New York State Assembly District 135 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in New York, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for New York State Assembly District 135 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

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• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for New York State Assembly District 135

Incumbent Jennifer Lunsford defeated Joseph Chenelly in the general election for New York State Assembly District 135 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Lunsford (D / Working Families Party)	55.4	35,569
		Joseph Chenelly (R / Conservative Party)	44.6	28,674
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	12

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 64,255
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

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Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Joseph Chenelly (Republican, Conservative)

Joe Chenelly is your tough on crime candidate, by being tough on criminals. We cannot trust those who broke our criminal justice system to fix it now that everyone sees their policies and inaction were wrong. Over the past two years in Albany, the one party controlling all three branch of our state government has focused on granting more rights to criminals than providing justice for victims. Joe will put the innocent and victims first with the top goal of preventing victims, not creating more.

Soaring prices are impacting every aspect of our daily lives. Joe Chenelly will fight to push our state government to take meaningful action to ease the extremely heavy tax burden carried by so many in the 135th District - the highest tax rates in the United States. Western New Yorkers need and deserve broad tax cuts, made possible by reduced and wiser spending by our state government. Under one-party rule, New York State spends wildly, not at all being a responsible steward of tax payers' money.

Joe Chenelly will fight relentlessly to stop NYS Democrats' efforts to steal control of local zoning away from every village, town, and city in the state. The one party controlling all three branches of state government in Albany badly want to end neighborhoods that are only for single-family homes, and they are getting close. Your neighbor could turn their house into an apartment building or put up another entire house on the same property as a multi-unit rental with no minimum lot size requirement and no impact studies.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Joseph Chenelly (Republican, Conservative)

Joe Chenelly knows we can be tough on criminals while also being compassionate when and where appropriate. He physically assisted in thwarting an attack on a member of the U.S. Congress during a rally in Fairport on July 21, 2022. After tackling and restraining the armed assailant until police arrived, Joe immediately went into advocacy mode upon learning the man he just bear hugged on the ground for several minutes was an Iraq War veteran suffering from trauma experienced during his service to our nation. Right there, Joe began making calls to high-level officials to ensure that U.S. Army veteran would have access to the care and help he needed to once again live a good life as a productive citizen.

Mental health as long been Joe Chenelly's top public policy focus for very personal reasons. He lost his mother and numerous fellow Marine Corps veterans to suicide. He testified before Congress, spoke with two Presidents of the United States, and appeared on every major news network in the country to raise awareness of the mental health crisis plaguing society and taking many lives. And he always brings solutions to the table, especially empowering and resourcing services at the most local levels.

Joe Chenelly is committed to routing out the deep corruption perpetuated by career politicians in New York State. True checks and balances, actual accountability, and real transparency are absent in NYS but will be key priorities for Joe in the NYS Assembly.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Joseph Chenelly (Republican, Conservative)

Joe Chenelly will always put his constituents first. He is seeking office to help improve the quality of life for everyone making their home in New York State, focusing on those in the 135th Assembly District. To be a productive representative, who can accomplish what it is needed in Albany, Joe will rely on his experience, knowledge, and common sense approach to better the lives of the great people in Perinton, Pittsford, Penfield, Mendon, and East Rochester.

Joe will prove his integrity, courage, and commitment to earn the trust of voters as well as the trust of his fellow legislators in Albany, making him productive in achieving what his constituents want and need.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Joseph Chenelly (Republican, Conservative)

Joe Chenelly's favorite book, among many, is Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. It demonstrates the "never give up" mindset that so many have used to build great lives. There is always hope when there is resilience.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Joseph Chenelly (Republican, Conservative)

Joe Chenelly was born to young parents, at times experiencing homelessness and poverty as a child. But his parents showed him that anything is possible when working hard, treating others kindly and with respect. "If there is a will, there is a way," his late mother often told him. Joe put those lessons learned to use, building a successful career and raising a loving family, never forgetting where he came from or those less fortunate. Joe is eternally grateful for the many people who have helped and encouraged him along the way. He is always looking for ways to give back, to help others pull themselves up and achieve their dreams.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Joseph Chenelly (Republican, Conservative)

New York State leads the nation in population loss. New Yorkers aren’t feeling safe, they are being over burdened by overreaching government, and it doesn’t make sense economically to remain here. But Joe and Dawn Chenelly moved back nearly a decade ago after both completed their military service around the world because they love the amazing people who still call Western New York home.

Joe wants to work on your behalf to reverse that trend, to make living here affordable, to stop the state from being so unfriendly to small businesses, and to restore public safety.

Joe and Dawn are raising their five children in Perinton because WNY really is the best place anywhere to raise a family. Now they want to ensure their children, as they grow p, also want to stick around. That will require good opportunities as they seek careers. It will require good schools and safe neighborhoods. It will require lower cost of living without sacrificing quality of life. Those can only be accomplished if our state government changes its ways, stopping its heavy-handed ways, ridding itself of corruption, empowering municipalities to be able to make their own decisions, and applying common sense.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Joseph Chenelly (Republican, Conservative)

The New York State legislature wrongly gave Governor Cuomo emergency powers, eliminating the Constitutionally-required checks and balances that our nation and state were built upon. That was more than 2.5 years ago, and the legislature has yet to fully take back its key authorities even after Cuomo resigned in disgrace, placing an unelected governor in office.

The Assembly wrongly delegated its authorities, but responsibility cannot be delegated. This means the Assembly continues to fail to meet its duties as elected representatives. Governor Hochul has used her unchecked powers in corrupt ways, making large purchases with taxpayers' dollars without using a bidding process. In some cases, the out-of-state companies benefiting from those purchases turned around and made large contributions to Hochul's campaign this year. That is wrong and would not have happened if the Assembly did its job.

Joe Chenelly will fight to end the long-outdated emergency powers declaration, to take back the Assembly's authorities, and ensure the Assembly meets its responsibilities. And Joe pledges to never vote to allow this to happen again.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Joseph Chenelly (Republican, Conservative)

Joe Chenelly has a long history of being able to successfully work through impasses when dealing with Congressional members and staff. With a state legislature divided and representing numerous regions with vastly different needs and wants, the ability to reach workable comprises is crucial to good governing. Finding common ground, clearly communicating, and always negotiating in good faith make up the foundation on which good comprises are built. Joe knows that and has shown his ability to achieve what his constituents need.

See also

More about these elections:

• New York State Assembly elections, 2022

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