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Representing the right: Trumbull the sole Republican candidate for 3rd Suffolk by Brandon Simes
Managing EditorThursday Mar 19, 2009 As the lone candidate thus far declared for the May 19 Republican primary for the open 3rd Suffolk District seat left behind by Sal DiMasi, you’d think that David Trumbull could essentially waltz to the June special election without worrying about reaching across the aisle or representing more liberal voters.
That is certainly not the case.
Currently the Director of Member Services at the National Textile Association and the Chairman of the Boston Ward Three Republican Committee, Trumbull served as the vice president of the Cambridge Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for a time in the 1990s.
"When I first became active with the Cambridge Republican City Committee in the early 1990s I found out that it was long-standing practice of the local GOP to buy a table at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. breakfast that the NAACP put on as a fundraiser for scholarships," he said in an e-mail to South End News. "I was impressed with the dedication of the local NAACP leadership in raising funds for a good cause, getting a large attendance at the event, and putting together an event with a good speaker and first-rate entertainment. I mentioned that I’d be interested in helping out and - you know how that is - pretty soon I was part of the breakfast planning committee."
His participation in the event led to a greater role with the NAACP, which has evidently left a lasting impression on the 50-year-old Beacon Hill resident.
"We had some great workers in the NAACP in the 1990s," he said. "Alvin Thompson, a Democrat, was the local state representative and branch president; he and I worked well together, even raised money for each other even though we were in different parties. My work was mostly with the planning of the breakfast every year, which was the branch’s biggest event. I was elected secretary and later vice president. I’m pleased to say that I took the practice of the GOP buying a table each year and doubled it to two tables. And I pointed out to my Democratic counterparts that their party ought to step up and support the NAACP also, which they did."
Trumbull also said he has "worked with congressional delegations from the liberal Democratic northeast and the conservative Republican southeast," and currently also has "the privilege" of working with the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Textiles and Clothing (ITAC) 13, one of 16 such organizations - usually with 20 to 30 members -that advise President Obama’s administration on international trade.
"ITAC 13 is the largest with over 30 members," he explained. "We meet about four times a year, usually in Washington, [D.C.], and by phone as needed, for classified briefings on trade issues and to advise U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and the secretary of commerce. Those two cabinet officers take the advice from all the ITACs as well as many other factors into consideration when formulating U.S. trade policy consistent with the goals articulated by the president. Earlier this month President Obama published his trade agenda indicating his desire to move forward on the Panama, Colombia, and South Korea free trade agreements negotiated under President Bush. He also indicated that he intends to put more emphasis on social accountability and political transparency in U.S. trade policy. So it sounds like there’ll be several areas where the ITAC can help the president in pursuing his trade agenda."
Trumbull, appointed to ITAC 13 in 2007 under former President George W. Bush, called the organization "nonpartisan," and said he’ll find out in December if his role will earn him a White House Christmas card, which would be as close as he has "ever gotten to meeting any president."
In his work with the trade industry Trumbull said he has worked with both liberal northerners and more conservative southerners.
"The textile industry that I serve is located mostly in the southeast and the northeast," he said, "so my work is largely directed at explaining to senators and members of congress from the Carolinas and from New England and the New York-New Jersey area how U.S. trade policy affects manufacturing jobs. In the Senate two names - one recently deceased, the other bravely carrying on public service while in midst of serious illness-stand out: Jesse Helms and Edward Kennedy. Now you wouldn’t think those two could have anything in common. But I found both to be tireless workers on behalf of the working people of their states. Both were ’go-to’ men in the Senate if you wanted to move (or slow down) a piece of legislation. Both were highly effective whether they were in the majority or minority party. In the House we work very closely with conservative Republican Howard Coble of North Carolina but we have no better ally in the north than Massachusetts’s Barney Frank."
With a record of working with divergent sides of the political spectrum, Trumbull said he hopes to represent the diversity of the 3rd Suffolk: "It must be about the most diverse district in the Commonwealth and I plan to represent every resident of the district," he said.
On one often contentious matter, same-sex marriage, Trumbull has a somewhat surprising stance for a Republican.
"I support Massachusetts’ marriage law as it currently stands with marriage equality for opposite and same-sex couples," he said.
Although Trumbull shares some of the same views as many of his Democratic opponents, he said he stands with the GOP because of his desire for "ordered liberty."
"In the current situation, with the many Massachusetts voters facing economic uncertainty and even loss of earnings and savings and with public confidence in elected officials eroded by the perception of a culture of corruption on Beacon Hill, my platform is common-sense initiatives to restore confidence, get people back to work, and be a good steward of tax dollars," he said. "I believe in strong and limited government - strong enough to effectively protect the rights of all citizens and promote opportunity for all while limited to those things best done by government and leaving individuals, families, and local communities as much freedom as possible. I believe that the Republican Party comes closest to my ideals of ordered liberty."
In 1990 the Beacon Hill resident moved to Boston, his "favorite city," after becoming the first in his family to attend college, graduating from the University of Michigan.
"I walk to work and to most other places I go in Boston," said Trumbull. "I love living in a city where I need not own a car. I also enjoy the intellectual stimulation and the vibrant arts scene in Boston."
Like many of the other candidates for the 3rd Suffolk race, Trumbull hopes for a new voice to represent disenfranchised voters, many of whom have lost faith in the integrity of their public officials.
"We need an alternative voice on Beacon Hill," he said. "This district was represented for 30 years by one man, Sal DiMasi - that’s quite a vote, or several votes, of confidence on the part of the voters, and the exit of so senior a legislator will be a loss to the district in terms of influence. But now, with this open seat, voters have an opportunity to decide between business-as-usual or a better deal for the citizens of the Commonwealth. ...In the current crisis in the economy and crisis of confidence in Beacon Hill we cannot afford more business-as-usual. I offer an alternative voice. That’s a message I plan to get out to the voters by several means."
Trumbull may appeal to "pocket voters" given his experience with business and trade. He opposes any plans to raise taxes or tolls before the economy takes a turn for the better.
"Massachusetts citizens cannot afford tax or toll increases while we are in a recession," he said. "We need to reform the state transportation system first before putting more money into it. We need to expand affordable healthcare for all residences and we should not be penalizing uninsured citizens at a time when people are losing their jobs and employer-subsidized healthcare. We need to provide high quality educational opportunities for all citizens to maintain and expand our skilled workforce."
Trumbull said he believes the recession stems from mismanagement by the government, and offered one specific example of savings of which the Commonwealth could take advantage.
"Beacon Hill does not manage our tax dollars wisely," he said. "Just one measure, merging the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority with [the] Mass Highway [Department], while transferring all assets and personnel to the state, could save us an estimated $190 million initially with $23 million per year saved in administrative costs and reduction in personnel expenses. We need to enact cost-saving measures before we turn to raising taxes or tolls."
Trumbull has only begun working on the logistics of his campaign, including scheduling appearances, but said he will first focus on speaking with voters.
"Right now I am focusing on meeting voters one-on-one, hearing their concerns and getting the signatures to get on the ballot. I’ll be announcing a schedule of events later," he said.
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