Candidate Questionnaire: Brian Irving
Cary, NC – We are now publishing our series of Candidate Questionaire Responses from Morrisville and Cary candidates in the 2018 elections . This questionnaire comes from Brian Irving, who is running for North Carolina Senate District 16 as the Libertarian Party nominee.
We will be publishing more questionnaires leading up to the elections. These are in the candidates’ own words and we do not edit or alter the content in their responses aside from formatting.
Why are you running?
It’s time to change how government works in North Carolina. Government should be about people, not politics.The old establishment parties have not only forgotten this — they reject this idea. They’re beholden not to the people but to special interest groups, political cronies and partisan interests.
I believe in the people of North Carolina, their spirit, their ingenuity, and their compassion. Here, people can succeed through voluntary social cooperation, working together with dignity, respect, and understanding to meet our most critical challenges. That’s why I decided to retire here.
What are your top three priorities and how will you accomplish them?
Let’s give people more freedom to choose how best to educate their children, how to earn a living, and where to get healthcare.
Parents should have a choice on how to educate their children. They should have full access to their tax dollars so they can find the best educational opportunity for them. Giving students, families and teachers greater choice is the best path to building successful lives, developing better learning environments, strengthening communities, and preparing North Carolina for the challenges of the 21st century
People should have a choice on how to make a living. Regulation and licensing laws should not exist just to keep out competitors. Allowing more choice in how individuals, businesses and entrepreneurs realize economic potential enhances personal income mobility, creates incentives for job growth, and allows businesses to better serve their customers.
People should have a choice of where to get healthcare and be able to choose the option that works best for them. Healthcare providers should be able to offer more options.Giving patients and families more choice around the healthcare options that meet their needs promotes a system that drives continued innovation, expands access to more people and maintains strong incentives to control costs.
Give us a brief bio and tell us about your relevant experience
I was born in The Bronx, New York and served 25 years in the U.S. Air Force, as an enlistedman and an officer. About half of my career was overseas, in the Philippines, Viet Nam, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
My next-to-last duty assignment was as public affairs officer at Pope AFB, Fayetteville, where I grew to love North Carolina. So when I retired in 1992, my wife Lisa and I returned to Fayetteville. I worked for several years in the non-profit sector, and as a freelance writer. I served four years on the Fayetteville Planning Commission, including two years as chair.
We moved to Wake County in 2006 to be near their two adult children and six grandchildren.
While stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, I earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies from the University of the Philippines. I also hold a master’s degrees in public administration from Webster University, and in pastoral studies from Loyola University (New Orleans).
Website: https://libertypoint.org
Twitter: @libertypoint
Email: brian@libertypoint.org
Phone: (919) 538-4548
Read more in the Candidate 2018 series.
