Republican primary candidates share views to represent NY21

PLATTSBURGH | With midterm elections coming in November, Primary Elections on June 23 will decide major party candidates for U.S. House of Representatives District 21. Two Democrats and two Republicans are running for their party's line on the ballot. In New York State, Primary Elections are closed, which means only registered members of each party can participate in their party's election. The candidate who receives the most votes advances to the general election on Nov. 3. Early Primary Election voting begins on June 13. Republican Party candidates are Anthony Constantino and Robert Smullen. For the Democratic Party, candidates are Blake Gendebien and Stuart Amoriell. The Sun asked each candidate the same set of questions, looking to learn what they have heard on the campaign trail and how federal lawmakers could address constituent concerns. This report focuses on Republican candidates, Anthony Constantino and Robert Smullen. Their responses are provided in alphabetical order. Constantino is a resident of Amsterdam in Montgomery County. Smullen is a resident of Gloversville in Fulton County. The 21st Congressional District in New York State encompasses several hundred miles of U.S/Canadian border on land and water, from Lake Champlain to Watertown. It is 6,288.9 square miles -- larger than the state of Connecticut (5,543 square miles) -- with a population of nearly 768,000, encompassing Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Montgomery, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schoharie, Warren and Washington counties and sections of Jefferson and Oneida counties. ................................................... ANTHONY CONSTANTINO PARTY AFFILIATION: Republican, Independent (Taxpayer Rights Party) AGE: 43 EDUCATION: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, studies in economics and business, left to run family business. OCCUPATION: CEO, Sticker Mule What is the priority concern 21st District (D21) residents have raised in discussions with you? "Jobs, jobs, jobs. We need to put more money in people's pockets," Constantino said. "People are excited that I'm self-funding. I don't want to take money from people, I want to put more money into their pockets. I think that's a fundamental need, economic well-being." Constantino said he's recognized that need throughout his life and career. "I've been creating jobs since I was 19 years old. I stepped in to run my family's company because it was struggling. People get this wrong, they think I inherited it. I did not inherit it, I just took on the responsibility of fixing it." "I eventually created Sticker Mule, which grew to a thousand plus people, and I acquired my family's company along the way." What would you do to address it? "The standard Republican thing, which I believe in, is we want to reduce taxes, reduce regulations. But I want to do one thing that only I'm talking about and that is to excite people to live here and build here and create companies here, leading by example and by cheerleading for the creation of jobs. I think sometimes it just takes motivation to get people doing things." Constantino said he drew inspiration from Donald Trump working to become U.S. president. "In 2016, I saw him call for more manufacturing jobs. I can tell you President Trump's presidency inspired me to work harder, and I want to continue that effect in Congress That's something only I'm talking about. Every other Republican says 'cut taxes' and 'cut regulations,' which I want to do as well, and I actually will work on that because I have no special interest funding." Constantino said he wants to focus on policy that benefit taxpayers. "I don't have to listen to donors or special interest. I just have to listen to my own conscience: create jobs and put more money in people's pockets." What federal measures do you support to assist small business and agricultural business operations in Northern New York? "I think President Trump did a great thing with the Big, Beautiful Bill. I supported that. I also support what he did with regard to sealing the border. An open border hurts people's pocketbooks because when people come here illegally, it drains resources. And crime is very expensive to deal with. There are millions of people let into this country illegally. "It's really a drain on people's pocketbooks, because we pay for these people to go to our hospitals, use our healthcare systems and use our resources." As to immigration policy in Congress, Constantino said he supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding. "I've been a big supporter of ICE, and I've also been trying to educate people about the importance of respecting front line workers. I support people's right to communicate and converse about policy disagreements. Everyone is free to politically discuss these issues," he said, "but they shouldn't be harassing front line workers." The candidate said people perform less effectively and are less interested in becoming ICE agents when they see the way current personnel are being harassed. "I support the bill to fund ICE. When I talk to voters, they say just talk to people with respect when they're doing a job." To create pathways for legal immigration, Constantino said Congress should act to modernize all of U.S. government. "I'm a technologist by a trade, and I think the way we handle all of our processes should be looked at and modernized to be more user-friendly and more efficient. Everything from applying for a driver's license to applying for citizenship. I know it's a laborious process and we want to make legal citizenship effective." Constantino said they receive 200 to 300 applicants for every salaried position at his company. "We have a simple system to review the candidates and come to, hopefully, the best possible decision. We should do the same thing with immigration: improve the processes for reviewing the applicants, so we select the best possible people." All government systems need to be more efficient, he said. Would you host town meeting style visits with communities throughout District 21? "I like big events, when I lit up the Vote for Trump sign, thousands of people came. I encouraged everyone to come, both sides. I took questions from everybody," Constantino said. "I like taking tough questions from people." He said some events have drawn protesters and some people were removed. "But if I'm going to do an event, I'm going to talk to as many people as possible." Where would your District 21 offices be located? "We definitely want one in Plattsburgh. We have one in Glens Falls right now," Constantino said, suggesting they would consider placing an office in or near Rome, NY. ..................................... ROBERT SMULLEN PARTY AFFILIATION: Republican, Conservative AGE: 56 EDUCATION: B.A., History, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, 1990; M.A., National Security Studies, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, 1997; M.S., Resource Management, The Eisenhower School at National Defense University (Distinguished Graduate); M.S., Strategic Intelligence, National Intelligence University, 2006. OCCUPATION: New York State Assemblyman, 118th District; Chairman, Assembly Republican Conference. PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT/CIVIC/MILITARY EXPERIENCE: United States Marine Corps, 24 years of service (1991–2015), retired at the rank of Colonel. Three combat tours in Afghanistan, including Operation Enduring Freedom. Served at the Pentagon as a military strategist. Held numerous command and staff positions worldwide, including battalion commander at Camp Lejeune and combat adviser to the Afghan National Army with the 10th Mountain Division. New York State Assemblyman, 118th District; chairman, Assembly Republican Conference. What is the priority concern D21 residents have raised in discussions with you? "I've been all over all of the 15 counties in the 21st District. The number one concern is affordability. It's the number one thing I hear," Smullen said. Affordability relates to the cost of everyday items, he said, including food, utilities and gas. "Our families are having to make impossible choices between filling up the gas tank in the car or filling up the refrigerator to feed their families," Smullen said. "I've also been in Albany, where I've been fighting unfunded mandates," the candidate said of his experience, working to reign in regulatory overreach that drives up the cost of living. Smullen pointed to recent success in challenging New York's electric school bus mandate, which was restructured this year, pushed back with a five-year delay, allowing school districts to continue to make decisions about bus purchases. "It is the number one concern among rural school districts. This is the same type of fight I would bring to Washington." Smullen pointed to federal actions he believes would relieve everyday financial pressure on residents. "We need to keep the tax relief from Trump tax cuts and make them permanent," he said, "and unleash energy production in this country." Having served alongside the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan, he said he understands the constraints military families are under. "Supporting our military community means making sure their paychecks go further." With the largest population of military veterans in New York State, Smullen said it is important to ensure Fort Drum has the resources to remain a premier Army installation. As an advocate for military readiness, he said he would work to protect the thousands of local jobs at Fort Drum supports. He refers to the U.S. Air Force Research Lab in Rome as a hub of innovation and an important resource in New York's 21st Congressional District. What would you do to address it? "I would take the same fighting spirit that I've had in Albany right to Washington, D.C." Smullen said, pledging advocacy for small businesses, particularly agricultural business. He supports legislation to expand small business tax deductions. "The vast majority of our businesses in the 21st District are small businesses. They suffer the most from the regulatory and tax climate here," Smullen said. His initiative would focus on establishing Fair Trade agreements to support agricultural business, including the dairy, timber and maple industries. "Agriculture is the number one business in Upstate New York," Smullen said. "It's the number one economic driver. Whether it's dairy, whether it's orchards, whether it's logging, the 21st Congressional District is heavily dependent on agriculture. "We need to support our farmers," the candidate said. What federal measures do you support to assist small business and agricultural business operations in Northern New York? Smullen pointed to his experience in the New York Assembly as an indicator of success he would bring to Washington. "For instance, in the small business world, energy costs are one of the major drivers of their success," he said, adding his support for the Energy Choice Act presented by Rep. Nick Langworthy. Congressman for New York District 23 Congressman Langworthy introduced a bill that would limit regulation of energy choice. "It is a bill to allow businesses to choose their energy source," Smullen said. "Here in New York, with the green energy scam bills, it has gotten very hard for small businesses to keep up." Smullen pointed to the Rural Energy Freedom Act he introduced in Albany, which protects the right of rural residents to burn wood for heating, cooking and recreation. "It allows people to choose the energy they want to use to heat their homes," Smullen said. "That in turn brings costs down for everybody. We need to stop inflation in our economy because it affects small business the most." With agriculture a leading economic driver in the 21st District, Smullen said federal immigration law has to be updated to support guest workers, particularly for dairy farms that need employees throughout the year. He is also an advocate for efforts to secure national borders and provide resources needed to enforce immigration law. Would you host town meeting style visits with communities throughout District 21? Smullen said he absolutely would host town meetings in Congressional District 21 communities. Where would your District 21 offices be located? "There will be a representative in each area of the district," he said, pointing to a lifetime of service to the country. Smullen said he is willing to stand like a U.S. Marine for the people of the 21st Congressional District.

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Republican primary candidates share views to represent NY21

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