Ciampaglio signs pledge to not raise taxes in his campaign for delegate

Tim Ciampaglio, a retired United States Coast Guard commander, and small business owner has announced his campaign for the 2nd House district delegate seat.

Delegate Michael Futrell, who is the incumbent, will not be seeking re-election for the seat.

Ciampaglio is running against former delegate Mark Dudenhefer in the June 9 Republican primary. If Ciampaglio wins the primary, he will face Democratic candidate Rod Hall for the delegate seat.

Ciampaglio holds a Master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon and has worked as a professor with the Coast Guard and The George Washington University. He currently owns and operates a consulting firm.

Within the community, Ciampaglio previously served as the president of the Virginia Small Business Partnership, as well as a volunteer at the St. Francis of Assisi church.

During his candidacy, Ciampaglio wants to address the current tax burden, government transparency and efficiency, and halting taxation on military retirement pensions.

Ciampaglio stated that he would sign a pledge to not raise taxes for Virginia residents.

“The tax burden on businesses and the tax burden on people is way too high…[I’m] going to sign a pledge…that I will not raise taxes and I won’t introduce new taxes. We need to level it off and stop it. And then we can look, and if we need more money, we can increase the tax base – not the tax rate,” Ciampaglio said.

He also stated that government agencies needed a push to be more transparent, and to run more efficiently.

“[Government] agencies should be held accountable for a return on investment. Give us transparent measures, show us that return on investment, and show us that you’re deriving peak efficiency…my thought is that I can bring that capability down to Richmond and spread it across the state government agencies,” Ciampaglio commented.

When asked about his motivation to run for delegate, Ciampaglio stated that he thinks his skills are suited to the current needs of Virginia.

“I’m not looking for a career in politics. I feel like a person, in a place, in a time where my skills are needed, and I’m stepping up to the plate. And if the people think my skills can be used to better their lives in Virginia, then I’m willing to go do the job,” Ciampaglio said.

Ciampaglio lives in Stafford County with his wife and two sons.