I am a licensed Insurance Broker as well as licensed Real Estate Broker in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Community Involvement

I was a member of the town of Yarmouth Finance Committee for four years (2006-2010).  I served two years as Chairperson of this committee.

I am a member of the Harwich Dennis Rotary Club where I am a past President and I have served on the Club’s Board of Directors.  I am also a member of the Board of Directors for the Cape and Islands Chapter of the American Red Cross.  Both of these organizations are all about “community” and place an emphasis on our local communities.

I have served on the Board of Directors of Dream Day on Cape Cod, a non profit organization in Brewster, which offers children with serious and life threatening illnesses a summer camp experience.  These children along with their brothers, sisters and parents spend a week at Camp Nan Ke Rafe at no cost, due to the generosity of the community and the hard work of volunteers of the Dream Day Organization.

Our Economy and Beacon Hill

None of us need to be reminded that our economy is in shambles.  The solution to this problem in the eyes of many of our state legislators, is to raise taxes and to expand the role of government in our lives. I believe that we cannot tax our way out of our current problems! 

As you most likely know, one of the cuts that was recently implemented by the legislature and the Governor was a severe reduction in local aid to the towns across Cape Cod.  Rather than making the tough decisions they opted to allow individual towns the option to impose local taxes on both meals and hotels/motel rooms.  While to the outsider this might sound like a great idea, a way to pass on the problem to someone else, in reality it causes more problems for our communities.  Contrary to what people on Beacon Hill believe, the towns in this district are not “wealthy” towns.  We, the taxpayers of the district, rely heavily on tourism dollars to run our local economy.    When one town implements these taxes and their neighbor does not, it puts the town with the higher taxes at a competitive disadvantage.  Visitors to our communities will seek out the lower taxed businesses.  This affects all of us.  If visitors stay elsewhere they are not as likely to visit the local coffee shops, gas stations, retail shops, or golf courses which employ local residents!  We need a strong voice on Beacon Hill which will protect the interests of our local communities. This will in turn foster a stronger local economy!

There is a movement on Beacon Hill to allow illegal immigrants the same right to in-state tuition to Massachusetts colleges and universities that we afford our legal Massachusetts residents.  This is outrageous!  It is just another example of how out of focus and how out of touch the majority of the state legislators are.   This is all being done while the economy is burning around our commonwealth!  We must redefine our priorities and learn to live within our means.

Today, our state is not functioning properly.  We must roll back the tax increases that the governor and the Democratic led state legislature put in place if we are serious about improving the economy, and putting our neighbors back to work!  By rolling back the taxes we will be giving more money to our citizens to spend in the local economy.  When this happens, we all win! 

The one party system that we currently have is a breeding ground for abuse and corruption!  Over the past few years, how many of our elected officials have been charged, arrested or convicted of wrong doing?  If elected, I will be an independent voice on Beacon Hill and I will vote for what is best for the citizens of our district.  I will also work to be certain your elected representative is responding to your needs.  My campaign theme is to “listen, learn, and react”. If elected that is what I will do…and I will be a visible presence in your area…meeting with you, listening to you and working with you!

Senior Citizens

We owe so much to our senior citizens who have helped create what the district is today.  We must ensure that their interests are protected.  We cannot continue to let the legislature implement new taxes on the senior citizens of the Commonwealth.  One of the many new taxes that the current legislature implemented was a tax on nursing homes.  They should be ashamed of themselves!  We must correct this injustice!

Public Safety

One of the most important roles a government can perform is to provide for the public safety of its citizens.  In speaking with several police and fire chiefs in our district, I am hearing the same message from each of them. With the devastating cuts in local aid, it is becoming more and more difficult for our police and fire personnel to perform their jobs in a safe and effective manner.  Public safety is something that impacts us all, and we must ensure adequate funding is in place to be certain that our safety personnel can adequately perform their jobs. 

Education

Quality education is a right for all students!  Our public school system needs to receive proper funding.  If the state is going to mandate educational programs, then they must be prepared to adequately fund them.  Expecting individual towns to fund state mandated programs with reduced state aid is causing more problems for not only our educational system but also for our towns.

Transportation

Many of us commute daily to our jobs off Cape because there simply aren’t enough well paying year round positions on Cape Cod.  Many of us live here because we value the quality of life that cannot be found elsewhere.  Unfortunately, we have only two means to leave Cape Cod, one by car and one by airplane.  As we recently discovered when one of the bridges was undergoing long over due repairs, travel to and from the Cape was nothing short of a nightmare.  While this may have less of an effect on our district then some closer to the bridge, I think we all need to look at alternatives to the bridges.  I am proposing that we look at improving the utilization of some of our transportation infrastructure.  I propose we look at using the existing rail and adding a passenger or commuter line directly from Cape Cod to Boston.  Let’s start with one train in the morning and one returning in the evening.  As rider count increases, we can look at increasing the number of runs.  If rider service proves to be less then economical then I would look at service from Cape Cod to Middleboro where commuters could get a connection into Boston.  I realize a committee has been established to study this proposal. I am looking forward to hearing and responding to the recommendations generated by this committee.

Final Thoughts

Let’s send a strong message to the governor and the his supporters in the House of Representatives: "Cut the fat not the bone from our state budget!"  None of us want to get rid of life’s luxuries but we must all live within our means!  Let’s make “transparency” more than a word.  Let’s make accountability a reality!

I promise that when I am elected, I will bring balance, honesty and integrity to Beacon Hill.  I will be accessible to my constituents and your voices will be heard!

My name is Patrick Foran and I am asking for your support and vote! 

Thank you.