Meet Marcelino Trillo: Roseland Borough Council Candidate – TAPinto.net
This article has been published as part of a series of profiles on Roseland Borough Council Candidates. All candidates will be featured individually during the week leading up to the November 2019 election.
ROSELAND, NJ — Meet Marcelino “Moose” Trillo, a 14-year resident of Roseland running for borough council in the upcoming election on Nov. 5.
Basic background:
Trillo graduated from Rutgers College in 2000 and started as an assistant teacher in the 3rd grade at Robert Treat Academy Charter School Inc. in Newark, where he currently serves as vice principal. He spent the bulk of his professional career in the classroom as a middle school math teacher, but has also served as the director of the extended school day, director of high school placement, district test coordinator, Gifted and Talented program coordinator.
It was within the Robert Treat Academy community where Trillo met his future wife, Laura, who serves as the LDT-C for the school. He and Laura married in 2006 and now have three children—Roman (9), Arianna (7) and Adam (6). All three currently attend the Lester C. Noecker School and are enrolled in 4th grade, 2nd grade and Kindergarten, respectively.
Within the Roseland community, Trillo enjoys coaching recreational sports as a head or assistant coach for soccer, basketball and tee-ball/baseball/softball and as a committee member on the Cub Scout board.
Q: Why do you feel you deserve the job? What qualifies you for it?
A: I’m running for council to fulfill my civic duties as an involved citizen in this great small town. I want my children to grow up and be proud of being from the town they grow up in. I also think it’s important to try to set as good an example as possible for my children and pass on a sense of obligation to one’s own community so it impacts their actions for the rest of their lives.
I think what makes me most qualified for the position is my ability to manage personalities and create solutions to problems through compromise. Professionally, I help manage the education of 675 students, the family/school relationship for 400 families, and the workplace for over 100 proud staff members. I think I bring a certain level of calm and a sense of stability. I’ve worked at the same school since graduating from Rutgers College (20 years ago), and I have no intentions of leaving Roseland. I’m generally level-headed and pragmatic and hope to apply those characteristics to my work for the council if I am elected.
Q: What do you believe is the most important issue in this local election? How would you change it?
A: The four of us seem to be on the same page when it comes to the issues which highlights what I think the biggest issue is for me personally. While the whole community is concerned about the affordable housing mandate, the Williams/Transco Compressor Station, and keeping taxes low as the council has been able to do in the recent past I worry that Roseland has to become or return to the close-knit community I hear so much about from the residents who have been here the longest.
Since we became residents in 2006, we’ve seen a rash of “scandals” and embarrassing situations play out in the council, during elections, and even at the school that have put a bit of a blemish on Roseland. I’d really like to concentrate on bringing all the entities of the town together and create a better dialogue and means of communication so that everyone can feel they are a part of the community and restore that sense of pride in one’s hometown.
I think all the candidates this year have done an admirable job campaigning cleanly and with a general bi-partisan sentiment. As you may have heard both campaigns agreed to not use lawn signs or participate in any questionable campaign tactics. If elected I would strongly push for more open communication with the community and the establishment of a community calendar to help all the entities in town work together better to serve the borough.
Q: Do you believe Roseland can benefit from more shared services with surrounding communities? If so, what would you propose?
A: I certainly believe shared services with some of the smaller surrounding towns, especially those that make up West Essex, could be a great way to save money and build a broader sense of community for West Essex. I think the possibility should be explored by the school systems especially but also by police, fire, first aid squad, and the department of public works. If a thorough exploration of the possibilities reveals ways to create win win situations for all the citizens of the involved towns then it would be negligent to not take those opportunities.
Q: If elected, how would you propose holding borough employees in leadership positions accountable?
A: Accountability is a product of transparency and communication. By holding people in leadership positions to a high standards, clearly defining the expectations, and reasonably supporting them with resources and advice when warranted we can ensure they are in a position where they feel they can meet the goals that have been set. Once that is established it’s a matter of periodically checking the status of different departments or projects being overseen and advising them accordingly.
In Roseland now, each councilperson is tasked with a a committee or two where they work with different departments. I would love to serve on the committees that work with Lester C. Noecker or the recreation department because those are areas where I feel I have the most to contribute based on my life experiences.
Q: What should people know about you that they might not know already?
A: People may not know that I am a first generation American. My parents were born in the same small town in Galicia, Spain. I speak Spanish and try to visit my family in Spain as often as I can. I serve as a member of The board of The New Jersey Charter School Association located in Hamilton, and as a founding member of the James A. Pinaire III Foundation in Chatham. I love all sports and am a long-suffering Mets and Jets fan. Some of my other favorite teams that have been more successful include the Seton Hall Pirates, The Lakers (Magic Johnson is probably my favorite athlete), and Real Madrid.
I am proud to be a resident of Roseland and think that the recent move in the right direction by the sitting council has left us well situated to continue to grow and improve the borough. The council along with the school, the local places of worship, the small and large businesses in town, our first responders and our Library all help to make us the gem of Essex county and I hope to keep it that way.