Joe Trillo Will Run For Governor, Make The Race 3-Way

Joe Trillo is running for governor as an Independent. The former honorary chairman of the Trump for President campaign announced his plans Tuesday. Cranston Mayor Allan Fung and state Rep. Patricia Morgan already announced they will run as Republicans. Incumbent Democrat Gina Raimondo has said she will make her announcement in January.

“My message is a populist one," Trillo said. "I want to appeal to the average hard-working person who has been forgotten and sold out by insider politics, party machines and the establishment. I know and identify with 'the forgotten man' – and this has been my focus since getting into politics. Rhode Island needs a fighter to change the status quo.

"I hope to be that leader with the support of like-minded Democrats, Republicans and Independent voters,” said Trillo.

Here is the rest of his press release:

“As your Governor, and in order to get things done, it will be necessary to have an understanding of how to work with Democrats, which I have been able to do for the 16 years I served in the House of Representatives. Rather than just claiming to be able to do this, as candidates often do, I have real experience working across party lines. While I have strong ideas about fiscal discipline and limited government, I also believe we need to take care of our most vulnerable people. I want to bring the prosperity that President Trump is bringing to our country here to our great state. Right now, while America prospers, Rhode Island is left behind. I will also work with the Administration, not against it, to bring more federal dollars to Rhode Island.”

This November, “Rhode Island will have a choice between the same old politics and politicians or a Governor who will drain the Rhode Island swamp. Rhode Island will have a choice between insiders or an outsider who is beholden to no special interest.”

“As one example of what we can do as a State, upon taking office, I will move to eliminate mandatory annual motor vehicle inspections. These inspections needlessly cost Rhode Islanders not only the annual fee, but valuable time, and in many cases hundreds of dollars in repair bills many cannot afford. Only 19 states still have mandatory inspections – and studies show they impose undue costs on our citizens without significant impact on safety. They are a relic of days when cars were far less technologically advanced and safe. They need to go the way of the VCR, fax machine, and typewriter. This is the type of innovative thinking I will bring to the State House.”

“As your governor, I will bring real change to this State, making it attractive for business investment, which will create new jobs. I will fight to eliminate our crony politics and corporate welfare of the past. Rather than expanding government, I will be a tireless fighter for our hard-working citizens who have been forgotten and sold out by our elected officials. While candidates for Governor declare their intentions to bring change, whether Democrat or Republican, none have the political will to fight and make the tough decisions. I do and I will. What matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people. As your Governor, I will work and fight every day to bring that change to Rhode Island.”

Among Joe Trillo’s objectives as Governor:
1. Root out waste and fraud in our health and service budget.
2. Shed the image of a sanctuary state.
3. Make Rhode Island a more business-friendly state by reducing unnecessary regulations which hurts small and large business and keeps jobs out of our state.
4. Shrink state government through attrition. This can only be done by going through each state agency and getting rid of redundant departments, obsolete departments and ineffective areas. To do this, appoint a team of investigators to be run through the governor’s office. Also, bring to the team the best leaders from the private and public sectors.
5. Work to reduce taxes that would help keep people from leaving our state such as the estate tax, state income taxes, as well as stop taxing pensions.
6. Lower the state sales tax rate to 5 ½% to attract commerce back to Rhode Island.
7. Have a sales tax holiday on the same day that Massachusetts holds one.
8. Work to reform our schools by putting discipline back in the classroom and protecting teachers from legal abuse for instilling discipline. Also, support separate, bilingual classes to allow non-English speaking students to be taught English. Our schools are failing under current policies.
9. Stop tying the hands of our police. Under current policies we have removed common sense, logic, and good judgement. Let police be police.
10. As a key initiative, work to eliminate state-mandated car inspections. Only 19 states have it and studies show they impose undue costs on our citizens without significant impact on safety. Having these inspections hurts low-income people the hardest, not to mention the burden of additional costs on our middle class.
11. Infrastructure – Rebuild city and town roads.
12. Impose stricter penalties for animal abuse.
13. Perhaps most importantly, work with the Trump Administration to bring more federal dollars to Rhode Island.

For more information and to join Joe Trillo, please visit TrilloforGovernor.com