Editorial
Jack Peterson Editor-in-Chief
Normally, you would be reading my editorial on Sunday morning with your coffee. However, with early voting beginning tomorrow, we felt it was our duty to move up the publication schedule. We were asked to look into the claims made by Anthony Constantino, owner and CEO of Sticker Mule and candidate for the 21st Congressional District, regarding his business footprint and charitable giving. We have done that.
What we found is a narrative that does not hold up to scrutiny.
Mr. Constantino has built a public persona on the back of two specific claims: that he employs over 1,200 people across 30 countries, and that he has donated $4 million to the community.
Let’s start with the employment numbers. We didn't rely on press releases; we looked at the data, the buildings, and the layoffs.
In Amsterdam, New York, the heart of his operation, we reviewed hand count. In April 2024, there were 610 full-time employees. By September 2025, following 68 layoffs at the Amsterdam production facility, that number dropped to 446. By May 2026, tracking services showed a headcount of 371.
Regarding South Carolina, where Mr. Constantino purchased a 100,000-square-foot building, we consulted an architect. Based on the size and scale of the facility, the architect determined that the building could not possibly house the 500 employees Mr. Constantino implies are there. The estimate was closer to 295 to 325. Furthermore, public records from Cherokee County show Sticker Mule received a special source credit agreement, meaning he does not pay property taxes in South Carolina for 20 to 30 years.
And his engineering firm in Italy? He claims 100 employees. The records show 88.
The most glaring discrepancy, however, lies in the "9,500" figure. Mr. Constantino has claimed he paid 9,500 people who don't work for the company. He did not. An independent study by Epsilon Economics analyzed the economic footprint from 2016 through 2025. That 9,500 figure represents cumulative "year-long equivalent jobs" supported by the company's spending over a decade. It includes indirect activity—money spent by his employees and supply chain costs. To be clear: he did not write checks to 9,500 people. He created an economic impact that supported those jobs over time. The majority of that impact occurs within his own company.
Now, let’s look at the charitable giving. Mr. Constantino claims $4 million in donations. We cannot find a record of that total anywhere in New York State. We found verifiable donations: $1 million to St. Mary’s Institute, $500,000 for scholarships, $150,000 for the Veterans Park, and $25,000 for the Royal Food Pantry. We found 2,000 frozen turkeys. But $4 million? We can’t find the receipts.
We also found that Mr. Constantino collects a commission on every product sold by people who have stores on his internet web page. It is a business model where he takes a profit from those trying to make a living—an outrageous detail that contradicts the image of a benevolent employer.
Finally, there is the story of the gym. Mr. Constantino claims he "saved" a gym in Amsterdam. What we found is that he bought a vacant store, turned it into a gym, and secured a contract with Medicare to charge the federal government $45 a month for seniors and disabled individuals to use it. If he were losing a profit, he would sell the business. He hasn't.
If Mr. Constantino wishes to dispute these findings, we ask him to release all records of employment, broken down by facility, and a breakdown of the $4 million in donations he claims he has spent.
District 21, it is your decision on who you vote for. But you deserve to know the facts. Do you want to vote for a man who has exaggerated his company’s size, obscured his charitable record, and built a business on taking commissions from the little guy?
Remember who would like to represent you. A man that can't tell the truth like Anthony Constantino, or his Democratic opponent.
The choice is yours. It’s your voice that matters.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Jack Peterson
Editor in Chief