Peter Gounares
Republican
Running for: U.S. House District 1
This is a prior interview conducted with Mr. Gounares.
Doc: Tell us about your background.
PG: I was born and raised in Mobile and Baldwin County. After graduating from the University of Miami, I returned to Orange Beach where I began a career in real estate development. My father and I develop the Village of Tannin in Orange Beach. In March of 2008, I married Bethany Johnson from Sylacauga, Alabama, and 14 weeks ago, we welcomed our first child George Kendall into the world. This is my first time running for public office. I do not believe serving in Congress should be viewed as a career by those seeking the office. I look forward to serving my district and my country, but wish to return to my family life and career after serving no more than 6 years in Washington D.C.
Doc: What made you decide to run?
PG: I love my country, but I am tired of watching the people we elected to represent us put themselves in front of what is best for the nation. All of us conservatives want to see control of our government returned to conservative Republicans, which means we have to change the Republicans currently serving in Congress. We all watched the Republicans in Washington D.C. blow a tremendous opportunity 8 years ago when they controlled both the White House and Congress. Instead of promoting conservative principles, they looked more like Democrats and they let spending get out of control. It was no wonder that the country lost faith in the Republicans in 2006 and voted them out of power in Congress. As if blind to reality, Republicans still did not learn their lesson and America voted more Republicans out of Congress as well as turned the White House over to the Democrats in 2008. Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. We all know what will happen if we put the same Republicans as before back in control. They failed us before, and they will fail us again.
After our current Representative Jo Bonner voted twice in favor of the bank bailouts, my wife and discussed our options. We could sit back and do nothing, and hope that someone else would step up and challenge Mr. Bonner. Or we could step up to the plate and do what we knew was best for our district and our country. Running for Congress is no easy task, and would require many sacrifices. However, I have been blessed in my life where I have the ability to take the necessary time away from working to campaign. I have a beautiful wife and a 14 week old baby boy. I cannot stand being away from either, but I believe we all must be willing to make sacrifices if we are to get our nation headed in the right direction again.
Doc: What issues differentiate you from Rep. Bonner?
A major issue which differentiates myself from Mr. Bonner is my belief in the private sector versus big government. I believe that poorly run businesses should be allowed to fail. I do not believe the government should be wasting taxpayer money to save the jobs of a few corporate executives who made poor decisions. The private sector already has a system in place to deal with failing and failed businesses, and that is bankruptcy court. However, Mr. Bonner felt it was more important to let big government intervene with the natural cycle of capitalism and support taxpayer bailouts. If Mr. Bonner had any private sector experience, then he would have known better. But seeing as how he has spent the last 25 years either as a Congressman, or working for one, Mr. Bonner was ill equipped to understand just how devastating he decision would be on the private sector. Sadly, that is the case with many career politicians. Many are so far removed from the private sector, they have to rely on special interest groups, lobbyist, and party leaders to tell them how to vote on business related issues. In the end, career politicians will wind up doing what is best for their career.
Another issue which sets myself and Mr. Bonner apart is our belief in government spending. Although he makes grand public speeches about how he opposes Obama’s spending, he is not shy about adding to the cost of these very same programs. In the 2009 Omnibus bill Mr. Bonner blasted the Democrats for excessive spending, but personally added $67 million in earmarks for consideration. Of the 435 members in the House, only 13 requested more. It is that level of hypocrisy which Americans, especially conservatives are tired of. If we are going to claim fiscal responsibility, we must be consistent. At a time of economic crisis and record spending in this nation, you would think Mr. Bonner would have cut back, but he has not. His earmark requests for 2010 are even larger than his excesses of 2009. It is no wonder our nation is sinking in debt when people who claim to be conservatives spend more than the Democrats who openly support excessive spending.
Serving in Congress is an honor, and a job of humility. It should be a job where an individual seeks to serve the people, not dictate to them. Sadly in our district, we have seen where Jo Bonner is not shy about telling his constituents that he knows better than them because he is in Congress, and they are not. He has not been shy about ignoring the wishes of his voters to listen to party leaders. In a nutshell, he has forgotten what the job is supposed to be about…listening to the people you are elected to represent. I will not do that. I am asking to serve our district to change that very style of representation. I want to bring “We the People” back into our government. I do not want to make a career out of serving the people, I already have a job, and will have one to come home to after my limited time in Washington D.C.
Finally, our district deserves someone who is not afraid to promote conservative principles on Capitol Hill. Our district is what insiders like to call a “safe district” for conservatives. In other words, a person who runs for Congress as a conservative in this district should not feel afraid to promote those principles. However, our district has been plagued with silence when it comes to being a champion for what we as conservatives believe. For some reason, our current Representative has chosen to sit on the bench and hope someone else will win the game for conservatives nationally. This is completely unacceptable, and something I personally will work hard to change for our district. Even though in the House of Representatives I would only be 1 of 435 voices, I will work to make my voice among the loudest for conservatives. I will not be afraid to say what those in our district want their Representative to say when addressing Congress. I will not be a loyal servant to my party at the expense of my district or my nation. Those days have to be put behind us if we as a nation are to move forward and back on the path of success.
Doc: Anything else you would like Coastal Alabamans to know?
PG: Challenging an incumbent, especially in one’s own party is never an easy task. However, our campaign has been overwhelmed with support and positive comments. I am confident in our ability to win this election, but I do not want to do it without the help of each and every resident living in our district. This is not simply an election for myself, it is an election for all of us. It is a chance for those of us living here in District 1 to have true representation, and have our voices heard in Washington D.C. Because of this, I am asking everyone visit our campaign website at www.GounaresForCongress.com and sign up. Not only will you receive updates on what is happening within the campaign, but you have the ability to write in your own comments directly to me. I want to hear what is important to everyone here in the district, and I want to hear other people’s ideas on how to solve our nation’s problems. The ability to listen is a trait often lost by those in office, but is one I want to build my foundation on.
Website: www.GounaresForCongress.com
Running against: Jo Bonner
