Contributed by Elsie O’Bryan
We all have our opinions about the way things are going in our local, state and national governments. We freely express our opinions to friends and associates.
But, most of us just stop there. We air our thoughts and frustrations then go right back to life as usual.
Thankfully, Loy Thurman “Santa” of Big Lake, has made the very difficult decision to stop only talking and to step up to the plate by filing his candidacy for Senate Seat D.
I have known Loy for nearly 10 years and have come to appreciate his willingness to listen to differing opinions, carefully considering their validity and drawing his own conclusions. One of his sayings is “I’m listening…convince me”. He sincerely takes the differing arguments into serious consideration and has been known to change his position---if the opposing arguments make sense.
Yet, there are many things he does not waver on:
He is the one true conservative in the race
He is a fiscal conservative with his own money and I believe we can trust him to do the same for us. You won’t see a lot of slick advertising from Loy. He will use the funds his supporters share with him very carefully. He will be relying a lot on word of mouth to get his message out. Yet, there are expenses that can’t be avoided, and he will appreciate any financial help afforded him. After all, he has many opponents in the August 18 Primary and many of them are well-funded.
He is an avid PFD activist who firmly believes it’s OUR money!
He believes strongly that a smaller government is essential. He understands that we all have our pet programs or projects and we will always push to cut someone else’s while funding ours. I believe Loy will give a good hard look at ALL programs.
He strongly supports the 2nd Amendment of the right to bear arms. We’ve seen in recent days the attempts of some cities to defund entire police departments. Loy is a former U.S. Marine who pledged to defend his Country, and that pledge has no expiration date!
Loy is adamantly opposed to the “binding caucus” in the Legislature. You might ask, “what’s that?” Although the following quote pertained to the U.S .Congress, the same process is in effect in the Alaskan Legislature:
o The caucus is composed of all members of the majority party in the Senate. For the election of caucus officers and for the nomination of candidates for house officers, a majority of those voting binds the entire caucus; on questions of policy! So, what does this mean? In short, it’s a power trade!
In return for supporting a person for the position of Senate
President, the would-be President promises Senators plum appointments to committees, extra staffing, bigger offices, etc.
The trade off is the Senator receiving those favors and appointments promises to vote with the majority of the caucus---- regardless of their personal convictions and conscience!
The consequences of non-compliance is getting relieved of Committee assignments, banishment to smaller offices, reassignment of seats on the Senate floor and loss of staff (sound like middle school yet?)
Although a novice at running for and holding political office, Loy is not a novice in politics:
· He has been active in the Republican party for decades, most recently as Chairman of District 8 (he had to resign when he filed for the Senate seat).
· He has met with Governor Dunleavy and given a presentation about the dangers of electronic voting machines and electronic vote counting. (They are extremely vulnerable to manipulation and shifting votes to candidates other than intended by the voter).
· He has also been very actively involved with the group fighting for a full PFD.
On the personal level, Loy is the father of two sons (both Eagle Scouts). Loyal is the founder of a nationwide ministry to troubled youth, based in Jacksonville, Florida. and Gideon is a Captain in the Louisville, Kentucky Fire Department. Loy has eight grandchildren.
As mentioned earlier, Loy is a Veteran. During the Viet Nam crisis, he was an Officer in U.S. Marine Corps, Advanced Jet Instructor for the U.S. Navy Training Command
He is a retired pilot: of: J-3 Cub, TA-4J, OV10A, B-727, DC-8 , B-747
And, currently each December 24, he is on active duty as Christmas Sleigh Chief Pilot. (Loy is also a professional Santa).
Loy is a long-time volunteer for the Christmas Friendship Dinner, currently serving on the Steering Committee.
Loy is active in at Big Lake Baptist Church through music and teaching (men’s SS).
One of his hobbies is playing a “bull fiddle“ and singing (Bluegrass /Christian).
As in any campaign, he would appreciate financial support. For more information on donation options, e-mail him at: 76patriot@protonmail.com or call 892-2244.
