Jim Piccillo

Jim Piccillo (born November 21, 1973) a resident of Land O Lakes Florida, is a Democrat running for United States Congress in Florida's 5th congressional district. A former registered Republican, he joined the Democratic party and volunteered for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. Piccillo said "After volunteering with the Obama campaign, started to resonate that one person could make a difference" Piccillo's campaign paradigm is "A Voice For All." After being laid off from his job as a banker for seven months, he worked as an unpaid staffer for the Obama campaign. Currently he works to negotiate on behalf of homeowners whose mortgages are in jeopardy.
Personal life
Piccillo is engaged to be married and has two daughters ages 5 and 8 from a previous marriage. He was raised primarily by a single mother in Buffalo, New York.
Education
After high school, Piccillo joined the United States Army where he served as a Lab Technician, and later in the 101st Airborne Division. He earned the following degrees: an Associate's of Science from George Washington University, a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific University, and a Master's of Business Administration from Canisius College.
Career
Piccillo was a lab technician in the U.S. Army. He also worked at HSBC for five years until August 2008 when he was laid off as a result of the economic downturn.
Political Career
Piccillo, having been a registered Republican, voted for George W. Bush in the 2000 and 2004 election. After years of watching the economy suffer, our country continue to fight in two wars, Piccillo began to become disillusioned with the Republican party. This feeling of disillusionment elevated while watching the Republican National Convention during the 2008 election. Particularly the way Obama's work as a community organizer was mocked. Piccillo then decided a change had to be made and began to campaign for Obama as a "Republican for Obama" in Florida. Immediately following the election, Piccillo changed his registration to Democrat; he now feels that he has found his political home.
On October 8, 2008, Piccillo announced Senator Joe Biden as "John McCain" at a Democratic Rally held at the USF Sun Dome, Tampa, Florida. This gaffe earned him instant notoriety.
In December 2008 Piccillo helped launch "Club Change" of Pasco County Florida. He is also president of the group.
Piccillo is currently a fundraiser for The Sunrise Center of Pasco County, Florida. Once he qualifies for candidacy, he will run against H. David Werder in the Democratic Primary in hope of ousting incumbent Republican Ginny Brown-Waite for United States Congress in Florida's 5th District.
Quotations
Piccillo considers himself a public servant, not a politician. He said: “The difference is, politicians look forward to the next election. Public servants look toward the next generation”

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