Committeeman announces write-in campaign
by James McEvoy, Managing Editor
PLUMSTED — Committeeman Jack Trotta has announced a write-in bid in the August 13 primary for the special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat of the late Frank Lautenberg.
In an interview with the Messenger Press Committeeman Trotta, a Republican, said he decided to pursue a write-in campaign based on feedback from friends after seeing the usual suspects when the ballot candidates were revealed.
”All the names that are on the ballot are people who are in the establishment already,” he said. “They’re the political elite. They’re the lawyers, the doctors, the businessmen who have turned activist and have been running for years. “We need new people with new ideas,” he added. “These people don’t represent the middle class.”
He said the write-in was needed since 1,000 signatures were necessary to appear on the ballot. He said getting the signatures represented “an impossibility” given the four to five-day window available to candidates.
Though he acknowledged the tough task ahead of him, he nevertheless thinks the special election provides a rare chance.
”This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get a regular person into office,” he said, noting that primaries tend to have lower turnout in general plus the fact it will occur in the late summer.
He emphasized he wants to help the middle class by working to bring back quality jobs as the economy continues to slowly improve.
”One of the things that absolutely the middle class needs is good paying jobs,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of jobs over the last few years that are finally come back to this country, but a lot of them are low paying jobs. The middle class needs to feel secure.
”There’s nothing wrong with flipping burgers as a job, but you can’t support a family on that kind of income,” he added. “We need to grow good paying jobs in this country again.”
He urged voters to back him based on his support for the people, not special interests.
”I am not a political insider. I’m not beholden to anybody,” he said. “I’m just asking for the individuals. I need your support. If you want to try to help the middle class vote for me.”
Committeeman Trotta was appointed July 2010 to fill the vacancy on Plumsted Township’s five-member committee due to the resignation of Michael McCue the previous month.
Subsequently, he was victorious in a special election that November to complete Mr. McCue’s two-year unexpired term.
Committee Trotta has also served as a member and trustee of the Plumsted Business and Merchants Association since 2005.
As part of his campaign, a Facebook page has been launched that can be viewed at www.facebook.com/USSENATE2013.