LEWISBURG — In his office on Market Street in Lewisburg, Trey Casimir announced his intention to run on the Democratic ticket for the 85th District seat being vacated by Russ Fairchild.
“A bunch of my friends asked me to run for the seat back in December, but I had no beef with Russ, and I wasn’t eager to have my head handed to me again after my failed run for the 23rd District Senate seat in 2008,” Casimir said. “However, after Russ announced his resignation, I had to look at the situation in a whole new light.”
Casimir said he won’t be launching a traditional campaign.
“Did you know that $2.7 billion was spent on state and local races in America in 2008?” he asked. “Another $6.3 billion was spent on federal races. And the person who spent the most money won 9 out of 10 times. I don’t know about you, but that seems really messed up to me, both in terms of the total amount spent and the correlation between money spent and the chances of winning. I have been elected to the Lewisburg Borough Council twice now, and haven’t spent a dime in either race. I am going to try to accomplish the same thing at the state level, or at least not to spend more than $250, which is the level at which campaign finance reporting kicks in.”
Casimir said his decision was driven in large measure by his experience running for state senate.
“I would love to have the job, and I think I’d be able to do an excellent job and make my constituents in the 85th District proud” Casimir said. “However, the senate race in 2008 almost ruined me, and it was a big strain on my family. Also, although I’m proud that I was four times more efficient than my opponent in terms of dollars spent for votes received, I still spent almost $70,000 of my own, friends’ and family members’ money, and at the end of the day had nothing more to show for it than an extended, extremely interesting but exhausting tour of the 23rd District.”
Casimir said that he believes the major issues facing the region are safely regulating gas drilling in the Marcellus shale region, finding funding for the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway — which would create a bypass around Routes 11-15 in eastern Snyder County and add a bridge between Route 15 and Route 147 north of Northumberland; and keeping Interstate 80 toll-free.
“If I am elected, you can expect me to do as I have done during my service on the Lewisburg Borough Council – to reach across boundaries to find common purpose and mutual interest, and then to work my butt off to get things done,” he said.
Casimir pointed to his efforts co-leading a subcommittee that updated zoning ordinances in Lewisburg, developing an intergovernment agreement that governors the Lewiburg Area Recreational Authority, and developing the Rails-to-Trails path between Lewisburg and Mifflinburg.
