William “Bud” McLeroy (R) has just kicked off his campaign to run for Congress. If he wins the Republican primary he would face incumbent Representative Bob Filner (D) for the seat representing the 51st District, which encompasses south San Diego County and a large portion of Imperial County. Bud is a 20-year veteran firefighter and has been a member of the military for the last 28 years. He has lived almost his entire life in South Bay area. Bud took time to talk to SDNR about his campaign and some of the major issues facing the 51st district and the nation.

SDNR: What made you want to run for this seat?

McLeroy: I grew up in San Diego, I moved here when I was six months old. I grew up in the community, I saw it grow and flourish. But I have also seen it devastated. South San Diego is devastated. If you drive down the streets you will see that stores are closing every day. It’s like you’re looking at something withering on a vine and it’s not good. I can’t stand by and let that happen. I can’t accept South San Diego and Imperial Valley withering on the vine.

SDNR: What do you need to do to get the jobs and economy back up in your district?

McLeroy: We can’t scare away business, because that’s what has been happening. The fastest way to get the jobs back here is not to scare them away to begin with. We had the Chula Vista Port, one of the biggest projects that was going to happen in the state; billions of dollars to invest in the Port to make hotels and expand the convention center right down in Chula Vista. Billions of dollars were going to be raised. What happened? They said ‘Well, we only want certain people to build it and work there and if you don’t allow certain people to work there only, then were going to take you guys to court (on an environmental lawsuit) and leave you there forever.’ You can’t allow just a certain group of people to work; you have to open it up to everybody. They developer ended up taking his project to Arizona and took all the jobs as well, it left the community further devastated.

SDNR: Border security is a major issue in your district. What’s the biggest challenge to border security?

McLeroy: The biggest challenge is getting people to understand what needs to be done. We’re not against people coming here to work; we just want them to do it the right way. People who have come across illegally have bypassed the system. What they’ve done has said ‘We’re going to cut in front of the line in front of other people.’ Great people—people that are trying to do it the right way. People like my wife’s family, who did it the right way. We need strong border security, for as many people who want to come across for good intentions, there are people who want to come across to do us harm. So do we need that fence? We do. Do we need a strict border on the fence? Sure. Does there need to be a change of policy that allows people to come up and work when we have jobs for them? Yes there does.

SDNR: You’re an active member of the military. Do we need more troops in Afghanistan? Why?

McLeroy: Yes we do. Because the commander of troops over there, who I believe is the professional on the ground, says we do. We need to have the troops in Afghanistan to be able to do what we’ve been sent there to do—quash the terrorists that are over there. If you can’t get in there and make a push and show the terrorists what’s going on, why are we there? It’s that indecision that loses the battle.

SDNR: Do you think universal healthcare is the answer to the healthcare debate? Do you support the proposed legislation?

McLeroy: Do I support the legislation that is going through right now? No one knows what’s going through right now. Everybody is confused because they have too many little plans that are out there. What I want is for people to sit down at the same table.  We are getting sucked into a vacuum, because people are arguing. Instead of working together, they are working to move each other apart. When you start off bad, you’ll only end up with a bad plan. Leadership isn’t a dictator; leadership is saying we need to work together. Each party needs to say get rid of the “R,” get rid of the “D,” and get rid of the “I.”

SDNR: What are some of the key issues you want to address in your campaign?

McLeroy: One of the biggest ones is getting people employed. A person that does not have that inner drive and hope is a bad thing to see. But I’m not willing to do is just go out to a meeting and tell everyone what I want to do. I want to go to the people and ask what they want me to focus on. There are a lot of issues, but I want to find out what matters to the public.

SDNR: Bob Filner is the Chairman of the House Veteran’s Committee. You’re a member of the military—is he doing everything he should holding that position?

McLeroy: Bob Filner has actually gone out and protested in front of the Navy base here in San Diego. He’s gone up to protest at Camp Pendleton. He represents veterans, but is still willing to protest against people in the military. He can’t do both. Him being on that committee has been unique.

                                            

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