We need to stop over-regulating our businesses. That's one thing I want to address immediately when I'm elected”

Anthony Constantino

BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

Political newcomer Anthony Constantino may be viewed as a Washington outsider by many but that sits just fine with the Republican candidate from Amsterdam. 

Prior to putting his name forward as a candidate in NY-21, Constantino said he came up through the ranks on the factory floor, learning the ins and outs of operating a business. 

Now, the Sticker Mule CEO employs more than 500 workers at his facility downstate. 

That success has been parlayed into major funding that he says has allowed him to self-fund his campaign. 

So far, Constantino said he has put more than $10 million of his own money into his race to replace outgoing Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.

Stefanik announced late last year she was no longer seeking the governor's seat, nor would she seek reelection to Congress after six terms representing the North Country. 

Ties to White House 

With Stefanik leaving politics in the meantime, Constantino said constituents should still expect close ties to President Donald Trump as Constantino has tightly aligned himself with the president. 

"I have an open invitation to visit the president at the White House," Constantino said. 

Throughout his campaign, Constantino has demonstrated close ties to the president, with many of his own policies mirroring what the current administration is seeking to accomplish. 

Despite those ties, Constantino said he has a number of ideas independent of that agenda which he thinks will help the North Country move forward. 

Jobs at forefront 

In NY-21, job growth has been limited in recent decades as industrial jobs have been sent overseas and small businesses have declined. 

To spur economic growth, Constantino said it's important for the federal government to take a step back and allow businesses to decide their own future. 

"We need to stop overregulating our businesses. That's one thing I want to address immediately when I'm elected," he said. 

Constantino said he has a proven track record in building businesses and hopes to act as a "cheerleader" of sorts if he is elected to Congress. 

"All jobs are good jobs," he said. 

Constantino said he can find a place for any employee, saying "everybody has value in life" and that he wants to find a role for everyone so they can contribute. 

He said he would seek funding through Congress to support businesses in the district, from small start ups to larger corporations hoping to expand operations. 

Constantino said it is important to bring New Yorkers back to the state to shore up the tax base that will also lead to investment in local communities. 

Whether that happens through hosting meetings or making phone calls to connect the right people, Constantino said he would use all resources available to retain jobs and spur new job growth in the district. 

Cost of living

Job creation and stopping the exodus of New Yorkers would also help lower the cost of living as well, Constantino said. 

"Well, what I can do and I've been trying to do is get excitement back so there's more people here. We've been losing people in New York State like crazy and that's part of the cost crisis in New York State," he said. 

Since 2020, New York has seen a loss of more than residents who have moved for better job opportunities, lower costs of living in other states or warmer climates. He said he believes people are fleeing the state, at least in part, because of government corruption and the exodus of people hurts the economy.

"The other thing we need to do is fight corruption. I tell people you can't address costs if you don't address the corruption. Everybody knows corruption runs rampant in politics," he said. 

That's why he chose to self-fund his campaign, saying he would not answer to lobbyists or special interest groups with an agenda. 

Constantino said addressing corruption will help instill faith in the public and hopefully bring New Yorkers back home. 

He said he has led by example as well, creating a successful business in the state after many questioned why he did not set up shop in Texas or California. 

"I think I proved you can create incredible companies in New York," he said. 

Healthcare a growing concern 

Healthcare in the North Country has been left in a precarious position as local and state officials navigate the bankruptcy of Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg. 

With the bankruptcy comes the loss of providers, services and good-paying jobs. 

Though he did not say what sort of health system he would advocate for most, Constantino said he knew it was necessary to continue to invest in rural healthcare and ensure providers remain in the region. 

"The job of a Congressman is to fight for the district and I'm going to fight for the district to make sure we protect our services," he said. 

But in the meantime, while it may not be possible to expand services, remote healthcare should be considered, he said. 

Constantino, who has used remote healthcare for his own needs for some time, offered a personal anecdote about his mother, who has since made a massive recovery after being treated for a brain tumor. 

He said the diagnosis was only possible after seeing specialists via remote healthcare when local options were unable to find a solution. 

Constantino said her recovery was miraculous and only possible with providers outside of the region. 

He said his employees too have benefited from remote healthcare, utilizing "generous insurance plans" that have ensured access to many services. 

Though he is an advocate for remote healthcare, Constantino said that doesn't mean he won't support local systems. 

"I want to support our local system, but you know, I want to look at new solutions like remote medical services. I want to improve the quality of care...it's not just about getting people care but getting them quality care. So, support the local system, improve quality of care and also look at new ways of treating people with remote medical services," he continued. 

Agriculture 

Constantino said he would also be an advocate with farmers, having met with many throughout the district already. 

He said he has seen the type of work farmers do every day while spending many days of his youth on his uncle's farm upstate. 

"It was one of my favorite things to do. I would go up and spend time with them, live with them...it was very relaxing actually," he said. 

Constantino said he "would do everything" he could to support farmers, including leveraging his ties to the president to advocate on behalf of farmers. 

"That's a good investment I made. I have the strongest relationship with President Trump than anyone in the district. I may end up having the strongest relationship of anyone in New York State other than Elise Stefanik," he said. 

Constantino said he wants to maintain a relationship as strong or stronger than that of Stefanik, saying it would allow him "to take care of farmers and everybody else." 

"It's good to have a direct line to the president," he said. 

Constantino said he hopes to also address regulations he believes are burdening farmers, saying it is time to review them and strip them back if necessary. 

"We're always making rules but we're never removing them," he said. 

Constantino said he will have a team that will work on reviewing agricultural regulations, finding ways to pare back or modify the regulations to lower costs for farmers and streamline operations that will help put high-quality food on every table. 

Constantino said he would also fight to stop solar expansion in NY-21, saying the projects are taking over prime farmland that should remain farmland. 

"I'm totally opposed to solar farms," he said. 

Constantino said while he may see the merits of solar on top of large industrial buildings, he sees no reason to use prime farmland for the projects. 

"If you put it on farmland, you lose farmland. So, it's a trade-off and it's a really bad trade-off. I think solar on roofs make a lot of sense," he said. 

Border Security and 287(g) agreements 

Constantino derided Governor Kathy Hochul's recent executive order which banned agreements between local law enforcement and federal agencies from working together on federal immigration operations. 

He said he very much supports federal immigration policies and the crackdowns that have been carried out by the Trump administration in the last year-and-a-half. 

"I think it's terrible. The reason the governor strips these agreements, I don't know. I think she's maybe just a cruel-hearted person but she also has taxpayer-funded private security. She doesn't know what her citizens are going through. I know people that were personally harmed in a major way by illegal criminals," he said. 

Constantino said it's a message he's heard many times throughout his travels in the district as he meets with constituents as well. 

He said the ban is another step in a long line of policies that have driven residents from the state, along with lockdowns during COVID and policies he said have hurt small businesses. 

"Governor Hochul wants to live in a mansion and she thinks the way to stay in the mansion forever with all her friends is to totally destroy the state...all of these policies are pro-crime. COVID restrictions, anti-business policies, solar farms. I think they know they're destroying this state," Constantino said.