Wayne Trottier of Northwood, N.D., has announced he will run for a spot on the North Dakota House of Representatives.
Trottier said he's always been interested in politics and has been asked several times by Republicans to run for one of two representative positions for District 19, which covers nearly all of rural Grand Forks County.
"They convinced me this time to go for it," he said.
Trottier has lived in the Northwood area for 37 years with his wife and official campaign manager, Gladys. He served on the North Dakota State Fair Board for 16 years and had a seat on the Northwood City Council from 2004 to 2008.
Born and raised in Cavalier, N.D., Trottier served for two years on the U.S. Army and was an agriculture agent for Ward County in the 1970s. He spent 20 years as a sales manager for a feed company, and has been an auctioneer for the past 30 years.
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He is an active partner in the Heinze-Trottier-Parkman Auction Service.
Issues
If elected, Trottier said his main focus would be ensuring the state builds up its reserves and creates somewhat of a "savings account for North Dakota." That's an important thing to do in a state with an economy strongly tied to agriculture and energy, he said.
"If something would happen to the energy sector or the agriculture economy, our situation could be a lot different in North Dakota," he said. "Prepare for the worst and hope for the best."
Trottier said he doesn't have specific plans for District 19 but would like to focus on reducing taxes while maintaining service to communities.
"I'll maybe learn that a little bit as I go along," he said. "Taxes and a secure economy I guess."
Continuing tax relief efforts that the Legislature passed last year is also an important issue, Trottier said, but it needs to happen in a fiscally responsible way.
"I, along with everybody else, appreciated the real estate tax relief that the state gave us this year," he said. "I sure would like to work on continuing that and yet keep a reserve in the state treasury."
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He admitted that people want to save money "whether you're a liberal or a conservative," but added he would be "very cautious" about expanding government programs.
Trottier said his years on the Northwood City Council taught him an important lesson that would influence his time in Bismarck.
"I think as a government representative, you should question every single thing and every single bill that's presented," he said. "Even the services that we now have."
Johnson reports on local politics. Reach him at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
