Realty owner running for commission

Richard Beckman, owner of Richard Beckman Realty Group in downtown Shelton, is running for the seat on the Mason County Commission occupied by Kevin Shutty, who told the Journal on Tuesday he won't run for re-election.

This is the first campaign for public office by the 55-year-old Beckman, who is running as a Republican.

Shutty, also a Republican, won the District 2 seat in 2017.

Beckman was a member and chair of the Mason County Realtors Government Affairs Committee and pointed out he endorsed candidates of both major political parties.

"I think I can make a real difference," he said in an interview Tuesday with the Journal. "I'm excited."

Beckman said his business experience will be an asset as a commissioner. He said he's not aligned with special interest groups or donors from Kitsap County who are focused on infrastructure in North Mason for their own benefit.

"I'm focused on the county as a whole ... I want to make it possible for business and growth to happen in Mason County," he said.

In a news release, Beckman said he supports fiscal responsibility ("Growth pays for growth"), private property rights, and "equal respect" between residents and government.

On law enforcement, he wrote, "Without laws being enforced we have no rights; we need a strong but fair enforcement of the law and justice system to keep our citizens safe."

The county needs to address the lack of housing, and the building permit process needs to be quicker, he wrote.

Beckman bought West Realty in Shelton in May 2007. "I'm a self-made man," he said. "I did it all on my own."

Beckman pointed out Shutty ran unopposed in his last election. "The citizens of Mason County deserve a choice," he said.

He added, "It seems like the current commissioners - I don't see them doing town halls, meeting the people, doing the will of the people."

Beckman said that if he is elected, he will resign from his position as a broker for the county regarding real estate sales and purchases.

Beckman's mother is from Bremerton and his father is from Bellingham, and he was born and raised in San Diego. He earned a degree in information systems technology at South Puget Sound Community College. He moved to Mason County in 1995.

He and his wife, Kim, live in the Skokomish Valley, and their combined family includes four children and six grandchildren.