Candidate forum — Tony Trimble
July 30, 2008
Tony Trimble, running for the Republican nomination for the 76th District Kansas House of Representatives seat, will answer reader questions.
Moderator: Hello, and welcome to a Gazette online chat. Our first guest today is Tony Trimble, a Burlington businessman who is a candidate in Tuesday's election for the Republican nomination for the 76th District Kansas House seat now occupied by Peggy Mast. Trimble and his wife, Renee, have been married 16 years and have two children, Jack and Abby. He was a trooper with the Kansas Highway Patrol from 1985 until 1992 and graduated from Washburn University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He and his family are members of St. Francis Catholic Church and are small-business owners in downtown Burlington. The chats this afternoon will be moderated. Questions will be selected by the moderator. Gotcha! questions along the lines of "Have you quit beating your wife?" will not be allowed. If there is a useful question within such a question, the moderator will pull that question out and submit it by itself. The goal is to have a civil and informative conversation. During the chat, remember to update your screen frequently to keep up with the converation. Feel free to submit questions during the chat, which will last one hour.
glarson: What are your reasons for running for office?
Tony Trimble: I beleive that our state legislature should place a greater focus on our economy and specifically on job creation and bringing new industry into our state. Additionally our legislature should work diligently to reduce state spending and allow Kansan to keep more of their own money.
whatajoke: What do you do for a living? How will that experience help you if you were to win the election?
Tony Trimble: I am a small business owner. My primary business is NationsTank,LLC an independent truck sales company that markets tanker trucks manufactured by Progress Tank of Kansas City. Additionally my wife and I own a building located in downtown Burlington that houses our retail flower and gift shop "Abby's Attic Flowers and Gifts". As a small business owner we understand the requirements of sales tax, commercial property tax, workers comp laws along with the other issues facing small businesses. This experience will help me as a legislator to better understand the challenges faced each day by Kansas business owners.
iamfree: Mr. Trimble, what elected or appointed offices have you previously held and for how long? If none, what boards or commissions or other community service posts have you held and where? Thank you.
Tony Trimble: I 1985 was appointed to the position of State Trooper with the Kansas Highway Patrol and served the citizens of Kansas in that position until 1992. I am an active member of the St. Francis Catholic Church in Burlington and have been active in my community as a little league soccer and baseball coach. This is my first time to run for public office.
Dr_Mac: What are your plans to enhance energy projects within the state. Are you in favor of the coal fired plants development, wind, solar, and adding to Wolf Creek?
Tony Trimble: Yes Yes Yes and Yes. If elected to the state legislature I will vote Yes to build the coal plants in Holcomb. I believe we should do everything possible to expand our use of wind, solar, and the Wolf Creek power plant.
Emporia_Spartan: Would your votes have been different from Peggy Mast's votes on any specific pieces of legislation during the last session? If not, how can you advocate voting for you for change? If yes, which ones?
Tony Trimble: The legislature failed to pass the Coal fired power plants,since year 2000 State spending has escalated from $7 billion to $12 billion. Our legislature spent $15 million on the capitol's underground parking garage, our Representatives choose to spend $100 million to remodel the capitol and now the cost have balloned to over $250 million this all occured during the past 12 years that Peggy Mast has been in office and the people of Kansas deserve better. As a powerful senior 12 year veteren of the house of Representatives, Mrs. Mast should have been able to stop this over spending by our state goverment.
Moderator: That is all the time we have for this chat. Thanks to Kansas House canddiate Tony Trimble for agreeing to partcipate. Log back in at 2:45 p.m. for a chat with 76th District incumbent Peggy Mast. A transcript of both chats will be published in Thursday's Emporia Gazette.