Town of Clinton Councilman Ross Traphagen has announced his candidacy for the State Assembly in the 16^th Legislative District.

Traphagen released the following statement:

“I have had the honor of being twice elected as Councilman in the Town of Clinton, a community in which the party affiliation of our residents is split evenly Republican, Democrat, and Unaffiliated. I know that in a purple community like ours, it takes leaders who are willing to find common sense solutions to problems, and then work together to get the job done. That is what I have done each and every day as a local elected official, and what I can bring to the table as a legislator in the 16^th District,” stated Traphagen.

Both times Traphagen was elected, he was the highest vote-getter in his races bringing together a coalition of support of Republicans, Democrats, and Unaffiliated voters.

“I am deeply concerned about the future of our state. New Jersey continues to be one of the most expensive and unaffordable places to live in the country. As a young family living here in New Jersey, my wife and I experience each and every day the burden of ever increasing taxes and fees coming from Trenton. As a small business owner myself, doing business in this state continues to get more and more difficult. Overdevelopment, due in large part to state-mandated high density housing, has bulldozed over farmland and open space in many of our Central Jersey communities. I believe that we can work to change course, but we need to change leadership in Trenton to make that possible.”