Meet the Candidates Series Continues for the Week of September 29, 2013
By Nicole Sanders | The Save Jersey Blog
As part of my ongoing effort to introduce candidates to the voting public, Save Jerseyans, I started a weekly column called Meet the Candidates. In essence, it is a past day stump speech updated for the virtual world.
For this week’s column, I am honored to introduce to you to 34th District’s Senate Candidate Joe Cupoli.
Mr. Cupoli was raised in Bloomfield, New Jersey and upon graduation from Bloomfield High School in 1982 he went to NJIT where he obtained a degree in Industrial Engineering. After working at P&A Auto Parts since 1984 he purchased the store with a business partner in 2003. Under their ownership they expanded the business from one store to eleven which includes locations in Passaic, Bergen and Essex counties. His political experience includes being the Municipal Republican Leader in Clifton.
My interview with Senate Candidate Joseph Cupoli is below the fold:
Sanders: What makes you a more viable candidate in comparison to your challenger?
Cupoli: After serving as State Senator since 2002, Senator Gill has had more than enough time to make herself familiar with her constituents, yet the overwhelming criticism heard about the Senator is her lack of visibility. This criticism comes not just from Republicans, but with a large number of Democrats as well. There is a perception that very little has been accomplished for the people of the 34th district by their current Senator.
In contrast, I have the energy and passion to do this job and to do it well. I will make it my goal to reach out to all of the communities in the 34th district, listen to their needs and do my best to address those needs in Trenton.
I will bring a much-needed business approach to Trenton politics and look into spending to trim out what is wasteful and help stabilize taxes. I believe in smaller government and in tax incentives that promote business growth and bring much-needed jobs back to the Garden State.
Sanders: What do you feel are your greatest personal accomplishments thus far?
Cupoli: As a father of three, no accomplishment can be greater than in seeing your children grow into happy, successful adults. My wife, Jacqui, and I have been blessed with three children. Our daughter, Julie-Anne is finishing her senior year at Pace University, our son, Joseph, just started his pre-med program at King’s College and our youngest, Jake, is a freshmen at Clifton High School.
I am also proud of my professional life. Along with my business partner, we purchased a family-run auto parts store chain and have expanded to 11 locations in Essex, Bergen and Passaic County and am happy to employ more than 150 people and growing.
Sanders: What is your position concerning gun control in New Jersey?
Cupoli: While I believe in the 2nd Amendment, I also believe that our Founding Fathers could not have anticipated the citizenry owning assault rifles. I believe we need to tighten regulations to keep assault weapons out of the hands of the general population. In addition, I believe that we need to look into how this nation is dealing with mental health because the high-profile mass casualties of the recent past were directly tied to individuals with clear mental health issues.
Sanders: Do you think sports betting in New Jersey should be legalized? Why or why not?
Cupoli: When looking at legalizing any vice, two things need to be considered:
What is the potential income stream going to be for the government?
What will it do to the criminal element currently running the vice?
Since people looking to bet on sporting events are going to do so, whether it is legal or not, I would say that we should take the revenue stream out of the hands of criminals and let the people benefit from it instead.
Sanders: In a short statement, please advise why your constituents should vote for you and what you wish to accomplish if elected?
Cupoli: People should vote for me because I am a businessman and not a politician. I believe that government needs to be run more like a business and there are very few people in Trenton capable of doing that.
I understand what it takes to create private-sector jobs and that private and not public sector jobs is what will help to bring New Jersey the booming economy it deserves.
I will work hard for all of the people of the 34th District and will be a visible presence throughout my term, not just when I am up for re-election.
Sanders: If your constituents wanted to reach out to you and ask you questions about your positions or how to volunteer, to whom can they reach out to?
Cupoli: Anyone wishing to reach out to me can email me directly at joecupoli@gmail.com.
If you are a candidate or with a campaign and you’re interested in being featured in my weekly Meet the Candidates article, Save Jerseyans, then email me at nikisands3@hotmail.com.
