Tom Roughneen for Congress In the News

Wall Street Journal

Republican Iraq Vets Seek 17 House Seats
By JOEL MILLMAN and T.W. FARNAM
April 8, 2008

Seventeen Iraq combat veterans are running for House seats as Republicans, pledging to continue the war once in Congress and linking themselves to Sen. John McCain's candidacy for president.

As Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, prepares to go to Capitol Hill Tuesday to discuss his record there, some of the vets also came to Washington to link themselves to the general whose 2007 troop surge they believe has improved America's prospects for victory.

• The Race: Seventeen Iraq combat veterans are running for House seats as Republicans in support of the U.S. effort.
• The Background: Democrats launched a slate of veterans in 2006 who used their military credentials to argue against the war with some success.
• The Bet: The Republican veterans believe what helped Sen. McCain could help them.In 2006, the Democrats had some success with a slate of veterans who used their military credentials to argue against the war. The Republican veterans argue that such antiwar vets are the exception and, even though the public is still against the war, they will be able to make the case that the country is succeeding and should commit the resources to achieve victory.

"Iraq's going to be a tough issue for everybody, but we're going to be uniquely positioned to deal with it," says former Marine Cpl. Keiran Lalor, a Republican running in the Hudson Valley of New York. "The Democrats went around and found the exception to the rule: They found the Iraq vets against the war."

The Republican vets have linked themselves to Sen. McCain's presidential bid and hope to ride to victory on his coattails. They hope that if independents decide to support Sen. McCain and his commitment to finish the job in Iraq, they will vote that way down-ballot as well.

While most of the group, calling themselves Iraq Veterans for Congress, are running against incumbent Democrats, four are in primary contests for seats currently held by Republicans. In two of these races, the veterans are challenging incumbents the national party would prefer to run again. An additional vet has already won the primary for an open Republican seat.

Several members of Iraq Veterans for Congress, founded by Mr. Lalor, are running in districts considered safe for Democratic incumbents, making their candidacies largely symbolic. Mr. Lalor faces Democratic freshman Rep. John Hall, a former rock singer with the 1970s group Orleans.

Mr. Lalor says he is running to represent Gen. Petraeus, who was born in Cornwall, N.Y., a town in the 19th district, and whose alma mater, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, is also in the district.

Even symbolic candidacies could influence the debate in swing states. Former Army Lt. Col. William Russell is running against Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha, one of the top Democrats in the House. Mr. Russell says Rep. Murtha has "emboldened the enemy" with remarks about the Marines accused of killing civilians in Haditha, Iraq. At an event with other members of the group Monday, he called Gen. Petraeus "a consummate warrior" and said he would stake his own life on the general's integrity.

In two districts in Ohio and New Jersey, Iraq veterans are running for seats being vacated by Republicans. Democrats almost won both two years ago, and this time both Democratic challengers, boasting more name recognition and money, are gunning for a rematch.

The Iraq vets' efforts have gained the most headway in Ohio's 15th district, where the first of the 17 members of the organization to win a primary race is State Sen. Steve Stivers. While he says he admires both Sen. McCain and Gen. Petraeus, he isn't making Iraq policy the centerpiece of his campaign. "I'll talk about Iraq with anyone who asks me, but now it's not the first issue on people's minds," the 43-year-old Ohio native says. "Jobs and the economy are where my focus is."

After several prominent Republicans declined to run this year, Mr. Stivers threw his hat into the ring to succeed retiring Rep. Deborah Pryce. He won the March 4 primary with 66% of the vote, but his prospects in November are dicey. Sen. Barack Obama, who has trumpeted his antiwar record, carried the counties that compose most of Mr. Stivers's district, including the Columbus suburbs, where Sen. Obama beat Sen. Hillary Clinton by 14 points. The district is also home to the main campus of Ohio State University, where a Republican candidate's call to "complete the mission" in Iraq is more likely to drive turnout for the Democrats than for Mr. Stivers.

Other primary races could cause problems for the national Republican party. Two veterans are challenging sitting congressmen -- Bill Sali in Idaho's First District, and Doug Lamborn in Colorado's Fifth. Mr. Sali angered party loyalists by winning what many called a nasty campaign in 2006, and his malapropisms, once he was in office, became frequent fodder for Boise newspaper columnists.

Doug Lamborn engendered such rancor in his 2006 Colorado primary that Joel Hefley, the outgoing Republican congressman, refused to endorse him. Mr. Lamborn's district includes Fort Carson, an Army post that has suffered hundreds of casualties in Iraq. He is being challenged in his party's primary by retired Air Force Gen. Bentley Rayburn, who served in two Iraq wars.

In a normal year, both Messrs. Sali and Lamborn could feel safe, even though both are House freshmen who embittered local Republicans on the way to winning their seats. But challenges by Iraq veterans may swing hard-core Republicans against both men in this year's primaries. That would leave the national party with a dilemma: no incumbent to support in the November election.

In New Jersey, Tom Roughneen is running in the primary in the Seventh District, which retiring Rep. Mike Ferguson barely held in 2006 against Democrat Linda Stender. Mr. Roughneen, a civil-affairs captain in Iraq and Essex County assistant prosecutor, knows he is a dark horse in a field that includes Kate Whitman, the daughter of former New Jersey governor and Bush cabinet member Christie Todd Whitman. But as the only Iraq veteran in the race, he says he is best equipped to fend off Democrats' charges that the Iraq war has been a mistake.

"The way for the party to hold this district is for a veteran to represent the party," says the 38-year-old New Jersey native. "Against a veteran, Linda Stender will look foolish trying to convince voters the success we've had in Iraq has been a waste of lives."

Write to Joel Millman at joel.millman@wsj.com

As seen on the front page of www.politickernj.com on March 25th, 2008:

Keep an eye on Tom Roughneen
By Wally Edge

It’s not uncommon for a unsuccessful congressional candidates to find future electoral success. Thomas Kean, Sr. lost a GOP House primary in 1974 and became Governor seven years later; his son, State Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr., lost a 2000 congressional primary and won an Assembly seat a year later.

So here’s a prediction: keep an eye on Thomas Roughnen, the young former prosecutor and Iraq war veteran who is seeking the GOP nomination for Congress in the seventh district. Republican leaders who watch him on the campaign trail say they are impressed; they say he’s smart, well-spoken and charismatic. read more

7th Congressional District race - Iraq War vet Roughneen is honored at national Republican summit

Echoes-Sentinel
Published: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 4:02 PM EDT

WATCHUNG – Tom Roughneen of Watchung, Republican candidate in the 7th Congressional District and Iraq War veteran, is in Washington this week as a guest of the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) March Dinner and Tax Summit.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the summit, invited a dozen Iraq War veterans to be his special guests at the two-day event, which began Wednesday, March 12.

Republican President George W. Bush was the summit’s keynote speaker. Roughneen attended with his wife, Alice, and all the veterans in attendance were honored for their service, past and future.

The summit is the largest fundraiser of the year for the NRCC and the party’s largest contributors from around the country were in attendance, Roughneen said. read more

7th Congressional District - Iraq War vet says he’s prepared
for Congress
Says he can talk the generals’ language to get vet benefits
By DENIS J.KELLY, Editor
Thursday, February 21, 2008 3:57 AM EST

WATCHUNG – Former prosecutor and Iraq War veteran Tom Roughneen of Watchung, a candidate for the Republican nomination for the Seventh Congressional district, said he sat beside the legendary Tigris River in Iraq in 2003, thought by some to be the cradle of civilization, and reflected on how his civil affairs unit had helped bring democracy to Kirkuk, generally accepted as the model for how democracy could work in Iraq.

Now, he said, he wants to stand beside the Potomac River in Washington, and help change the politics as usual in the nation’s capital into the model Americans expect from their elected officials. read more

February 13, 2008
Roughneen collects military signatures
By Matt Friedman

Tom Roughneen is one of the lower profile Republican congressional candidates in the seventh district, but he’s found a novel way to collect signatures.

An army defense lawyer and Iraq war vet, Roughneen is limiting those who sign his ballot petition to active and former members of the military and their families. read more





	Wall Street Journal Republican Iraq Vets Seek 17 House Seats By JOEL MILLMAN and T.W. FARNAM April 8, 2008 Seventeen Iraq combat veterans are running for House seats as Republicans, pledging to continue the war once in Congress and linking themselves to Sen. John McCain's candidacy for president. As Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, prepares to go to Capitol Hill Tuesday to discuss his record there, some of the vets also came to Washington to link themselves to the general whose 2007 troop surge they believe has improved America's prospects for victory. • The Race: Seventeen Iraq combat veterans are running for House seats as Republicans in support of the U.S. effort. • The Background: Democrats launched a slate of veterans in 2006 who used their military credentials to argue against the war with some success. • The Bet: The Republican veterans believe what helped Sen. McCain could help them.In 2006, the Democrats had some success with a slate of veterans who used their military credentials to argue against the war. The Republican veterans argue that such antiwar vets are the exception and, even though the public is still against the war, they will be able to make the case that the country is succeeding and should commit the resources to achieve victory. "Iraq's going to be a tough issue for everybody, but we're going to be uniquely positioned to deal with it," says former Marine Cpl. Keiran Lalor, a Republican running in the Hudson Valley of New York. "The Democrats went around and found the exception to the rule: They found the Iraq vets against the war." The Republican vets have linked themselves to Sen. McCain's presidential bid and hope to ride to victory on his coattails. They hope that if independents decide to support Sen. McCain and his commitment to finish the job in Iraq, they will vote that way down-ballot as well. While most of the group, calling themselves Iraq Veterans for Congress, are running against incumbent Democrats, four are in primary contests for seats currently held by Republicans. In two of these races, the veterans are challenging incumbents the national party would prefer to run again. An additional vet has already won the primary for an open Republican seat. Several members of Iraq Veterans for Congress, founded by Mr. Lalor, are running in districts considered safe for Democratic incumbents, making their candidacies largely symbolic. Mr. Lalor faces Democratic freshman Rep. John Hall, a former rock singer with the 1970s group Orleans. Mr. Lalor says he is running to represent Gen. Petraeus, who was born in Cornwall, N.Y., a town in the 19th district, and whose alma mater, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, is also in the district. Even symbolic candidacies could influence the debate in swing states. Former Army Lt. Col. William Russell is running against Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha, one of the top Democrats in the House. Mr. Russell says Rep. Murtha has "emboldened the enemy" with remarks about the Marines accused of killing civilians in Haditha, Iraq. At an event with other members of the group Monday, he called Gen. Petraeus "a consummate warrior" and said he would stake his own life on the general's integrity. In two districts in Ohio and New Jersey, Iraq veterans are running for seats being vacated by Republicans. Democrats almost won both two years ago, and this time both Democratic challengers, boasting more name recognition and money, are gunning for a rematch. The Iraq vets' efforts have gained the most headway in Ohio's 15th district, where the first of the 17 members of the organization to win a primary race is State Sen. Steve Stivers. While he says he admires both Sen. McCain and Gen. Petraeus, he isn't making Iraq policy the centerpiece of his campaign. "I'll talk about Iraq with anyone who asks me, but now it's not the first issue on people's minds," the 43-year-old Ohio native says. "Jobs and the economy are where my focus is." After several prominent Republicans declined to run this year, Mr. Stivers threw his hat into the ring to succeed retiring Rep. Deborah Pryce. He won the March 4 primary with 66% of the vote, but his prospects in November are dicey. Sen. Barack Obama, who has trumpeted his antiwar record, carried the counties that compose most of Mr. Stivers's district, including the Columbus suburbs, where Sen. Obama beat Sen. Hillary Clinton by 14 points. The district is also home to the main campus of Ohio State University, where a Republican candidate's call to "complete the mission" in Iraq is more likely to drive turnout for the Democrats than for Mr. Stivers. Other primary races could cause problems for the national Republican party. Two veterans are challenging sitting congressmen -- Bill Sali in Idaho's First District, and Doug Lamborn in Colorado's Fifth. Mr. Sali angered party loyalists by winning what many called a nasty campaign in 2006, and his malapropisms, once he was in office, became frequent fodder for Boise newspaper columnists. Doug Lamborn engendered such rancor in his 2006 Colorado primary that Joel Hefley, the outgoing Republican congressman, refused to endorse him. Mr. Lamborn's district includes Fort Carson, an Army post that has suffered hundreds of casualties in Iraq. He is being challenged in his party's primary by retired Air Force Gen. Bentley Rayburn, who served in two Iraq wars. In a normal year, both Messrs. Sali and Lamborn could feel safe, even though both are House freshmen who embittered local Republicans on the way to winning their seats. But challenges by Iraq veterans may swing hard-core Republicans against both men in this year's primaries. That would leave the national party with a dilemma: no incumbent to support in the November election. In New Jersey, Tom Roughneen is running in the primary in the Seventh District, which retiring Rep. Mike Ferguson barely held in 2006 against Democrat Linda Stender. Mr. Roughneen, a civil-affairs captain in Iraq and Essex County assistant prosecutor, knows he is a dark horse in a field that includes Kate Whitman, the daughter of former New Jersey governor and Bush cabinet member Christie Todd Whitman. But as the only Iraq veteran in the race, he says he is best equipped to fend off Democrats' charges that the Iraq war has been a mistake. "The way for the party to hold this district is for a veteran to represent the party," says the 38-year-old New Jersey native. "Against a veteran, Linda Stender will look foolish trying to convince voters the success we've had in Iraq has been a waste of lives." Write to Joel Millman at joel.millman@wsj.com As seen on the front page of www.politickernj.com on March 25th, 2008: Keep an eye on Tom Roughneen By Wally Edge It’s not uncommon for a unsuccessful congressional candidates to find future electoral success. Thomas Kean, Sr. lost a GOP House primary in 1974 and became Governor seven years later; his son, State Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr., lost a 2000 congressional primary and won an Assembly seat a year later. So here’s a prediction: keep an eye on Thomas Roughnen, the young former prosecutor and Iraq war veteran who is seeking the GOP nomination for Congress in the seventh district. Republican leaders who watch him on the campaign trail say they are impressed; they say he’s smart, well-spoken and charismatic. read more 7th Congressional District race - Iraq War vet Roughneen is honored at national Republican summit Echoes-Sentinel Published: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 4:02 PM EDT WATCHUNG – Tom Roughneen of Watchung, Republican candidate in the 7th Congressional District and Iraq War veteran, is in Washington this week as a guest of the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) March Dinner and Tax Summit. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the summit, invited a dozen Iraq War veterans to be his special guests at the two-day event, which began Wednesday, March 12. Republican President George W. Bush was the summit’s keynote speaker. Roughneen attended with his wife, Alice, and all the veterans in attendance were honored for their service, past and future. The summit is the largest fundraiser of the year for the NRCC and the party’s largest contributors from around the country were in attendance, Roughneen said. read more 7th Congressional District - Iraq War vet says he’s prepared for Congress Says he can talk the generals’ language to get vet benefits By DENIS J.KELLY, Editor Thursday, February 21, 2008 3:57 AM EST WATCHUNG – Former prosecutor and Iraq War veteran Tom Roughneen of Watchung, a candidate for the Republican nomination for the Seventh Congressional district, said he sat beside the legendary Tigris River in Iraq in 2003, thought by some to be the cradle of civilization, and reflected on how his civil affairs unit had helped bring democracy to Kirkuk, generally accepted as the model for how democracy could work in Iraq. Now, he said, he wants to stand beside the Potomac River in Washington, and help change the politics as usual in the nation’s capital into the model Americans expect from their elected officials. read more February 13, 2008 Roughneen collects military signatures By Matt Friedman Tom Roughneen is one of the lower profile Republican congressional candidates in the seventh district, but he’s found a novel way to collect signatures. An army defense lawyer and Iraq war vet, Roughneen is limiting those who sign his ballot petition to active and former members of the military and their families. read more
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	Courier News - February 10, 2008 War vet takes running for Congress literally By MARTIN C. BRICKETTO STAFF WRITER READINGTON — Iraq War veteran and former assistant prosecutor Tom Roughneen is running for Congress in more ways than one. Wearing a shirt with his Web site printed across the front, Roughneen jogged up Main Street in the Whitehouse Station section of the township at 8 a.m. Friday. He was flanked by his wife, Dr. Alice Tzeng, his father, Joe, and his brother-in-law, Bowen Tzeng. "I just thought it was natural," Roughneen said about donning his running shoes on the campaign trail. "The other reason why is that I was finding it very difficult, even with a great staff, to get my workouts in." The 38-year-old Watchung resident is one name on a long list of Republicans seeking their party's nomination for Congress in the 7th district, which includes parts of Somerset, Hunterdon, Middlesex and Union counties. Others include state Sen. Leonard Lance, R-Clinton Township; Kate Whitman, the daughter of former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman; Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks; former Summit Councilwoman Kelly Hatfield; Warren Committeeman Victor Sordillo; former Hillsborough Deputy Mayor Chris Venis; and Bridgewater Councilman Michael Hsing. Meanwhile, Assemblywoman Linda Stender, D-Fanwood, is the likely Democratic nominee. Lacking the name recognition, political backing or fundraising clout of other candidates, Roughneen has jogged in Clinton Township, Flemington and other district towns during the past two weeks to kick up attention for his campaign, talking with people on the street and handing out leaflets to drivers at red lights. "We're starting out here in Hunterdon County, where we know there's a very strong base of Republicans," Roughneen said. "My dad always roots for the underdog," Roughneen added. "I'm not going to shy away from anybody just because they throw around how much money they've raised so far or how long they've been in politics." Roughneen isn't counting on sweat alone. He hopes to raise $100,000 by the end of the month and $200,000 by the end of March — marks already met by other candidates. An Army defense lawyer, Roughneen also was part of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a civil affairs captain in the U.S. Army Reserves, working to build government in the northern city of Kirkuk. He also spent 10 years as an assistant prosecutor in Union and Essex counties, and is "of counsel" with Timothy R. Smith & Associates in South Orange. Catching a breather inside Jerry's Place on Main Street, Roughneen talked about his working-class roots and Irish immigrant parents — as Joe Roughneen asked in a thick Irish brogue if anyone wanted coffee. "I understand what it means to have a job and to make ends meet, and I believe that I reach out to the voters out there who deep down may be Republicans but have a hard time identifying with our party not because of principles but because of the candidates," Roughneen said. Roughneen said he is pro-life. In terms of the Iraq War, he said it's heading in the right direction following the surge. But Roughneen also talks about friends shouldering multiple tours of duty in Iraq as well as a younger brother who is a Black Hawk helicopter pilot. "We have reached a point that we really are asking a heavy burden, and we need to scale back," Roughneen said. Troop levels should decrease as the Iraqis prove themselves, Roughneen said, but he also envisions the long-term presence of U.S. troops in the country. Asked about the economic stimulus package passed by Congress during the week, Roughneen said he probably would have supported the House version and hadn't studied the Senate version. He cautioned against spending with corresponding budget cuts, however. "Anytime government gives back money to the taxpayers, it's hard to argue with that, but by the same token, we need to be making the corollary cuts to the budget and spending," Roughneen said. Roughneen's candidacy will be an uphill run. Besides fundraising, other candidates have been working to shore up their political support in anticipation of the district's county Republican organizations gathering to make their endorsements and the June primary. This month, Whitman, who owns her own public relations consulting business, announced the backing of several Somerset County officials. Those supporters include Freeholder Rick Fontana, County Clerk Brett Radi, Bedminster Municipal Chair Jim Bellis, Branchburg Municipal Chair Arlene Strege, Bridgewater Municipal Chair Chris Corsini, Franklin Municipal Chair Bob LaCorte and Peapack Municipal Chair Bob Sutton. The Peapack-Gladstone resident also received another endorsement last week that left few surprised. "As she is saying herself, Kate is running for Congress because she knows Washington is going to require new blood and new energy if things are going to change," former Gov. Whitman said in her blog for the Web site Politickernj.com. "I know Kate and she isn't going to sit around and hope that someone else will fight the good fight, she will be that fighter." Post a Comment View All Comments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It will be refreshing to see an honest candidate who can serve the public first and not the party boss or political party. Perhaps another John McCain independent type coming out of Somerset County. Or will it be business as usual the party picking Whitman's daughter when many better candidates are stepping to the plate. Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:12 am -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Courier News Biondi opts out of Congress run 7th District race to get two more GOP candidates By MARTIN C. BRICKETTO STAFF WRITER Assemblyman Peter J. Biondi said Tuesday he will not seek a 7th District congressional seat representing several Central Jersey municipalities. But as one potential Republican candidate steps back, others are steaming ahead. State Sen. Leonard Lance, R-Clinton Township, plans to officially announce his candidacy in Flemington this morning at the Historic Hunterdon County Courthouse. Meanwhile, Watchung resident Tom Roughneen — an Iraq War veteran, Army defense lawyer and former assistant prosecutor with Union and Essex counties — expects to announce his candidacy as a Republican on Saturday. Assemblywoman Linda Stender, D-Fanwood, has emerged as the likely Democratic nominee for the seat. She announced last week that her campaign has raised more than $615,000. Biondi, R-Hillsborough, said opting not to run was a difficult decision, but "I have to do what's best for me and my family." He also suggested he could be more effective in the state Legislature. "I thoroughly enjoy working for the residents of the 16th legislative district and I feel I can be more helpful to them in the state Legislature and because of my leadership position than if I were to begin a new tenure as a member of Congress," Biondi said in a statement. A member of the Legislature since 1998, Biondi is the second-ranking Republican in the state Assembly as the Republican Conference Leader. He is a former Somerset County freeholder and Hillsborough mayor. "Hillsborough couldn't lose either way Pete Biondi decided," Hillsborough Mayor Anthony Ferrera said about the decision. "Either he would have made a great congressman for our community or he remains a great assemblyman representing us in Trenton. No one has been more effective for Hillsborough." Biondi said a prime issue facing the state's congressional delegation is getting a better return on the tax dollars New Jerseyans send to Washington, as well as health care and homeland security. U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson, R-New Providence, announced in November he would not seek re-election to the seat, expected to be one of the most competitive in New Jersey this year. The district includes portions of Hunterdon, Somerset, Union and Middlesex counties. Kate Whitman — the daughter of former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman — Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks and former Hillsborough Deputy Mayor Chris Venis are among those who already have announced their candidacies. Biondi said he has not decided whom to support for the seat at this point. Roughneen said he expects to announce he is running for the seat during an event Saturday at Kenilworth VFW Post 2230. "What I'm tired of is the same old, same old politicians and their progeny ... doing the same old things and cutting the same deals, be that in D.C. or be that in New Jersey, raising taxes and making life in America and specifically in New Jersey unliveable," Roughneen said. Roughneen said he wants to legislate that federal agencies submit a 0.5-percent cut in their budget every year. "And then it's up to the executive (president), and Congress can hold his feet to the fire, or her feet to the fire, to exercise those cuts as necessary, and that doesn't exclude the Department of Defense, either," Roughneen said. "As a 20-year veteran, I know that there's plenty of waste in the Department of Defense and that their bureaucracy keeps sprawling into Virginia further and further along past where the Pentagon actually sits."
	Rebuilding Kirkuk one office at a time, one day at a time Story and photos By Sgt. 1st Class Todd Oliver SETAF Public Affairs It’s a massive undertaking by anyone’s estimation. It’s a city on the verge of chaos, its utilities functioning only part of the time, its bureaucracy dismantled. Rebuilding a city’s government, office-by-office, record-by-record, person-by-person, including restoring the basic community services—water, electricity, police and fire protection—a difficult task for each service separately, can seem insurmountable when combined. Throw into the mix different ethnic, political and religious groups, each vying for power at the expense of the others, and the end result could (and often does) end up tragically. While far from a normal, healthy, functioning city, life in Kirkuk, which has roughly the population of Denver, seems to be slowly returning to normal, with the help from soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. A significant step in that direction was taken when Col. William Mayville, 173rd Abn Bde commander, reopened the city’s main government building during a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 3rd. “Reopening the government building signifies a very important step for a society that has known nothing but despots and terror, and helps them to take a step towards democracy,” Mayville said. The building, while open, was looted when Saddam Hussein’s government officials fled. Official records, vital to any city’s grasp of law and order, were in disarray. Much of the mechanical objects that keep a government functioning had been looted or destroyed. “It’s just a massive-scale operation,” said Capt. Tom Roughneen, 404th Civil Affairs Battalion, who is assigned to the 173rd. “It’s so hard to guess when it might be normal again. Every day you just have to react to what happens.” “We’re going to have to completely rework the function of the government building,” Roughneen said. “Right now, I have about 100 to 150 people coming in here daily and their mission has folded up and gone away.” Under the Ba’ath party the building had a different, and far more sinister purpose. Three different ministries once operated inside the building, the Department of Resolution, the Department of People Affairs and the Order of 111. The Dept. of Resolution is believed to have taken care of the regime’s drug smuggling operations and its police-sanctioned auto theft ring. Permits (and what appear to have been blatant bribes) were required by citizens to build just about anything within Kirkuk and were handled by the Dept. of People Affairs. The Order of 111 is believed to have facilitated Saddam’s efforts to Arabization the region—often by forcefully evicting local, non-Arab residents from their homes, Roughneen explained. Though many of the returning workers are the same ones who worked in the building under Hussein, their names have been checked through various sources to help ensure they have a clear background. “They’ve been antsy to get back to work,” Roughneen said about the building workers. “The first day I met them, about a week ago, they just wanted to get back to the job. They didn’t care about getting paid they just wanted to get back in here. I think opening the building was a bigger first step to us then it was to them. I know to me it was a milestone to say we got the first group back in their building and in their former offices.” Another of the many challenges that face both the city of Kirkuk and the Brigade is finding workers. “We’re going to ask them to help us go out and find the other city managers of departments that existed outside this building,” Roughneen said. “We plan to meet with them and find out if anyone knows somebody who was involved in—let’s say payroll or who was a former supervisor in one of these other departments—and we go out and ask them to come back to work.” “This was a socialist economy; the government did everything. The Ministry of Agriculture, for instance, told farmers what to plant where and what to sell at what price. It’s going to be a retrenching of the entire economy,” Roughneen said. “The next step has to be defined by the Iraqi people and by the citizens of Kirkuk,” Mayville said. “We’re not here to tell them how to do their business, what we’re here to do is to help them facilitate their success.” “We do that in a couple of areas. We do it by providing stability and security—by making sure this is a safe place for a democratic process to begin. Secondly, we go in and help them with their basic life support systems—water, electricity, fuel, medical care ,and by getting the police department up and running. As a side note, we’re in there helping them to facilitate the democratic process, helping them form committees and delegates. These are all things we’re doing,” Mayville said. Another challenge, perhaps the most important one according to Ali Salhi, an advisor to Mayville and a chairman of an organization called the Iraqi Free Officer’s and Civilian Movement, is the imminent shortage of oil and gasoline. “The biggest crisis at this time is the gasoline supply,” Salhi said. “Hopefully we will solve it in a matter of days though. We have been trying to get the word to the public and I think that people are accepting it. They appreciate the fact that we are informing them.” Salhi, who was a very active opponent of Saddam’s regime, left Kirkuk for the United States in 1976 and is considering throwing his hat into the ring as a mayoral hopeful when elections finally arrive. “I am very thankful to God for where we are,” he said. “I expected to find 500, maybe a 1,000 bodies in this town. When people complain to me, all I can tell them is you waited in torture for 27 years, can you wait 90 days or 180 days to see what we can do for you. When I tell them that, they run out of questions. There is already a difference, you are free, I tell them. You can park anywhere you want to, walk anywhere you want to, say anything you want to, no one will hurt you for this. This is democracy.”