Facing competition from a 20-year incumbent, Republican candidate for state Senate Ron Brown knew he had to get his name out in the community.

The recently retired Eau Claire fire chief already had some recognition in the area, so he used that to his advantage.

He decided to go on a tour of the district in a bright red fire truck.

In an election year marred by criminal charges throughout the state Legislature, Brown said he thinks he can help pour water on the fire.

“I don’t know that one person can fix the problem,” Brown said. But he said all it takes is a few highly qualified people to bring things back to normal inside the Capitol.

Brown, a firefighter of 31 years, spent 12 years as Eau Claire fire chief. This is his first attempt at public office.

That’s part of Brown’s appeal, said junior Benjamin Hack, chairman of the UW-Eau Claire College Republicans.

“He’s not really a political person at all,” said Hack. “Ron Brown really brings a fresh approach.”

The Indiana-born firefighter compares balancing the state budget to balancing his checkbook. The analogy may seem trivial, but Brown insists the state budget is as simple as managing personal finances.

The difference lies in the amount of money that has to be managed.

“There are a lot more zeros on the left hand side of the decimal,” he said.

In the past year, the state government made cuts to the UW System by $44 million, about 24 percent of the system’s annual budget. It was a move highly criticized on college campuses as the UW System only makes up about 9 percent of the state budget.

It meant about $1.5 million less for UW-Eau Claire.

If elected state senator, Brown said he would prefer the cuts not affect education, whether it’s K-12 or higher education.

However, he said, he would not necessarily be against cutting education spending, if it were decided that the cuts are necessary to keep a balanced budget.

“If, during the course of budget cuts, if there is a little pain we can suffer,” he said, “we may all have to do that.”

Brown also said he would push for increases in financial aid and student loans with rising tuition costs on Wisconsin campuses.

Hack said he believes Brown will benefit students because the candidate will work to strengthen Wisconsin’s job market, improving the chances for local graduates to land quality jobs.

Brown’s campaign to get his name out to the community recently led him to participate in Eau Claire’s Homecoming Parade.

A letter to the editor in the Oct. 21 issue of The Spectator criticized him for drinking a beer during the parade.

“I don’t think I need to defend myself for that,” Brown said, noting that he didn’t intend to offend anyone.

Although Brown admittedly is not a fan of politics, he said there are two real ways to make a difference in the government. One is to exercise the right to vote. The other is to run for office.

But Brown said he’s not running to be a politician, he’s running to make a difference in state politics. He believes his ideas will create more jobs and ultimately improve the condition of the state.

“In order to cause positive change to occur, you have to be involved in the system,” he said. “I think I can have a very positive influence on the direction of this state in the future.”