Larry McBurney

Larry McBurney was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He served in the U.S. Air National Guard from 2003 to 2015. He earned a high school diploma from Des Moines North High School. His career experience includes working as an executive director. McBurney has been affiliated with the Filipino American Society of Iowa.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Current member of the Urbandale City Council. I enlisted in the Iowa Air National Guard in 2003 and served for nearly 12 years with 3 deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. My wife and I run a nonprofit providing resources to Filipino immigrants such as translation services and transportation while promoting Filipino culture and heritage.

Our commitment to the community extends through multiple local organizations such as the local Lions Club, VFW/American Legion, 4th of July committee, Urbandale Community Action Network, Urbandale Food Pantry, and as a member of the Urbandale Civil Rights commission.

Our family is deeply vested in our state’s politics. I was diagnosed with PTSD after my second tour overseas, my wife and oldest son are first generation immigrants from the Philippines, and our daughter is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s this experience that compels me to serve all Iowans in the legislature.

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?

Mental health resources should be available to all Iowans. Through my experience with PTSD, I’ve seen first hand how difficult it can be to navigate the hurdles associated with seeking help. This issue is compounded the more rural your community is in Iowa. All Iowans should have equal access to mental health care resources across the state.LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. The state legislature in Iowa took up 29 bills in 2023 and 40 bills in 2024 aimed at taking rights away from members of the LGBTQ+ community. These attacks continue to have direct and reciprocal effects on our state. Iowans feel unsafe in a state they grew up in and leave at one of the highest rates in the country. We need to return to the roots that made Iowa the 3rd state in the nation to legalize gay marriage.Immigrants grow our economy and contribute significantly to the positive growth of our state. Immigrants from all across the world set their roots in Iowa to create opportunities for their family they may have never had otherwise. What they’ve been met with in recent legislation is more hurdles creating inequitable access to voting and state resources. We should be welcoming new ideas and a boost to our labor force rather than pushing more people out of the state of Iowa.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Access to mental health resources, LGBTQ+ rights, immigrant rights, women’s rights, and expansion of voter rights.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11 will forever be the one historical memory I’ll retain. I was a Sophomore in high school in Speech class when the second tower was hit. It was at that moment I decided I wanted to join the military.

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

Busboy at Chuck’s Restaurant. I worked there for a little over a year.

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

Overturning a Republican trifecta that has led to some of the worst metrics in the country.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe it helps having some experience within the system to become more quickly acclimated to the environment.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I spoke with a recent high school graduate who was involuntary referred to mental health resources. After leaving the hospital, she sought additional help to continue on her path to recovery. Her experience navigating the system was tumultuous and almost led to her relapsing. There wasn’t any assistance locating help specific to her needs, but she stuck with her pursuit of the help she needed.

She’s doing well now and is actively participating in taking care of her mental health. Our state, however, did nothing shine a light on a pathway to assistance. We must do better to protect all of our citizens.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

LiUNA Local 177, IBEW Local 347, Central Iowa Building and Trades Council, CWA Local 7102, Iowa Unity Coalition, Rep. Dr. Megan Srinivas, Rep Ako Abdul-Samad, Rep. Mary Madison, Rep. Molly Buck, Senator Claire Celsi, Senator Tony Bisignano, Polk County Sheriff Kevin Schneider, Urbandale School Board members Katherine Howsare and Rachel Kent.

What committees interest you?

Veterans Affairs, Ways and Means, Appropriations