Joseph Alfonso

Mr. Alfonso has experience as a US Marine Afghanistan veteran with numerous awards including being stationed overseas, in banking, real estate, construction trades, title work, public service and is currently serving as a State Plumbing Board member, thru 2023. Son of immigrants from the South Bronx and was inspired by his teachers, who worked for unions, to always fight for the things you believe in.

• Veterans matter and the services that we are currently offering are not meeting the demand.
• Water quality is a growing issue throughout the state. Experience, such as my own, in working to rebuild systems will be vital to these improvements.
• Careers need to be brought back, not just offering jobs. This goes for our rural, suburban and inner city areas that have been neglected.

Improving the VA and ensuring they are fully staffed and can handle the demand.

Support for more public utility in rural communities and areas where servicing the community are not being met.

Enforcing the law when it comes to anti trust, with regards to our local farmers who are being held up by corporate interest.

Water quality and water management is vital to the surrounding community. We have mechanism to prevent shore erosion and keep residents from needing bottle water.

Data security is in dire need of overhauling. Protecting our minors, senior citizens, those vulnerable and our military members from breaches and hacks.

Immigration is something I have personally been trying to navigate for almost 4 years. There are steps we can streamline, as well as, make changes so we are not constantly scrambling for a plan.

My teachers and coaches that helped guide me. Their dedication to keep pushing me to strive my best and never give up on myself has been with me since middle school. One of the main sayings was from a coach who taught us "practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect" I continue to live by that to this day.

'Class; A Guide Through The American Status System' by Paul Fussell
'The Color of Law' by Richard Rothstein
'The Road to Unfreedom' by Timothy Snyder

Follow through and follow up, being objective to topics that matter to people most, being able to work with other lawmakers to get the will of the people met, and taking full responsibility.

I have lived the experiences many residents have. Being able to work with anyone willing to work with me. I am decisive, persistent in achieving the goals and have an unrelenting work ethic to back it all up.

Getting the job done.

Being able to show those who come from my similar background there are many ways to effect change. Creating policies and initiatives that helped our veterans, senior citizens, current and future generations how to improve the community and letting them know when the time comes, I will be available to offer any guidance I have.

September 11th, 2001, about twelve

US Marine. 4 years

We all have struggles and each struggle is important to us all. Acknowledging and respecting each others struggles is important.

It is the most accessible office for residents. Communities are able to voice their concern directly to the person who lives much closer than other office holders. This makes for real change to laws and policy that are important to those communities. It is the job of the US Representative to meet with these residents, find issues effecting them and create policy, or initiatives, to solve those problems.

Previous government experience is helpful and beneficial. But, it takes more than just years in politics to know how important the laws you right are. You also need experience working in the economy, living the failed policies in place and/or military experience where you have to work within government oversight.

Water security, social security, the environment, immigration and poverty. We are currently trying to expensively upgrade water systems that would been cheaper, had our representatives made sure maintenance was being done. Social security would require a comprehensive, and common sense, change to how it is funded. Our environment has endured the brunt of our country's development and we have to hold those accountable for the pollution by making policy that improves the way handled waste and get our energy. The way our immigration system has been handled the last 20 years is to simply cut the departments funding, make it harder to enter legally and cause confusion to those did everything right and still have to wait many years. We need to properly fund departments so we no longer have bottleneck issues not only at our borders, but in the embassy's as well. We should be looking at ways to improve wages sooner rather than later, and make entrepreneurship more accessible to everyday citizens. We can no longer say poverty is choice, when in fact, our policies are not being designed to help those struggling.

Veteran Affairs, Energy and Commerce, Financial services, Homeland Security, Small Business, Joint. Committee on Taxation, Select Committee on Climate, Agriculture, and Natural Resources

Yes, there are shifts in the area that can be sudden and we need to be dynamic. Communities often go through changes from corporations leaving and sending careers overseas, economic recessions have happened three times in the last 20 years and a sitting representative might not have the knowledge on how to go forward, and ultimately it keeps the power of the office in the hands of the people.

It is important we begin planning on implementing term limits. Congress most recently still has had a higher disapproval rating than approval. Our policies are no longer representative of the needs of the people and the discussion/vote has to be done. Policy advisor is already a role we previous office holders can hold and aide sitting representatives on important matters.

A veteran that was told his benefits might have expired after leaving service. These benefits he was referring to were medical, VA compensation and education benefits. He is currently working and didn't know where to go for assistance. Like many veterans of the last two wars, he felt like he might not be worthy of those benefits to some degree. I took it upon myself to help him get set up with ebenefits, explained the process of filing claims and to not feel embarrassed for asking help. He is one of many veterans who don't need a push, but needed a hand.

Compromise is necessary. Residents want their elected officials to raise to the occasion and find common ground. By making bipartisan policy that can meet as much of the most pressing issues everyone is facing allows for a better community.

Making sure the offices that collect the revenue are doing so fairly. Our currently policies have stripped our tax collection to a point where many have to figure out on their own how to file a return. Putting forward a Bill that would make collecting taxes and paying back any excess the government received monthly. There are a number of models to build on around the world, many of which are allies.