Magnolia's Doug Beatty challenges Markell

Doug Beatty is not happy with the administration of Gov. Jack Markell, and he says he is not the only one.  The Magnolia resident announced April 23 he plans to run against the incumbent for the Democratic nomination for governor.  “I’m an extreme long shot,” Beatty said.  “I think if I get on the ballot I can win.”

Beatty said he has never served even in a municipal office and does not hold a bachelor’s degree.  But Beatty said he is not uneducated.  In the Navy, he was trained in avionics to work on electronic systems.

Beatty also said he holds an honors certificate from Computer Learning Center in Alexandria, Va.  He has studied dealing black jack and roulette, and he worked in Washington, D.C., as a special police officer.

“I find the status quo unacceptable,” Beatty said. The potential candidate said he knows a number of state employees who are dissatisfied as well.  “If nothing else, I want to give people an option,” Beatty said.

The 50-year-old Navy veteran moved to Delaware from Washington, D.C., in 2001.  He now lives with his wife in Meadow Brook Acres near Magnolia. “In this neighborhood, burglaries are not normally investigated,” he said.

Beatty said it was a 2006 incident that finally pushed him to try to make a change.  Beatty said his next-door neighbor’s house was broken into, and his neighbor, also a friend, was gunned down.

Beatty said because his friend and the killer were both African-American, police did not investigate the shooting.  “I deliberately saw evidence not picked up,” Beatty said.  “There was a bullet left in my house.”

Beatty said cigarette butts the killer left on the floor of his neighbor’s home were not collected by police.  “I’m a stickler for civil rights,” Beatty said.  If a person is killed, it should be investigated, regardless of who the person is, he said.

“Sometimes, it just takes one person to stand up,” Beatty said.

Beatty is the oldest son of actor Ned Beatty, who broke into films in 1972 with his portrayal of Bobby in the movie “Deliverance.”  More recently, Ned Beatty provided the voice of Lotso in “Toy Story 3” and the Mayor in “Rango.”

Beatty said he had not spoken to his father in years, but he contacted his father recently, before he decided to run for office.  “He said he was very proud of me, and hoped that I won,” Beatty said.

Beatty said he is working to raise more than $5,000 to get his name on the primary ballot.

If elected, he promises to serve only one term in office.  “I believe that power corrupts,” he said.

Beatty said he did not consider running in a primary against Republican Jeff Cragg, which might have been an easier sell than trying to unseat Markell.  “I never thought about changing my party affiliation,” he said.

Beatty said he does not consider himself very partisan, but he knows how to uphold the law.  “I’m a damn good security guard if nothing else,” he said.

Beatty said citizens from Occupy Wall Street protesters to Tea Party members and 9-12 Patriots have shown support in his decision to run.  “I’ve got a lot of support from friends,” he said.  Most of them don’t even seem to mind his preference for wearing kilts, he said.

“There are a lot of stereotypes on both sides of the aisle,” Beatty said. “Maybe we all need to challenge ourselves a little bit every day.”

To contact Doug Beatty, email admin@doublebad.net.