Candidate Bio: Jack Rothman, Democratic State Rep

Merrimack Patch has sent a candidate bio to all people running for state representative and state Senate to tell Patch readers a little about themselves and why they are running for office. Bios will be posted as they are received and will feed into our Election 2012 topic page which can be found under the "News" tab above.

Jack Rothman, Democrat

Running for state representative

Date of birth: Jan. 10, 1947

Your background /education: I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from State University of New York at Stony Brook, N.Y. I also received my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Western New England College in Springfield, Mass.

Experience/Occupation: My professional experience is in finance, having worked for Digital Equipment Corporation and Fidelity Investments in multiple financial management and business management roles.  I currently am employed with Lockheed Martin Corp., as a financial analyst supporting the local Federal Aviation Administration office in Nashua.

Prior elected office: In my prior residence in Massachusetts I served on several elected positions to various budget committees. I recently was elected to and served on the Merrimack School Budget Committee.

Personal: I am an 18-year resident of Merrimack, living on Baboosic Lake Road. I am married (42 years) with two grown daughters and three wonderful grandchildren. I have two golden retrievers and can be seen walking them or hiking the trails in Merrimack with them from time to time.  

Priorities: To help this state and this country move forward and rise from the disaster left by the financial and moral debacle of the first decade of this century.

Why are you running?  So many reasons, but it essentially comes down to one major idea.  I see this election as a real pivot point for our state and country. There is a real division over the direction we want to or should be taking.

The Republicans believe, and have for some time, that if we reduce taxes on the wealthy they will use that money to create more jobs and expand the economy. If we de-regulate corporations and businesses, the Free Market will boom and create jobs and expand the economy.  This is the "trickle down" theory.  This was tried in some manner since Reagan, but specifically under George W. Bush. He passed the largest tax cut in history for the wealthiest people and reduced or eliminated most regulations on business. The result was that the Bush years created the fewest jobs of any administration in the last 60 years and this country went through a massive financial meltdown, rivaling the 1930s depression. No thanks.

President Obama and the Democrats believe the real strength of this country lies in building and maintaining a strong middle class, which will drive consumption and innovation and economic growth. The middle class has been decimated over the last 8-10 years and needs to be brought back, This is a "trickle up" scenario which has always worked. See the powerhouse we became after WWII and the GI bill and other government incentives for the middle class. I strongly agree with President Obama and will work with state and federal authorities to bring these kind of changes about.