All,
Many of you know me as a pilot for American Airlines (AA) in my 39th year. Some know of my participation at a high level for Allied Pilots Association (APA) for many years of that time. Others will know that during that period I was also a part-time law enforcement officer for 28 years. Further, leveraging those positions and experience, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many of you know the key role I played in getting the federal Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act legislation passed. A law that facilitated arming airline pilots so that our planes could never again be used as a weapon of mass destruction. During all those years I got to know some very interesting people. The ones I valued befriending the most were the ones that were completely honest and who worked tirelessly to represent others. One of those people was Len Turcotte.
Len has worn many hats. Hired as a pilot at AA in 1985 and owing nobody anything at all, Len got involved with APA and poured himself into the jobs he took on. I can honestly say that at every turn Len applied a warrior’s spirit to his efforts. Chairman or member of the APA SCOPE committee, Negotiating Committee, domicile chairman for BOS – and so on the APA board of directors with me on 911; he did heavy lifting and did not mind getting his hands dirty in the process. Those positions alone inform one of Len’s character; they are hard, 24/7, thankless and politically fraught positions within the pilot ranks. But wait, that isn’t all.
When he left APA service, Len went on to run for and be elected, and reelected to a FOURTH term, as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Len is careful to keep his NH political service and his employment with AA both at arms-length. He knows how the system works and has never underestimated his opponent’s willingness to try and pull the rug out from under him. One way he has ensured his independence has been by self-funding his previous races. As an extremely senior B787 captain (#28 out of ~16,000 AA pilots) he will be leaving a lot of pilot earnings on the table. The position pays a paltry $125 a year and he will be sacrificing about 70% of his pilot pay. He is prepared for this and he is passionate about what he wants to do next, but he could use our help.
With two years to go until Age 65 mandatory retirement from his AA job, and with a lot of energy still in the tank, Len is running for his fifth term and also for NH Speaker of the House. His reelection is about as guaranteed as such an effort can be, but the Speaker position; well, that one is much tougher. The Speaker position is a job that he is well prepared for. It is also a state-wide race, costing a lot more than running for a job in one district. If you or anyone you know well lives in NH, I want to ask you to please volunteer and/or encourage those you know to help Len with his campaign. Whether you live in NH or not, please help with a donation to Len’s campaign. Kathy and I are putting our money where our mouth is, we are making a substantial contribution. Why, NH is not where we are from or where we live? Because Len is again in a fight to do good for others. We do not have to personally benefit from those efforts, it is enough that we know of his work ethic and integrity. When we talked about it and he said that for the first time ever he would be soliciting financial support for his campaign, I told him that we would help. So, we are going to help and I ask that you please help as well.
Please send a check to the address below, or click TurcotteForSpeaker.com and go to his website and donate there. Also, please feel free to pass this along to your politically conservative friends and ask them to help him. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. I rarely put my own reputation on the line for anyone, so I feel strongly about this. Len is a great American, he wants to get in there and shake things up and I for one want to watch the show. Let’s all help make it happen.
Best Regards,
Phillip Beall