Some people run for Congress to get something. A title, a pension, or a stepping stone to the next job. Anthony Constantino is running to give something back, and he's proving it before a single vote is cast.

Constantino has pledged his entire congressional salary to Sgt. Eddie Ryan, a wounded veteran who sacrificed more for this country than most of us could even imagine. This isn't a campaign promise that will quietly vanish after Election Day. Constantino has already started making the payments. He put his money where his mouth is before he even holds the office.

He is also paying for his own campaign. While other candidates spend their days fundraising from individuals and special interests, Constantino is self-funding his race. That means when he gets to Washington, he won't owe anything to lobbyists, party bosses, or out-of-state activists. The only people he'll answer to are the voters of the North Country.

That matters more than people realize. Many contributions a politician receives come with a phone call down the road requesting support of a particular issue. Constantino has chosen to take none of them. He doesn't need the salary and he doesn't need the donors, which leaves him free to do the one thing a Member of Congress is supposed to do: represent us.

Many individuals have grown cynical about politicians, and for good reason. Too many candidates for public office see it as a career and a cash register. It's refreshing to see a candidate who has already succeeded in life, created more than a thousand jobs, and now wants to spend his time and his own resources serving his neighbors and honoring the people who served our country.

Blake Gendebien is running to take. Anthony Constantino is running to give.

That’s why I’m voting for Anthony Constantino.

Donald Gruneisen
Potsdam