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Bongino seeking spot representing Md.'s District 6CUMBERLAND, Jul 18, 2013 (Cumberland Times-News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Daniel Bongino said he doesn't view voters as Democrats or Republicans and he will refuse to talk negatively about any opponents as he strives to be the next U.S. congressman representing Maryland's District 6. Bongino, a candidate in the 2014 Republican primary, brought his campaign to Allegany County on Wednesday, stopping at the Times-News before heading to the Allegany County Fair to shake hands and meet Maryland voters. "The Democrats who believe they can't win in Western Maryland don't come here to shake hands and neither do the Republicans who believe they have a lock on the vote here," Bongino said. "I don't look at it that way." Jobs will be created, including jobs in Western Maryland, when the U.S. lowers its corporate tax structure and makes it economically feasible to manufacture goods at home, according to Bongino. "Blue collar jobs like those at an auto plant used to be lift something here and put it over there. Now they have six-figure salaries with the workers running sophisticated robotic systems and those kinds of jobs can be brought to Western Maryland," he said. The candidate favors decisions about natural gas development in Western Maryland being made by those who live in the area. "Just be real honest about it," he said. "Are there problems? Yes. Are there benefits? Yes. Describe them and make the decision. The tax benefit to the counties in Western Maryland would be $100 million." Bongino longs for a return of civility to Washington politics, but believes he knows why it has been absent. "The growth of the 24-hour news cycle has saturated people with hot divisive issues. There's no rest from it. It's not like in the past when you watched Walter Cronkite for a half-hour and then moved on to something else." Gerrymandering, the manipulation of voting districts, is a culprit as well, Bongino said. "Both parties do it and it's a dividing tactic." Bongino and his wife, Paula, live in Severna Park. He has graduate degrees in psychology and business administration. He has worked as a police officer in New York City and a special agent for the U.S. Secret Service. Currently, he is a small business owner. Contact Michael A. Sawyers at [email protected]. ___ (c)2013 the Cumberland Times News (Cumberland, Md.) Visit the Cumberland Times News (Cumberland, Md.) at times-news.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |