Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below.
Name: Brian Carver
Age: 37
Current job title: Fire Captain
Incumbent: No
Other political positions held: Community Service Commissioner
City where you reside: Buena Park
Campaign website or social media: votebriancarver.com
Tell us what your No. 1 priority is for this office, should you be elected. (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
My No. 1 priority is to have a safe, welcoming library for all to visit.
What does this department do for citizens? What do you view as its most important role for residents, and why? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
Our Buena Park Library supports the community with events to help with youth literacy. It is important for the community to know about our library for all ages. It should be a hub of the city for all to gather and grow.
Your neighbors may not be so familiar with this office on their ballot. How would you promote more general knowledge of the district and the importance of its work? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
Our community library is important for growing literacy in our community. This position directly is involved with library operations, and I would like to see our community grow together.
What experiences and priorities do you bring to this role? What have you learned in prior leadership roles that makes you the person for the job? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
We need leadership from the board to be more active in events and be more public-facing. How do we know what the community needs if leadership is not out at events or going to community events to see the need? Growing in the fire service, I love interacting with the community, and that is the direction we need to go.
What will you do to establish trust with your community that you will tackle this job well? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
I can tell you what I’m going to do, but if I don’t back it up with actions, then it means nothing. I will be at library events, community events, and wherever the people are, so anyone can come up to me and see what they would like changed. I would like to see improved security around the library itself to keep it clean and safe. Along with growing our outreach to educate the citizens of Buena Park
Bonus question: What is the best book you’ve read this year? Explain why you found it compelling.
“Every Tool’s a Hammer” by Adam Savage.
He talked about different events and how they molded him into who he is now. I got a lot of reflection in my own growth from it.