Special to IFN

Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education member Mike Kubiniec has announced his candidacy for the 95th District seat in the N.C. House of Representatives.

A Republican, Kubiniec retired from the U.S. Navy as a captain in 2013 after more than 30 years of service. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. During a 12-year active-duty career, he served on three nuclear-powered submarines, deploying to the western Pacific, eastern Atlantic and South America. Kubiniec left active duty in 1995, continued his service in the Navy Reserve, and earned a Master of Science Degree in Planning and Strategy from National Defense University. He was selected to command four Reserve units. 

In November 2022, Kubiniec was elected to the I-SS Board as the District 5 representative. In his campaign announcement, he touted his passion for improving academic achievement across the entire school district, supporting increased teacher pay, and preparing students for college or to enter a trade or other professional certification program, business, or the armed forces. He has also been an advocate for developing the level of citizenship and social skills that students need to grow into the next generation of leaders. 

In his professional civilian career, Kubiniec worked for two high-technology companies: semiconductor manufacturing capital equipment and fiber optic cabling and hardware systems, while leading business organizations in the areas of global manufacturing operations, product line management, product engineering, quality and reliability, new product introduction and brand experience program management.

If elected to the N.C. House, Kubiniec said his top priorities as South Iredell’s House representative would be:

♦ Making North Carolina and Iredell County safe.

“Iryna Zarutska’s terrible and senseless murder this past summer in Charlotte exposed the need to strengthen repeat offender and pretrial release laws,” he said. “Thankfully, the Governor signed ‘Iryna’s Law’ which helps address some of these, but I will support even stronger laws which eliminate cashless bail, keep repeat offenders off the street and to eliminate sanctuary cities.”

♦ Continuing to grow our state and local economies by attracting new business with high-paying jobs by supporting fiscally conservative policies and keeping state income taxes low.

“Having worked for two high-technology companies, I know what it takes to attract and retain these companies which will provide great jobs for our growing population and state and local economies. With growing economies, we keep our taxes low,” he said.

♦ Changing the funding model for public education and returning more local control to the school districts.

“Having served on the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education these past 3 years, I have seen first-hand how the state’s funding of public education punishes school districts like Iredell County. Currently, state funding is based mostly on student enrollment. What is not adequately accounted for are districts that have high areas of poverty and significant numbers of special needs students. Iredell County is a Tier III County and is considered “wealthy,” therefore, we receive insufficient funding to meet all the educational costs of the student population, high poverty areas and special needs students. Many other states are exploring other funding models and I believe North Carolina should consider these as well,” Kubiniec said.

♦ Improving efforts to strengthen election integrity throughout the state.

“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of democracy. North Carolina needs to strengthen its laws regarding voter database maintenance, registration processes, election procedures and processes,” he said.

♦ Serving as a conduit for residents of the 95th District and military veterans by addressing their needs, solving their problems and keeping them informed.

“Serving my county constituents and fellow military veterans would be my greatest honor. No one should ever suffer because they cannot get their problem solved or cannot get an answer to a question. Sometimes government gets in the way of commonsense customer service and I will do whatever I can to break through any bureaucratic logjam. I commit to serve with honor and integrity while representing the conservative values of Iredell County,” he said.

Kubiniec believes his leadership gained through the military, business experience, and service on the board of education make him the best choice to represent South Iredell County in Raleigh.

“I respectfully ask for the trust and support of the voters of Iredell County.”