Interview with Joe Graziano – Candidate for the 28th Senate District

Virginia Virtucon’s continuing coverage of the race for the Republican nomination for the 28th Senate Seat brings us to the latest interview of candidates.  This week we conducted an interview with Joe Graziano.

 Joe lives in Stafford County and is seeking the Republican nomination for the 28th Senate seat.  Joe has over 18 years of military service including nearly a year of military service in Iraq with the Virginia Army National Guard.  His decorations for time in service include the Defense Meritorious Services Award and Virginia Legion of Merit.  He holds a Master degree in Political Management from The George Washington University as well as a B.A. from Salisbury University.  Joe currently operates and serves as President of Renaissance Consulting, where he specializes in marketing American companies oversees.

 Below are the questions asked and answers given.  Editor’s note: The last question asks about the website for his campaign, which has since gone live and a link is provided.

 1. What can you tell Virginia Virtucon readers about Joe Graziano that we can not find in your bio?  (i.e. hobbies, favorite television show, favorite book, childhood memories, etc.)  Remember we love pop-culture so if you too are a fan of 80’s rock, sit-coms and the occasional quote from Top Gun do share.

Hobbies: hunting, fishing, snow skiing, camping, anything to get outdoors. 

Movie Quote: “Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges!”  I can also quote Monty Python for hours but it’s too perilous.   

Favorite Books: The Crusades and medieval history are fascinating and Sir Steven Runciman’s three volume, “A History of the Crusades” is a scholarly work superbly written.  For pure escapism, A Salty Piece of Land, by Jimmy Buffett paints white sand beaches, palm trees and endless sunsets on miles of shimmering sea.  I remember reading it in Iraq and for a moment, was transported to Margaritaville. 

TV Shows:  I roll when I watch The Office

2. The current Senator representing the 28th district is not held in particular high regard with conservatives throughout the state.  Many conservative activists and voters of the 28th district are excited to have the opportunity to fill the seat with a consistent conservative.   In a March 28th Free Lance Star article you were quoted   “I generally favor lower taxes and smaller government . . . I think there will be some talk of social issues, particularly during the Republican nominating process, but it’s not where I place my emphasis. But I am pro-life. I support Second Amendment rights.”  Many conservatives will not read that quote with confidence that after the Republican nomination you will lead with conservative principles if nominated and eventually elected to the Senate.   Can you describe how you will utilize conservative principles to guide the decisions you will make if elected to the Senate?

The statement was given when asked to analyze the race by a reporter.  I have been part of the conservative movement since college and spent much of my adult life working to instill conservative principles and policies in government. 

I think Thomas Paine had it right when he said, “That which governs best, governs least”.  When I consider legislation, I will ask, “Does this bill expand freedom or curtail it?”  Because I believe strongly in freedom, I support smaller government, less spending and lower taxes. 

I am an NRA member standing firmly to defend the Second Amendment and I will vote to repeal the restaurant ban.  I am also a father and believe a caring society must protect unborn children and the sanctity of all human life.  Traditional values have guided Virginia since colonial times and provide a steady hand as we move through a complex world.

I have fought for freedom in Iraq and I will fight for freedom and traditional values in the Virginia Senate. 

My vision for Virginia is one of prosperity, where entrepreneurs are free of excessive regulation and all citizens enjoy low taxes.  It is a vision for a dynamic economy which encourages investment and brings jobs.  It is also a vision of small towns and rural communities where family farmers and small businesses can participate in the global market while protecting our land and natural heritage.  This is the vision I will bring to the Virginia Senate. 

3. Transportation issues have dominated Virginia politics for many years.   What are your priorities in dealing with transportation issues that Virginia is currently dealing with?  And what actions would you take as State Senator to improve the failing transportation system in Virginia?

The first priority must be to accelerate VDOT reform.  We cannot go boldly into the 21st century with a 1960’s style bureaucracy in Richmond.  My friend and Stafford resident, Dr. Ron Utt has written extensively on transportation reform for the Heritage Foundation.  I was recently in Dubai, looking out over a $15 billion dollar mixed-use community rising from the desert.  They are building entire cities, complete with bridges and roads faster than we can fix the “mixing bowl”. 

In many ways, they have taken our lessons in private sector innovation to heart.  They are employing Western ideas, Western technology and Western firms.  In fact, the project’s architects are based in Atlanta.  Governments around the world are tapping the vast resources and talent of American companies to modernize their infrastructure.  To remain the world’s most powerful economy, the US must continue to innovate and adapt. 

Nowhere is innovation and reform in government more important than transportation.  The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is on the cutting edge of government management and reform and I was pleased to work with them on Capitol Hill.  We can revolutionize the way we finance, build and operate roads in the Commonwealth.  We can build a first-class transportation system in Virginia, without raising taxes.  I will lead this effort in Richmond. 

4. Staying with Transportation for another question.  Many areas of the 28th district are some of the fastest growing areas of Virginia and even fastest growing areas of the entire country.  What are your proposals for improving the transportation infrastructure in the area?  Do you support HOV lane extensions into the Rappahannock area from Northern Virginia on I-95?  Do view HOT lanes as an adequate improvement to the I-95/I-395 corridor to provide a long-term fix to traffic congestion along the route? What about VRE – what improvements do you see being necessary to improve service on VRE?

I served five years with the US House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and worked with experts on everything from airport security to rail funding.  The VRE is a consistent and complex issue.  The rails they ride belong to CSX and Norfolk Southern and it is bound by Amtrak’s operating agreement.  In short, VRE needs help and we should provide it.  Improving VRE service requires agreement among federal and state governments to upgrade the rail corridor.  The new rail bridge at Quantico is a start.  Passengers should no longer take a back seat to freight traffic nor move at a snail’s pace on hot summer days.  VRE must be an efficient, reliable choice for Virginia commuters.  

Like many in the district, I have spent countless hours sitting in maddening traffic.  HOV /HOT lanes are one part of the solution.  HOT lanes can bring investment and economic principles of supply and demand to help ease our traffic problems.  Virginia’s Public Private Partnership Transportation Act of 1995 started us on the road of innovation.  Notably, this law allowed a consortium of companies to propose widening I-95 HOV lanes and their extension 20 miles south.  While this isn’t a cure-all, it is a start and much more can be done with creative, dedicated leaders in Richmond. 

5. Taxes are always a hot issue for conservative voters.  During the Warner administration taxes were increased during a time that the state was running a surplus in the name of transportation improvement.  During the most recent legislative session a new transportation package was passed that many view as a significant tax increase.  Do you support the idea of raising taxes when the state is running a surplus?  How would you propose providing services that voters demand without raising taxes?  Are there any times you would see the need to raise taxes and if so what types of taxes would you target?

As President Reagan taught us, “Government is too big and spends too much money”.  I will vote to protect Virginia families from tax increases, every time. 

When a politician says, “I don’t see any circumstances in which taxes should be increased at anything other than a standard inflationary rate”, he’s going to raise them.  Mark my words, anyone who runs for office as a “fiscal realist” waffling on this is going to raise taxes. 

And these taxes often hit hardest among those least able to pay, our senior citizens and folks on fixed incomes.  We must keep taxes low at the state level but also, we should support local government and avoid passing unfunded mandates to our counties. 

6. During the most recent legislative session the General Assembly passed legislation that proposed some modest mandates on restaurants with regards to smoking within the establishments.  When the Governor got his hands on the bill he changed it completely to include a complete ban of smoking in all restaurants throughout the Commonwealth.  The General Assembly mustered enough votes to override the Governor’s changes.  This has obviously set up a battle in the coming years to have legislation to ban smoking.  Do you support smoking bans for all restaurants, bars and other facilities?

This is a matter of personal choice best addressed by restaurants and patrons, not overly intrusive government. 

7.   Immigration has been a hot topic throughout the state and country over the last several years.  Many view illegal immigration as a national issue and one the federal government must work to resolve.  However, many candidates running for state and even locally elected positions have included immigration as an important issue that needs to be addressed.  Some have proposed ways that the state and local communities can deal with the burden of illegal immigration on taxpayers in the Commonwealth.  Do you have any ideas on how to deal with the burdens of illegal immigration on the state? 

Emma Lazarus’ poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty reads, “Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”  America still stands as a beacon of freedom around the world.  Like many millions before, my ancestors came through Ellis Island.  They saw Liberty and her lamp lifted “beside the golden door.”  They worked hard, obeyed the law and paid their taxes.  We should welcome those who play by the rules, and enforce the law against those who do not.  Unfortunately, our neighbors in Maryland have decided to provide in-state college tuition rates for illegal immigrants.  I would oppose this in Virginia. 
 
8. Governor Kaine does not favor the death penalty.  He vetoed bills that would have imposed the death penalty on murderers of trial witnesses and judges.  Many members of law enforcement saw these bills as opportunities to help fight increasing gang violence as well as other crimes.  The General Assembly has since voted to override the Governor’s vetoes.   Do you agree with the General Assembly or the Governor on the issue of the death penalty?  Would you have any proposals to change any aspects of the death penalty and how it is imposed and carried out in the Commonwealth of Virginia?

I agree with the General Assembly and would have voted to override the Governor’s veto. 

9. Finally, thank you for your time.   We have not yet seen a website for your campaign.  Do you plan to publish a website prior to the May 19th convention?  and Please share with the readers of the Virginia Virtucon any additional thoughts you may consider important issues for the voters of the 28th district that we have not covered.

I’m not a run-of-the-mill politician.  I have traveled extensively, seen much of the world and bring a unique perspective.  I have cried over my friend’s body in Baghdad and for his widow and infant daughter in Seattle. I’ve felt the presence of evil walking through a prison of Saddam Hussein and ran my fingers in letters carved deep in walls by his victims.  I have seen the violence of war. 

I have served my country as an Army officer in Iraq and my state in the Virginia National Guard.

I’ve slept in palaces and trailers, dined with dignitaries and those who’ve lost everything, yet gladly share what little they have. I’ve delivered food to the hungry and seen a child’s eyes alight over a simple bottle of clean drinking water. 

I’ve celebrated Easter with my family on the banks of the Jordan River where John the Baptist preached and baptized the Lord.  I’ve walked in Jesus’ footsteps along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem and prayed at His tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  I’ve walked across the no-mans-land from Iraq into Kuwait and sipped tea in Kurdistan with the Prime Minister. 

In a nutshell, I have lived and would like to bring my life experience and abilities to Richmond.  I will do my utmost to serve the citizens of Virginia and bring vision and innovation to the Senate.  My wife Ann and I respectfully ask for your vote.

To learn more, please stop by my web site www.grazianoforsenate.com