Press release from Travis Smith for NC Senate:
Community leader Travis Smith has announced his run to be the next State Senator for North Carolina’s 49th District.
“It would be a great honor to work in Raleigh fighting for Buncombe County and Asheville in the NC Senate. We have a real chance in 2020 to get a Democratic majority in the NC General Assembly, which is a critically important opportunity. I want to be a leader not only in bringing progress to our District, but also to fix the long list of problems that Republicans have created for our whole state. I have a list of policy proposals on our website TravisSmithNC.com. For starters, our Teachers and Schools deserve more respect and attention, our Democratic institutions need to be restored and reinforced, and cities like Asheville should be allowed to set a Living Wage.”
“Our 49th Senate District here represents almost 200,000 people. I’m making it my mission to meet as many constituents here as possible and get their opinion about what needs to change in our City, County and State. So far it’s been simply amazing to meet so many friendly and engaged people.”
Travis is an active member of the Asheville community and volunteers with many local non-profit organizations. He became involved with the Asheville Tool Library soon after it opened and continues to volunteer regularly and serve on the Board of Directors. He is also honored to serve as a Board Member for Asheville-Buncombe Crime Stoppers.
As a passionate environmentalist, Travis has been fighting the climate crisis volunteering with Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) which advocates for putting a price on carbon with a Carbon Fee & Dividend solution. Acting as the 10th Congressional District Liaison, through hard work and many trips to Congress, steady progress has been made toward successfully passing legislation. As of this writing, the current bill in the House of Representatives has 66 cosponsors for H.R.763 – the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019.
Travis has been married for 10 years to his wonderful wife Amanda; they live in Asheville with their son, born last year at Mission Hospital.
“I’ve had my eye on this Senate seat for years and was sitting down for coffee last Fall with Senator Terry Van Duyn when she told me she was going to run for Lieutenant Governor in 2020! My wife and I had a big decision to make. Although we already have our hands full raising our first child, my passion for public policy and improving North Carolina is a burning ember within me. With my wonderful wife Amanda’s gracious support, it would truly be an honor to serve the people of Buncombe County in our State Senate.”
Travis grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada and earned a Bachelor of Information Systems degree there. He immigrated to the U.S. 11 years ago and his career as a Salesforce Consultant allows him to work remotely. Prior to calling Asheville home he lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and worked for a number of companies in different industries including solar, legal publishing, education, and insurance.
“Although my grandfather was born in Maine, my family has roots in Nova Scotia since the late 1700’s. I grew up in a rural community in a working class family. I love Buncombe County and take pride in calling Asheville home. I want to see Medicaid expanded under the ACA, I want to see minority rights defended, and I support Cannabis Legalization. I want to fix our broken Occupancy Tax situation in Buncombe County; we’re currently spending 75% of all our Occupancy Tax revenue ($24M) on additional tourism marketing, and this is set in State Law. Every constituent I’ve talked to believes this should be changed.”
Travis is a registered Democrat and considers himself a Progressive who phone banked for Bernie Sanders in 2016, a Feminist who protested at the 2017 Women’s March in DC, and a dedicated Environmentalist who has been fighting the climate crisis as a volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
“North Carolina is a great state with immense potential, and with your support I want to be working in the Senate to make it the best in the Union. Please visit my website TravisSmithNC.com to read proposed policies and to join our team!”
“For the sake of our environment and reducing waste, I’m hoping my fellow Senate candidates will join me in an agreement to avoid lawn signs during this Primary campaign. They’re universally considered an eyesore, and it’s simply more trash in our County that (at best) ends up in the landfill.”
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