Press release from Larry Blunt:
Building on a lifetime of service to the public, Larry Blunt announces his bid for Buncombe County Commissioner, District 3, as an Independent candidate.
“As a U.S. Navy veteran, I served my country with honor,” says Blunt. “As a journalist, I served Buncombe County and all of western North Carolina with accountability, integrity, and compassion. Those same qualities are essential when representing the people of Buncombe County.”
As an Independent candidate, not beholden to any political party, Blunt looks forward to collaborating with all of his fellow commissioners and community leaders. “Traveling around Buncombe County as a journalist, a citizen, and now as a realtor, I’ve encountered the same challenges the public faces every day,” says Blunt. “Traffic congestion. Not enough housing for low- and middle-class families to afford. Not enough jobs that pay a wage compatible with our high housing costs. A public education system struggling to meet the needs of students and the educators who prepare them for careers and college.
“We need to collaborate to find creative solutions not only to the challenges we face now, but to those we’ll face going forward. As a Commissioner and servant leader, I’ll responsibly and compassionately balance the needs and desires of individuals and families, businesses, nonprofits, and the community at large, with available resources.”
During Larry’s thirty years as a journalist, he focused heavily on accountability and transparency in government, scrutinizing budget line items and winning an Emmy for exposing a County Administrator in SC who was misspending taxpayer’s money. That experience will serve him well as a Buncombe County Commissioner. So, too, will the relationships formed with people of all walks of life making an impact in the region, featured in his “Persons of the Week” segments over the course of a decade.
Before his television career ended, Blunt earned eight Emmys and was recognized for his service with the prestigious “Silver Circle Award for Lifetime Achievement” from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Southeast Region. In no small part, those awards reflect Larry’s dedication and commitment to the people of western NC.
“For the past 12 years I have enjoyed building relationships with wonderful, inspiring people in Buncombe County,” says Blunt. “It would be the privilege of a lifetime to represent people in not only District 3 but across the County, listening to your concerns, and working for a better life for all. I look forward to this next, most important opportunity for public service, and appreciate your support.”
Blunt and his wife Jan, former Communications Director for Buncombe County Schools from 2008-2014, have four adult children and three grandchildren, with one on the way. They live in southern Buncombe County with their two Cairn Terriers, and together form “The Larry Blunt Team,” Realtors® with Carolina Mountain Sales. A federally recognized member of the Cherokee Nation, Blunt is a graduate of Purdue University at Ft. Wayne.
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