Craig Trotter told himself he would only serve two, four-year terms as a member of the Newton City Council. Well, three terms later, the lifelong Newton resident has now announced he will not be seeking re-election for the third ward seat, putting an end to his 12 years of service in city government.
“I just wanted to announce that I will not be seeking re-election and I’m hoping there’s somebody in the third ward that will step up and put their papers in,” Trotter said at the Aug. 7 council meeting. “And I’ll be happy to help anybody, give them advice, whatever they’d like. Just give me a call.”
When Trotter first started running for city council, it had only been a few years since Maytag closed down operations in Newton. Trotter had worked for the washing machine company for 17 years up until that time. He noticed the city needed a strong plan to get out of this severe economic hardship.
“I really ran on planning; Newton has got to plan,” Trotter said. “When I got elected, luckily enough with that group of council members, that’s how the comprehensive plan came about. We hired Bob Knabel and kind of came in and said, ‘Hey, I think we need to do it.’ That’s really the start of that plan.”
To this day, the comprehensive plan and the city’s propensity for annual planning workshops are some of the accomplishments Trotter is most proud of. The city council continues to set new goals and use the comprehensive plan as a road map or guide for their decision making.
Using a common sense approach to city government, Trotter tried his best to listen and fully understand complex issues. During his tenure on council, he tried not to make a quick or reactionary judgement. For him, it was about listening to all sides and responding to constituents. Trotter said he was pretty laid back.
“But I pay taxes, as well. You kind of looked at what makes sense and you kept those in mind that are on fixed income. It’s pretty common sense. I don’t want to pay any more taxes than anybody else,” Trotter said in an interview with Newton News. “You’re very conscious of what you are doing.”
As a born-and-raised Newtonian whose uncle and grandfather also served on the city council, Trotter said his institutional knowledge of the town benefitted him greatly as a council member. The Cardinal graduated from Newton Senior High in 1982 and has worked diligently with youth sports programs.
“My family has been in a community service type of mode, and I just kind of followed in that when I coached and was part of the (Newton) Little League as a past president. It’s been a community service,” Trotter said. “Even getting out of this I’ll still make myself available to council when they need stuff.”
Trotter looks back fondly on his time as a council member. In addition to the comprehensive plan, Trotter is proud of the city’s D&D program that has helped move Newton forward in managing better curb appeal and making room for new and improved homes in aging neighborhoods.
“I was part of a group that really had a vision for Newton and was proud of Newton,” Trotter said. “Newton has changed and has grown, obviously. I’m just proud of being part of many different councils that are setting the tone and moving Newton forward. I think Newton is going to continue to grow.”
Trotter encourages anybody with an interest to run for city council. For him, it was a learning experience and a big personal challenge.
“I hope somebody in the third ward will step up,” Trotter said. “I’ll help them out in any way I can. If they’ve got questions, I’m more than happy to give them information they need to help get on the council.”
