Photo by Diane S.W. LeeSouthlake resident to represent House 98th District
After an unsuccessful go at the District 98 House seat in 2010, Southlake resident Giovanni Capriglione defeated seven-term state Rep. Vicki Truitt in May's Republican primary with more than 55 percent of the vote, and he will run unopposed on the November ballot. Capriglione, who often goes by simply "Gio," campaigned on increasing government transparency and improving the state's business climate and public education finance system. His platform also included a commitment to never raise taxes, to tighten border security along Mexico, and to support pro-life policies and Second Amendment rights. He credits his win to taking his message directly to the voters, visiting nearly 7,000 homes between Haslet and Grapevine before this year's primary.
"I have been in every single neighborhood," Capriglione said. "I would send letters ahead of time telling people I was coming to their house, [and] I'd show up within 72 hours. Rain, snow, sleet — it doesn't matter. I told people I was coming, and so I did."
As the owner of Texas Adventure Capital LLC, Capriglione manages investments for Texas-based small businesses. He lives in Southlake with his wife, Elisa, and three daughters, Cristina, Helen and Natalie.
You were unsuccessful in your previous run. What do you think contributed to your win this time?
A lot of people say the second time is a charm. People are very busy, especially in our community; it is hard to say, 'Everyone come to me and listen to me talk, and I'll give you a five minute canned speech and I'll take a couple of questions.' And so what I decided to do was the opposite: I'll come to you, literally. It provided them an opportunity to ask me anything with absolutely no moderation. I wrote everything down, every concern, every issue so that when I go down to Austin, I have a list of what is important to people. I think that was a big reason for my success.
