Justin Coussoule: Candidate for Congress, 8th Congressional District

This was the official website for Justin Coussoule when he ran for Congress to win back the 8th district in Ohio from the Republican and Speaker of the House John Boehner.

Coussoule announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives on February 18, 2010, in Hamilton, Ohio. He has said “I’m running because I think that we are facing big issues right now that need long-term solutions, thoughtful approaches. I’m afraid these things will be around for my kids, they are only 2 and 4, 30 years from now if we don’t act like adults and address them now. In particular when you consider who my opponent is. I would consider him the chief architect of ‘No’ and obstructionism and delay.”

He won the May 4th primary where he ran unopposed with 17,807 votes. On November 2, 2010, Boehner defeated Coussoule 66% to 34%.

The content below is from the site's 2010 archived pages.

I grew up in the 8th district of Ohio, and felt the same way as Coussoule in his assessment of Republicans in Congress. CoOnsequently I followed the race closely from my home in Virginia. One evening during a business since with several colleagues including my boss, Satya Rangarajan, who is impressively knowledgeable in so many different areas. I know that he has twenty plus years of experience in managing enterprise technology platforms including running a global development organization developing commercial software lines. But he's been totally immersed and engaged in software development methodologies, development processes, strategy, business, new product development, and marketing. Whenever I am flummoxed about some aspect regarding human factor engineering at work, I try to seek him out. Well apparently he is also very engaged in politics and the going ons not only in Washington DC but also in various states. When I told him that I had bought this domain and was rebuilding the site from archived pages since I really am hoping that Coussoule might run again for the House of Representatives, Satya applauded my efforts.

Circa 2010

Dear Friends, Thank you for your support, encouragement, hard work, energy, and commitment to this important campaign. I am excited to hear from you and work together to win back this seat for the people of the 8th District. With your help, we can push this race over the top and win a victory in November. Yours in service,

Justin Coussoule

Candidate for Congress,

8th Congressional District Ohio

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Justin's Issues

I'm running for Congress this year to stand up for the voters of the district who are suffering job loss, decreasing wages, and insecurity about their children's future.I want to fight for you - to ensure progress, not partisanship, in Washington, and to work constructively toward solutions that benefit the people of our district.Please check out some of my thoughts and ideas on the issues that matter to the people fo the district.

Growing Our Economy and Creating Jobs

Rebuilding the middle class by growing our economy and creating jobs must be our country’s first priority.As the communities of the District struggle to recover from the devastating impacts of the current recession, we must focus our efforts and our resources on two objectives:

investing in the foundational building blocks of our economy that will most directly promote economic recovery and job creation;

implementing the changes that will bring oversight and accountability to Wall Street in order to prevent the reckless and self-serving behavior that caused the collapse of the financial sector in 2008 from occurring again.

We invest in the foundation of our economy by:

cutting taxes on working, middle-class Americans

promoting the creation and expansion of small-businesses with tax breaks and lending;

funding infrastructure projects to repair, update and expand the roads, bridges, and rail networks that will serve tomorrow’s economic growth;

strengthening the manufacturing sector by encouraging development of homegrown clean and alternative energy industries, funding retraining programs for unemployed workers, and implementing fair trade policies that open foreign markets to American-made goods;

investing in the a world-class education for our children that engenders the skills, competitive spirit and innovative thinking necessary for our long-term prosperity;

ensuring the health and well-being of our citizenry through affordable and accessible healthcare for all.â€‹

Returning Responsible Oversight to Wall Street

Even a revitalized Main Street will remain forever vulnerable to the recklessness of Wall Street, unless we bring oversight and accountability to the financial sector by:

prohibiting the predatory lending practices that significantly contributed to the mortgage crisis by preying on Americans who were approved for home loans they simply could not afford;

creating watchdog agencies to oversee and regulate consumer financial products and services (from mortgages to credit cards to overdraft fees), and to scrutinize Wall Street firms and their activities;

regulating derivatives and other complicated financial instruments that precipitated the financial meltdown of 2008 and intertwined so many banks and other financial institutions;

requiring publicly held companies to submit executive compensation packages, including ‘golden parachute’ payments, to a vote by shareholders;

empowering the government to identify and protect against the failure oflarge financial institutions that would threaten the stability of the entire financial system and the economy as a whole (the ‘too big to fail’ scenario).

Strengthening the Middle Class

As the son of a carpenter and a commercial food service worker, I believe firmly that America's economic security is tied directly to the strength of our middle class.We must collectively reinvest in ideas, values and programs that will create jobs while strengthening and expanding the middle class.

Ending the Foreclosure Crisis

The current foreclosure crisis, decades in the making, was caused by the actions and inaction of both the government and the mortgage industry. Ending the foreclosure crisis will likewise take the long-term, active involvement of both the public and private sectors.

Reducing Our Debt and Controlling Spending

Our long-term prosperity, continued economic growth and national security depend on dramatically reducing our national debt in the very near-term. Shamefully, many of our elected officials have carelessly approved spending beyond our country’s means for years, acting with knowing disregard for responsible and sustainable fiscal practices, and choosing instead to put our children’s futures at risk by embracing uncontrolled deficit spending.

Preserving Our Freedom and Security

The two greatest threats to our national freedom and security today are terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Defending America from these threats while supporting our brave men and women in uniform is a fundamental responsibility of our government.

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Investing in Our Children and Our Future

Public education offers an equal opportunity to all citizens when we provide the environment necessary for students to thrive. And making a high-quality public education available to all our children is the foundation for America’s future.

Pursuing Sustainable Energy Solutions

The events of the past three decades have dramatically demonstrated the direct link between energy policy, our economy and our national security.

Supporting and Honoring Our Veterans

As a graduate of West Point and former Army officer, I believe that supporting our men and women of our Armed Forces is a duty and responsibility of the highest order. Not only am I a veteran, I am also the husband, son, brother-in-law, and son-in-law of veterans. I will always fight for veterans’ rights and interests. As a nation, we owe no higher obligation than to those who serve and have served.

Protecting the Environment and Growing Our Economy

I will fight to ensure environmental standards are upheld both here and with our trading partners abroad to protect the health of Americans, protect and preserve the environment and defend American workers from unfair competition.

Supporting Our Farmers

We must pursue forward-thinking agricultural policy initiatives that support our farmers as they work everyday to feed America. Our national farm policy should promote renewable energy, agricultural conservation and development of our rural economies. When we position our farmers to thrive in a rapidly changing global economy, then we all succeed.

Returning Public Service to the 8th Congressional District

For too long, the people of the 8th District have been ignored and taken for granted by our Representative in Congress. In fact, to often our Representative is not even in his district. ‘We the people’ should not have to shout over the iron fences of gated golf course communities, or all the way to the mahogany-paneled walls of private Washington D.C. clubs brimming with well-heeled lobbyists, just to try to be heard by our Congressman.

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About

Justin Coussoule

(pronounced kuh-soo-lee)

• West Point Graduate and former Army Captain

• Attorney

• Small business owner

• Corporate purchasing manager at Procter & Gamble

• Husband and father of two



Justin brings a wealth of experience and a passion for public service to his fight to take Ohio’s 8th Congressional District back from the grip of Washington’s ultimate insider and champion of corporate special interests, John Boehner, and return forward progress to the district.

Working-Class Roots

Justin was born and raised in Adams, a small town of fewer than 9,000, namedfor patriot Samuel Adams and the birthplace of suffragette Susan B. Anthony. Anall-American community ringed by pastoral dairy farms and the picturesque wooded hills of the Berkshires, Adams is home to working-class families that have experienced the decline of a once thriving manufacturing base and knowwell the struggle to create new economic opportunities. From a family whoseheritage is Greek, Irish, Italian and French, Justin's roots represent the promise>of American opportunity.

Justin knew the dignity of public service from an early age through the example ofhis grandfathers, one a 30-year police officer and the other a careerfirefighter. Justin also learned the meaning and value of hard work from his family. Hispaternal grandmother labored in a textile mill as a young woman. Justin’smaternal grandmother raised eight children and owned her own business,runninga boarding house. His mother also owned and operated asmall business, andeventually retired from a career as a commercial foodworker. His father was aself-employed roofer and painter, and Justin spentmany hours working alongsidehim. Justin’s small-town roots and working-classfamily upbringing formed thevalues and work ethic that have guided himthroughout his life, and whichcontinue to define him to this day.



Military Service

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Justin had the ;privilege and honor to serve as a commissioned Army officer for over fiveand a half years with the men and women of our Armed Forces. Justin’syears as a West Point cadet and Army officer reinforced the core principlehe first learned from his family and hometown: always put the welfare of;those you serve first.



Public Service

Following his military service, Justin earned a law degree at the University ofMaryland School of Law in Baltimore. While a law student, he worked in city,state and federal government. With the City of Baltimore, Justin worked on themayor’s initiative to eliminate blighted property in urban neighborhoods by returning 5,000 neglected properties to productive use. With the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland, Justin worked to enforce regulations against tobacco companies and testified before the state legislature in support of bills designed to reduce the sale and use of tobacco. Justin also served within the Federal Government, where he interned for Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D NY) in his Capitol Hill office assisting with legal and legislative affairs. Each of these experiences confirmed Justin’s firm conviction that public servants have an obligation to work to serve the people - to help improve their lives.

Legal Experienceï»¿

After graduating from law school, Justin was admitted to the Massachusetts

Bar and was hired as an associate attorney at a regional law firm. Assigned to the firm’s litigation department, Justin practiced primarily in the state Worker’s Compensation system, advocating on behalf of injured workers and fighting to secure payment of their compensation and benefits for work-related injuries. Here, Justin saw first hand the struggles of the working middle class, and the urgent need to stand up to insurance companies and big business to fight for what was right and fair for working families.

Business Experience

While working as an attorney, Justin also established a small business, serving as both general manager and construction laborer. For two years, Justin managed the rehabilitation of aging properties for new residential and commercial uses. The main street commercial property now houses three small businesses: a candy shop, a clothing retailer and an antique furniture shop. The other property consists of four affordable housing units.

After relocating for his wife’s career, Justin accepted a position as a corporate purchasing manager at Procter & Gamble, a global consumer products company headquartered in Cincinnati. Justin’s day-to-day responsibilities at P&G include: stewardship of company assets; saving company money; and building collaborative business partnerships to achieve common objectives.

Justin’s experiences as both a small business owner and corporate employee have provided him with first-hand insight into the challenges that confront businesses large and small. Justin’s experiences in the business community solidified his belief that government can play a vital role in fostering a vibrant and responsible private sector.



Family Values

Justin, 35, and his wife Amanda have been married for nearly ten years. Amanda, also a West Point graduate and former Army officer, works full-time in corporate sales in the consumer products industry. Justin and Amanda are blessed with two children, Caroline (4) and John (3), and live in Liberty Township, Ohio, where they are proud to call the 8th District and southwest Ohio their home.





CoussouleForCongress.com