After grad school, he worked for Bear Stearns investment firm, where he served healthcare clients including pharmaceutical, biotech, diagnostic and service companies.

When he left banking, he worked for a consulting company, Campbell Alliance, in same health care areas working in NJ. and NY. He helped open offices for this firm. This brought him back to Raleigh where he started the Pharmaceutical Institute.

In 2009, he came back to the family law firm, Blue LLP, doing financial transactions for the state and for private colleges and universities.

There are 3 important things to him to address through this office.  They are managing the state’s pension and retirement system, administering the state’s health care plan, and protecting North Carolina’s AAA credit rating through good state and local governance.

There are 900,000 active and retired employees with $90 billion dollars invested for state employees. The state employees’ health plan covers 700,000 people across the state.   Maintaining NC’s triple A rating will ensure that, when we get bonds, they are at the lowest cost possible. He wants to make sure NC’s commitment to education, the work force, and affordable health care are maintained for the wellbeing of all of NC, and he recognizes that the treasurer’s office touches on all these areas.

Which of the Founding Fathers do you most admire? Why?

Hamilton.  Because of his involvement in banking and his opinion that the nation as a whole has to hear all sides of an issue to do what is best for everyone.  He stated that this has always been the best way to gain consensus and to be sure that the best ideas come forward.  Hamilton provided that role.

He doesn’t fully agree.  He says consensus is a good outcome, but thinks that having a vocal argument on how you get there is a good thing too.  Mr. Blue said the private sector does a better job of keeping everyone satisfied with outcomes. He feels that you need all the players to buy into the final solution, to keep arguing until everyone gets as comfortable as they can be with the compromise, and he says that you have to work this way to preserve relationships and to be able to work together going forward.

Separation of powers is an important principle between the 3 arms of the federal government and between the feds and state governments. One of his most challenging classes in law school was Constitutional law because, as an engineer, he didn’t spend under-graduate time studying history.  In law school, studying the constitution, court cases, and case law surrounding civil rights, minorities, etc, made him feel that the laws should reflect those people who live in the country now. The bones and structure of the Constitution have served us well, but it is ok to change the drapes.

What do you know about Common Core?

Our infrastructure is in need of major repair.  We need to make the investment to the infrastructure that we have been avoiding.  We need to finance them properly. We need to address water quality and water treatment facilities. Our remedies have to be responsible so current taxpayers are paying their fair share and generational taxpayers who will be reaping the benefits of that investment are also paying their fair share.  We have to have practical solutions.