After careful consideration and many discussions with my wife Melissa, family and friends, as well as leaders I respect, I have decided to seek the office of State Senator from the Plymouth & Barnstable District.
This was not an easy decision. After making the calls, having the meetings, securing the support, and going through a tough and honest evaluation of my skills and experience, my wife, Melissa and I agreed that this is the right decision.
I’d like to offer a special thank you to those of you who I confided in during this discovery. You beat me up, humbled me, lifted me up and knocked me down; exactly what is needed in order to take on such a public ordeal. There can’t be any undiscovered weaknesses or stone unturned. I owe you all my deepest gratitude in preparing me for this undertaking.
Melissa and I are well aware of the enormous amount of our time and resources that will be needed over the next seven months but we believe this is the right time for the right message to make a difference. For the past months I’ve been crisscrossing the district meeting with elected officials, making speeches at public forums, creating the campaign platform, initiating the votekeyes.com website, interviewing campaign staff and collecting the required signatures to be on the November ballot. Now we move forward with the formal and very public part of the campaign.
You may know I have been deeply involved in public service for some years now, but let me briefly lay this out so you have a better understanding of my level of involvement and experience over the past twelve years.
I started out serving an appointment to the Economic Development Committee for four years and was its Chairman for two years. I was then elected to two, three year terms on the Sandwich Board of Selectmen serving as its Chairman for two years and Vice Chairman for two. Currently I’m serving in my second, two year term on the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates as Sandwich’s elected official and Deputy Speaker to the Assembly.
During these twelve years I’ve served on numerous boards and committees concurrently:
• Water Quality Review Committee for six years,
• Board of Selectmen Economics liaison to the Economic Development Committee for six years,
• Cemetery Commissioner for six years,
• Assembly of Delegates Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, currently in my third year,
• The 21st Century Taskforce to review the Cape Cod Commission and draft operational changes to the County Commissioners for one year,
• President of the Cape Cod Selectmen and Councilors’ Association for two years and Board of Directors for four years, and
• Member of the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s Selectmen and Councilors’ Association of Massachusetts for two years.
Along with these elected and appointed positions I’ve been involved in many ad hoc and civic initiatives. As you can see, being self-employed has afforded me with the luxury of a flexible schedule which I’ve used to its fullest to make a difference in my community. It’s been an honor to serve and work with the public and it’s been an extremely rewarding experience. Recently I was speaking to Melissa about my amazement at how well the campaign has come together so quickly and with remarkable levels of support to which she stated “You’re well seasoned, you’re ready”. I love the way Melissa puts things and as usual, she’s right!
In public service I’ve always fought for transparency in government, rejected short term thinking, held those in public service accountable to the public and spoken out for what’s right, even when it’s not popular. I believe by doing so I’ve earned the respect of my colleagues, not because they always agree with my philosophy on smaller, less intrusive, and frugal government, but because they know they can trust me, which is evidenced by being consistently elected to leadership roles on the committees I’ve served.
On the private side, in 1998 I entered into private practice and founded Keyes Quality Systems where I provide consulting and contract services to my customers in many areas of operational excellence. More specifically, I provide services focused on management system development and auditing, ethics and compliance, reduction of non-value added activities, and corporate restructuring.
Suffolk University polling shows that the economy and corruption are the two biggest issues the voters care about in Massachusetts, and understandably so. Failed, overbearing tax and regulatory policy has been driving business away from our state or hampering their efforts to expand operations for decades. This type of short- sighted and short- term thinking has to end. We need to partner with the business community and recognize that it is demand that creates jobs, not government.
As for corruption, where do I start? The culture of backroom deals and ignoring the will of the voters is so ingrained up at Beacon Hill that, sadly, the voters have almost come to expect it and feel everyone in public service is simply looking out for themselves.
These two issues have been major factors in my decision to run. First, my twelve years of public service studying local and regional economics along with my private practice restructuring business operations to be more effective and efficient shows that I am uniquely qualified to address these failed policies and move this state back on track to recovery. Second, as an Ethics and Compliance Officer where I create a code of ethical conduct, train, audit and take corrective action to change the culture of corruption within an organization, I, again, find that I am uniquely qualified to shine a light on the dark halls of Beacon Hill and begin restoring faith to the public that “their” work is being done appropriately and honorably.
The Senate passed “ethics reform” in 2009, responding to the last decade of very public infractions by Beacon Hill lawmakers. But in typical Beacon Hill fashion, they say “We passed ethics reform,” yet the law fails to regulate the Senate. Here are a few items that most are not aware of and are shocked to learn:
• The Senate is exempt from the Open Meeting Law,
• The Senate is exempt from the Fair Procurement Law, and
• The Senate is exempt from the public records law which means their internal legislative documents cannot be obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests.
Without full transparency and an open and honest process we will continue with the culture of corruption that has plagued Beacon Hill. How can we restore public trust in its lawmakers under this veil of secrecy? I pledge to you as your next Senator from the Plymouth and Barnstable District that I will use my professional skills as an ethics and compliance officer to set a standard of excellence and bring reform to the policies and procedures of the Senate.
The Senate District is made up of eight towns and spans two counties, Barnstable County and Plymouth County. The towns are:
• In Plymouth County – Kingston, Pembroke, Plymouth and Plympton, and
• In Barnstable County – Sandwich, Bourne, Falmouth and Barnstable’s precincts 10, 11, and 12.
This is a large district with the Cape Cod Canal running right down the middle. There will be a lot of driving, walking, standing, and speaking over the next seven months but I’m energized, healthy, willing and emboldened by my supporters. This will be a successful campaign!
The recent election of Scott Brown has proven that the people of Massachusetts can make a difference, are tired of the status quo, and are ready for new leadership. The March Rasmussen poll supports this by concluding that this November election in Massachusetts is about “anti-incumbency”. All indicators are showing that this is a winnable seat but it will take significant fundraising efforts on my behalf in order to get my message out on the radio, in the newsprint, through mass mailings, promotional signs, banners, and bumper stickers.
So now I ask for your support. Contributions from you today will be the seed money we will leverage into the efforts that will propel the campaign forward. You can contribute by clicking the “Contribute” button on this website. Anything received is deeply appreciated and I truly can’t thank you enough. Our goal of raising $25,000 in the next month will start us on our way to a successful campaign.
I also need volunteers to host house parties so I can meet your friends. I need people who will hold signs, stuff envelopes and put up lawn signs. Will you please take a moment to visit the volunteer page and sign up to help? I cannot do it alone.
Whether it is:
• Balancing a $65M municipal budget
• Negotiating a multi-million dollar balance payment from a power plant that filed bankruptcy
• Donning hip waders in pond water and muck searching for lost headstones from the town cemetery or
• Slipping on a tuxedo as a contestant on Dancing with the Sandwich Stars with my wife helping to raise $10K for local charities.
There is virtually nothing I won’t do to help better my community. It’s this dedication that I want to apply to the entire Senate District, to help better the community at large and apply my skills and experience.
On the campaign trail I meet people all the time that tell me they have never been active in politics before. I ask them “why now?” The responses are consistent. They are “frustrated,” “angry,” or “sick of it.” The people have had enough and it’s time to make a difference.
With our deepest gratitude,
Tom and Melissa
Thomas F. Keyes
Candidate for Senate
Plymouth & Barnstable District
508-737-0244
www.votekeyes.com
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