Ian Baltutis

Ian Baltutis earned a high school diploma from Washburn High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in business entrepreneurship from Elon University in 2008 and earned an M.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2024. Baltutis' career experience includes working as an entrepreneur, a supply chain manager for Honda Power Equipment Mfg, and as the founder and owner of Vibration Solution LLC. Baltutis was first elected to serve as the mayor of Burlington in 2015.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a Master Planner, entrepreneur, and proven local executive with two decades of dedicated public service to Alamance County. I consciously chose Burlington as my hometown as a college student, and I have spent my career working to build a stronger, more inclusive community here. I served as the Mayor of Burlington for six years and currently serve on the City Council.

As a small business owner, I helped found Burlington Beer Works and Persnickety Books, businesses built on the principles of sustainability, second chances, and community accountability. I am also a proud Eagle Scout, a certified foster parent, and an active volunteer with the EAA and Civil Air Patrol. I am running for NC House District 63 to bring practical, hands-on leadership to Raleigh, stop state-level overreach, and ensure our government actually works to lower the daily cost of living for working families.

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?

Protecting Local Autonomy: Raleigh politicians have increasingly treated our hometowns like their personal laboratory for overreach, stripping decision-making power away from local leaders through unfunded mandates and top-down regulations. As a former Mayor and current City Councilmember, I know that local governments are best equipped to handle local issues. I will be a steadfast "Hometown Defender" in the General Assembly, fighting to protect municipal authority so that our communities can make the best decisions for our own neighborhoods, infrastructure, and future planning.Lowering the Cost of Living: Working families in Alamance County are feeling a severe financial squeeze, and they need a leader focused on tangible relief. I am committed to bringing fiscal honesty and practical problem-solving to the state legislature. We must ensure our tax dollars actually work to lower the daily cost of living rather than subsidizing special interests. I will fight to build up our affordable housing supply, invest in smart growth, and restructure state funding formulas so our local economies can thrive without passing the buck to working families.Restoring Political Balance: North Carolina thrives when we work together, but extreme, partisan agendas have replaced common-sense governance in Raleigh. Flipping House District 63 is absolutely critical to breaking the Republican legislative majority. I am stepping up to serve as a steadfast firewall to sustain the Governor’s veto and force real, bipartisan negotiations. We need to stop the political games and get back to the work that matters: fully funding our public schools, protecting healthcare access, and ensuring every resident is treated with dignity and respect.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

With a Master's degree in City and Regional Transportation Planning, I am deeply passionate about expanding multimodal transportation, including bicycle and pedestrian safety, greenways, and flexible transit funding for municipalities. I am also fiercely dedicated to affordable housing development, downtown revitalization, and historic preservation as tools for equitable economic growth. I am committed to ensuring North Carolina is a safe, welcoming place for everyone by fighting discriminatory legislation and empowering local leaders to protect their communities.

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

I look up to aerospace engineer Burt Rutan. As someone who also has a background in design, engineering, and building things from the ground up, I deeply admire his approach to problem-solving. Rutan is brave enough to completely rethink standard methods and innovate, yet practical enough to do the hard work required to turn bold ideas into a physical reality for the betterment of society. That is exactly the kind of practical innovation I strive to bring to government.

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

The most important characteristics for an elected official are a steadfast belief in good government, a commitment to a strong and accessible democracy, and a deep respect for the right of the people to shape their own communities. An effective leader must be pragmatic and accountable, viewing public office not as a partisan game, but as a genuine duty to deliver practical solutions that lower the cost of living and improve the daily lives of residents.

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

The primary responsibility of a state representative is to be highly accessible, actively listening, and consistently responsive to the people of their district. Beyond that, the core responsibilities are to ensure that our state government operates efficiently and effectively, to distribute our tax dollars responsibly, and to fiercely protect the right of every eligible citizen to vote and participate in our democracy.

What legacy would you like to leave?

My ultimate goal is to leave behind a political landscape that is highly accessible, enabling far more people from diverse backgrounds to serve in local and state government. I want my legacy to be one of coalition-building, leaving our communities with a strong foundation of empowered, diverse leaders who truly reflect the populations they serve.

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

My very first job was emptying trash cans and sweeping floors at Quality Coaches, an auto repair shop in Minneapolis. I worked there for a total of four years, two years during high school and returning during my college summers. During that time, I worked my way up to fixing cars, including restoring vintage British vehicles. More importantly, that job taught me how to problem-solve, troubleshoot, and re-engineer a wide variety of parts to keep old, complex equipment running smoothly. It instilled in me a "mechanic's mindset" that I still use today to fix broken policies and budgets in local government.

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

I am naturally an introvert, which has been both a unique challenge and a significant asset in my role as a local leader. In the highly public world of politics, I continually have to work hard and push myself out of my comfort zone to refine my public speaking and networking skills. However, being an introvert is also my superpower as a policymaker. It allows me to be a deeply thoughtful, active listener. I don't feel the need to be the loudest voice in the room; instead, I can absorb what residents are telling me and thoughtfully consider all sides of an issue before making a decision.

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

The ideal relationship is one of mutual respect, balance, and collaboration. The Governor and the State Legislature have differing roles by design, but they must work together as co-equal branches of government. Rather than engaging in partisan games or top-down overreach, both branches should act as a check and balance for one another, keeping their shared focus entirely on the long-term prosperity and well-being of the whole state.

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

North Carolina's greatest challenge is successfully building and maintaining the infrastructure required to sustain our rapidly growing economy while keeping our hometowns affordable. Specifically, we must ensure our municipal water and sewer systems are managed effectively to deliver quality water without pricing working families out of their homes. We must transition our transportation investments toward flexible, multi-modal strategies that allow our cities to adapt as the economy shifts. Finally, none of this growth is sustainable if we do not fully fund our public education system to support and train our next generation of workers, thinkers, and leaders.

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

Absolutely. While an elected official must never compromise their personal morals, core ethics, or the dignity of the people they represent, we must be willing to compromise on how we craft policy. True representative government requires bringing different perspectives to the table to find practical, working solutions. We have to be willing to negotiate the mechanics of legislation in order to move our community and our state forward.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Sierra Club, Transgender Caucus of the North Carolina, Planned Parenthood Votes, Work for Democracy, Alamance Burlington Association of Educators

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

I vividly remember the events of 9/11 and the subsequent US entry into the war in Iraq, which occurred while I was in high school. That period dramatically changed my view of government and created a deep sense of distrust in how national decisions were being made. However, during that time, I also witnessed my then-Senator in Minnesota, Paul Wellstone, stand firmly on his principles and vote against the war resolution. I deeply admire the principled, courageous way he served in government, and it taught me the importance of electing leaders who have the integrity to stand by their ethics even when it is difficult.

Ian Baltutis did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2019 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Baltutis' campaign website stated the following:

One city – One Burlington – Re-Elect Mayor Baltutis

One City – Time and time again, I am asked why our city is divided? Why does the wall that is Webb Ave and the train tracks define such a striking boundary within our one city? It is clear to residents on both sides of this informal boundary that city rules, ordinances and spending are not equally portioned across all our local neighborhoods. The differences arise in maintenance of public infrastructure like parks, roads, and buildings. There is also a stark contrast in appropriate business practices, signage and street presence. As the growth and development of our city shifts and flows, we cannot leave neighborhoods behind or abandoned. We need elected officials who are visible, accessible and active to all our citizens, regardless of where in our city they choose to live.

Safe Neighborhoods – Building safe communities takes total involvement from each of us. Its foundation begins at the most basic level, our neighborhoods. When we reach out and get to know the families who live next door and across the street, we build strength through association. We forge partnership and understanding that enables us to better understand the needs and challenges facing our community. Through cooperation, we can begin to address those needs. Safety is built through numerous ways. It can be as simple as a hosting a block party or as involved as organizing a neighborhood watch group. All it takes is a few community members stepping up and taking a leadership role in their neighborhood. Before long the buds of community grow and neighbors come together under a common purpose. United to create a safe place to live, work and play.

Total Transportation – In 2013 we fought for a bus system. Today, we can look forward to seeing those buses begin mobilizing our city as early as Spring 2016. But the fight isn’t over. Every day, thousands of our citizens struggle to find suitable transportation to school, work, and medical care. The future of our city hinges on connecting our greatest asset, our people, with the economic engines of our future, our schools, and businesses. It hinges on the long-term health of our seniors and their ability to access high-quality care providers. The prosperity of our economy depends on connecting businesses to the customers who demand their goods and services. Every movement, every commute, every inch of our city, drives us towards our future. Our feet, our wheels and our wings get us there. We have the strategic plans to make it happen, but we lack the financial gas to get us there. It is time for us to have a mayor and a city government who really make pedestrian safety and transportation infrastructure a priority.

Education for All – Education extends well beyond the classroom. It takes place 24/7/365. As a city, we must look beyond the traditional classroom environment and ask ourselves how to best prepare our students to be full citizens of our community. The core focus our efforts must be on STEM fields. Employment opportunities in STEM fields will grow at twice the rate of non-STEM opportunities over the next decade. 80% of the fastest growing careers are dependent on STEM based skills. Our community must provide the programs and extracurricular activities necessary to engage our students in STEM. While ABSS is managed at a county level, we as a city can make our students more competitive by creating programs that allow our students to learn and experience STEM outside of the traditional school day.

Leadership with Vision – Our city is filled with innovative and creative community leaders. These are the people that we need to more fully engage in active leadership roles. It is the responsibility of our mayor to be an advocate who reaches out to all corners of our community and empowers these leaders. Our city’s future success and growth depends on Burlington being a community that continually innovates. We must truly live up to our goal of being a dynamic community that attracts and retains talented and engaged citizens.[7]

—Ian Baltutis' campaign website (2019)[8]

Baltutis' website highlighted the following campaign themes:[9]

Excerpt: "We as a county and a state have to be able to compete at a national level to attract and retain talented and dedicated educators. Funding for education is an investment in North Carolina’s future and a vote of confidence in the next generation of our state’s leaders."

Excerpt: "It’s more important than ever to make sure that programs are available to help retrain our workers, keep them in their homes, keep their children in school and help them continue to support their communities."

Excerpt: "In order for North Carolina to compete in the global economy we have to be a state that supports new and existing business needs. We’ve always thrived on the innovation of our local entrepreneurs, we need to show them that we are still committed to helping them succeed in our communities."

Excerpt: "As a state, North Carolina cannot selectively reject to support the needs of some citizens and not others. The system only works when everyone participates and has access to the services and care that they need. It makes sense whether your a patient or a hospital, we’re all part of building a better healthcare system."