By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Elton Gallegly

The race to represent the 24th District in the United States Congress features one incumbent and two challengers who bring a variety of political views and backgrounds to the campaign.

Incumbent Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) has served nine two-year terms already. He grew up in a family where both parents worked for minimum wage throughout their lives, but by the time he was 24, Gallegly owned his own business. Gallegly, 60, is the father of four grown children and has seven grandchildren.

During his tenure as a congressman, Gallegly said he’s helped to enhance national security, reform immigration laws and enable small businesses to offer health coverage to their employees.

Brett Wagner, a 45-year-old challenger who calls himself a "Harry Truman Democrat," lives on a ranch near Ojai. Wagner grew up in Independence, Mo., worked in the banking business in the 1980s and now serves as a national security professor for the U.S. Naval War College, teaching at the Naval Base in Ventura County.

Brett Wagner

Wagner is the president of the California Center for Strategic Studies, a public policy think tank in Santa Barbara. This is Wagner’s first foray into politics.

Stuart Bechman, 44, is running as a representative of the Green Party. Bechman lives in Simi Valley with his family and holds degrees in business administration and management information systems and is working towards a master’s degree in sociology. He served as president of the Ventura County ACLU and is the current co-president of Atheist Unified.

"I’m calling for a change in our political process, to restore honesty, integrity and accountability," Bechman said.

Gallegly said people should re-elect him because for 18 years he has kept his commitments to the community.

"I mean what I say and I say what I mean and the record will bear that out," Gallegly said. "If you like what I have done, I will be consistent, if you don’t like it, find another candidate to vote for."

Wagner is running because he has a vision of a stronger, safer and smarter America. Wagner said he wants to build a stronger nation by introducing sweeping initiatives that would ensure that all programs vital to the country’s national security are fully funded by Congress.

"Many programs are drastically underfunded," Wagner said.

Bechman wants to bring the government back to the people.

"The federal government has become distant from and unresponsive to the people," he said. "Our representatives have failed to fulfill their duties in overseeing the actions of the executive branch of our government."

Wagner said he would have voted against giving President Bush the authorization to invade Iraq.

"I worked with the intelligence community before and it was clear Iraq was not a threat. Yet at the same time, we knew North Korea was developing and building the first four of their nuclear bombs," Wagner said. "We knew Saddam Hussein was a madman, but is the world safer? No."

"Gallegly talks a great deal about how he supports the military, but he does otherwise. They don’t pay the military enough and they don’t provide body armors," added Wagner, who accused Gallegly of voting to reduce funding for veterans’ hospitals.

Gallegly bristles at the charge.

"It’s either ignorance or dishonesty," the congressman said, "You can pull out elements from bills, but the big picture would show otherwise.

While the economy and health- care programs are important, nothing is more crticial then protecting the health and welfare of the people, Gallegly said. "Homeland security and public safety are number one priorities."

Bechman said he’s concerned that the new anti-terrorism laws put into place violate civil rights.

"Congress passed the Patriot Act, the biggest assault against our civil liberties since the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1789, within a mere three weeks after the 9/11 tragedy—an act which we later learned was not read by any congressperson before it was passed, and which did nothing to rectify the problems in our government agencies that allowed 9/11 to happen," Bechman said.

Gallegly believes his experience gives him the edge. He serves on several high profile committees, including the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the International Relations Committee and the Subcommittee on International Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Human Rights.

"Without question we are a much safer place today as a result of legislation and activities we have already done," Gallegly said. "But are we a safe country? No, we have to continue to be very vigilant through intelligence, coordination and communication, he said.

The candidates also differ on immigration. While Bechman calls for the revocation of the "illegal" status of immigrants, suggesting funds should be redirected to help them integrate, Gallegly wants to curtail illegal immigration entirely

Wagner thinks the immigration process needs to be overhauled.

Stuart Bechman’s photograph was not available for this story.