HYANNIS – One week after Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Beaty said he would not run for governor, the Republican has announced a potential run for the 5th Barnstable State Representative seat.
That would pit him against fellow incumbent Republican Randy Hunt in a primary race.
Beaty, who has become a controversial commissioner since taking office this year, is often critical of his fellow Republicans.
Earlier in the year, he contemplated running for Hunt’s seat, then announced an exploratory effort for governor.
Last week he abandoned that plan, and Wednesday announced a “change of purpose” form with the Commonwealth’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance for the state rep. seat.
Beaty issued the following statement:
Please be advised that I recently sent a completed and signed Form CPF 101 P: CHANGE OF PUROSE to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance via the U.S. Postal Service.
The form has been filed to officially change the purpose of my 2018 political campaign to a REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE for the 5TH BARNSTABLE DISTRICT, HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES Seat.
Moreover, please be further advised that irrespective of the outcome of the aforementioned endeavor, I have every intention of retaining my current elected position as an outspoken Conservative Republican Barnstable County Commissioner.
I will have further comment regarding this matter at some point after the first of the year.
Thank you, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all.
In previous emails between Beaty and the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, he clearly expressed his intention to remain in his commissioner’s seat regardless of whether he sought the state’s highest office.
Since his election last year to the county’s executive board, Beaty has earned admirers and enemies for his relentless pursuit of open meeting law violations, even against his own commission. He picked a very public fight with fellow Republican and 5th Barnstable District State Representative Randy Hunt over a parking space.
And then there’s the shark issue.
Beaty took some public heat for a proposal to bait and kill great white sharks off the Cape’s shores. His proposal was mocked, but Beaty said his supporters will say that at least he is putting solutions forward and starting a conversation.
“I think I question and I challenge the status quo and I think that is what we need to do. When I have the opportunity to explain my positions and proposals there’s a lot of positive feedback,” he said.
Most recently, Beaty caused a firestorm for criticizing the #MeToo movement on social media which has been used to raise awareness about sexual assault and abuse.
In his own social media post, Beaty previously called the campaign, “a bunch of nonsense, in my humble opinion.”
That prompted several weeks of protest at county commissioner meetings by those offended by his remarks.
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