To the editor:
The Eagle recently published a letter comparing our congressman, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, unfavorably to former Rep. John Olver ("Our congressman has sold us out," Eagle letter, July 23). I worked for John Olver for 20 years, so I can say that the letter's author, Mike Bloomberg, was deeply wrong. I am disappointed that Mr. Bloomberg, who works for Neal's opponent, would use John Olver's name in a political attack.
When John retired and Richie became our congressman, John knew we were in good hands — and he was right. In seven-plus years as our congressman, Richie picked up where Olver left off and has consistently delivered for the Berkshires and beyond.
To meet the challenges posed by COVID-19, Richie led the way on allocating $200 billion nationally for health care provision. That money went directly toward free testing, high-quality treatment, protective gear for front-line health care workers and more. Thanks to his leadership as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Massachusetts received hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid to benefit doctors, nurses and patients in Western and Central Massachusetts.
Richie is a constant presence throughout the Berkshires, regularly visiting and supporting our small businesses, speaking at our children's schools and attending community events. He gets things done. He brought back COVID-19 relief funding that ensured businesses could keep employees on payroll and supported work share programs to keep more people employed. As chairman of Ways and Means, he has taken the lead in bringing direct assistance to working people, including those who have lost jobs, extending unemployment benefits and supporting direct stimulus payments for self-employed people.
I urge voters to consider the candidate who is in the best position to help us deal with the challenges ahead. Congressman Richie Neal has represented all of us well and we need to send him back to Congress to continue fighting for working families. In John Olver's words, "Richard Neal has one of the most powerful voices in the Democratic caucus" — and he has used that voice to advocate for us every single day.
Debra Guachione,
Pittsfield
The writer is the former district director for former U.S. Rep. John Olver.
