Dustin McNally

Dustin McNally earned a high school diploma from Lisbon High School and a graduate degree from the University of North Dakota in 2007. His career experience includes working as an engineer.[2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Engineering Faculty & Assistant Dean at UND, with past experience as an Energy Engineer. 5th Generation North Dakota, Eagle Scout, and Boy Scout volunteer. Have lived in D42 for more than 20 years and have a strong desire to make a positive impact on our district and state.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Affordability & Low Cost of Living: All of us have experienced the rapid rise in costs. But we can do more with our resources to reduce Property Taxes to make home ownership more affordable.Good Jobs & Economic Development: Our District has a wide variety of industries and careers for all skill sets. Having a Pro-growth mindset in ND is critical to attracting and growing these opportunities. If we don't keep this as a priority it will pushi industry and jobs elsewhere.Responsible State Budget & Spending. The state budget increase has been outpacing revenues and is unsustainable. It is time to be realistic about the money we will have available in coming years and plan accordingly. This will be a challenging effort in the legislature to determine which spending is critical, what levels to fund our services at, and appropriate money accordingly.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Energy - I serve on the Energy committee. It is so important to our state as we look into laws and issues that affect energy prices, regulations, and concerns about Data Centers and dropping oil production.

Also I am a fiscal conservative and college faculty, so Govt Pending and Higher Education are important to me.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Governor Armstrong - he always has a great answer for questions or issues facing our state.

Senator Hoeven - he has had such great success bringing results home for ND such as funding for military bases, Drones, Ag, etc.

And more locally President Armacost at UND - he is very present on campus, connects well with all stakeholders, and brings leadership that others believe in.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Reliability, Transparency, Responsibility, Leadership, Work, Honesty, and living by the Values they say they do.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Working for the benefit of the District & State (not personal endeavors). Listening to constituents. Working towards fulfilling their campaign goals through committee work, collaboration, & voting. Explaining their decisions.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Keeping North Dakota great. All the things I benefited from & appreciate in ND I want to make sure that continues for future generations. Quality Education, Good Opportunities, Family Values, Hunting & Outdoors, Fiscal Responsibility, etc.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Working construction for my Father - all summers, many saturdays through college graduation.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Finding time for everything I want to do!

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Collaboration & understanding. We need to understand the goals of the Executive, and vice versa the Governor needs to listen and understand the issues across all districts. Also the two branches do need to be a check & balance on each other. I look forward to working with our current Governor as his views align closely with mine, but as he has told me himself that he knows we won't always agree but he is always willing to listen to my point of view.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Govt. Spending & our Economy, Political Extremists, apathy and disinterest in local and state government.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes. Critical. Legislature is not just about how you vote, but the work done to get it to that point and across the finish line. Even our founding fathers had to compromise greatly on the Constitution.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Governor Armstrong. Past D42 Senator Curt Kruen, UND Student Senator Dawson Beck.

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

ND Centennial parade with Gov Schafer coming to town. Then of course the flood of 97, followed by 9/11 my Senior year of High School.

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