Nick Sarracino Aims For Supervisor Seat In Tredyffrin Twp.

Pennsylvania's Primary Election is May 18. Republican Nick Sarracino, an Army National Guardsman who will be an Infantry officer in August, is also a candidate in Tredyffrin Township for its District 2 Seat on the board of supervisors.

He explained why he is running for election.

Nick Sarracino
Age: 28

Position Sought: Tredyffrin Township Supervisor for District 2 (Middle)

Party Affiliation: Republican

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No

Education: Upcoming, Bachelor of Arts in History from Rutgers Camden with a National Security Certificate to come in the Fall semester

Occupation: Soldier with the Army National Guard. Formerly a 19D Cavalry Scout, enlisted in February 2019. After August completion of Officer Candidate School, will be an Armor Officer.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: Board of Education, Palmyra, NJ. One three-year term.

Why are you seeking elective office?: I have experience in a similar-sized political entity; Palmyra School District had a roughly comparable budget and employee size to Tredyffrin.
I've always been drawn to service. Organizing finances, policies and working with my community has come naturally to me. Especially in these trying times, I think my history of leadership and service would greatly benefit the community I and my fiancee have chosen to settle down in.

The single most pressing issue facing our township is: Investment in the long term. One of the things I focused on during my time as a member of my Board of Education was a long-term investment. It's not a bad thing to spend money; at the end of the day you're running a service to the residents, a service they're paying for with their hard-earned tax dollars.
But you have to spend money on the right things and make sure they all work towards completing the goal of serving the residents to the best ability of the Township.
This, and the perspective of building something longer than the current budget cycle is what I'm proud to bring to the Board.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency?: The incumbent for the seat I'm pursuing has chosen not to seek re-election. That being said, a disturbing trend I've noticed from the Board is they have raised taxes and their budget dramatically over the last few years and there is little to show for it.
As I said above, spending isn't a bad thing but you have to provide results for our constituents and I don't see that.
I have also noticed the trend of the Board stonewalling residents until a problem becomes too big to ignore. Good leadership means addressing a problem before it becomes a crisis and I don't think the Board has shown a willingness to do that.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform: My platform consists of three main goals for myself during my time on the board:

• Accountability: I will always be accessible to my community.
• Hard-working: I will always make sure I am holding up my end of work, educating myself on issues, and ensuring I'm the best representative for my people.
• Being Proactive: seeing problems and addressing them before they become a crisis.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?: In August I will graduate from Officer Candidate School and earn my commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Army National Guard. I have been assigned as an Infantry Officer.
I have previously served as a Cavalry Scout, and so I have an incredibly clear head under fire. Small things don't drag me away from the bigger picture. As previously mentioned I have served on a School Board and so I know first hand what has to happen in an elected body to get things working for our residents.

The best advice ever shared with me was: "Embrace the suck." No matter how bad things get, embrace it, because you'll never experience that moment again.
That phrase has gotten me through some big challenges in life and especially in the Army when you're on Day 4 with no sleep and you have to keep going and showing the soldiers you're leading, you're still in the fight.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?: I'm a fresh face who wants to bring my talents to help our community look towards the future with excitement and energy. I don't look at things in government as "this vs. that" but, "What is the best for the people that have chosen me to serve?"

Campaign website: www.sarracinoforsupervisor.com