Home Grown in Harford County

Call David Craig committed. First, he commits to his family. He married his high school sweetheart, Melinda (Blevins) Craig. Celebrating 39 years of marriage, they have three children; in November, the Craigs will welcome their eighth grandchild into the family.

As the Craig children grew up, their parents encouraged them to study and to participate in the community through church, clubs and sports. David volunteered his time to help with his children's activities. He coached his children's Courtney and Pamela and Randy's soccer teams from "rec" through their graduation from Havre de Grace High School. Similarly, he supported his son by being a leader in Randy's Boy Scout troop and serving on the Boy Scouts of America's Harford District Board. Randy, in turn, worked hard and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. In 2007, the Harford District awarded David the Harford District Good Scout Award and, in 2009, the Baltimore Area Council gave him the Silver Beaver Award, the highest award the Baltimore Area Council can bestow on a non-scout. These awards recognize David's commitment to strong youth programs.

David Craig also commits to education. A life-long learner himself and a graduate of Towson University with a B.S. in History, and a Masters Degree from Morgan State University, David spent thirty-four years in the Harford County Public School System as a teacher and assistant principal. Because of his experience, David understands the connection between education and individual success, and he strives to build a strong educational system for Harford County's children. As County Executive, David supported the creation of high school magnet programs in Math & Science, Homeland Security, Agricultural Sciences, and Medical Arts. These programs will help Harford's students to effectively compete in the new global economy.

As County Executive, David Craig advocated for constructing schools to replace crowded, rundown buildings. David established and implemented a plan to support the forward funding of six newly constructed and renovated schools.

School construction highlights not only David Craig's commitment to education, but also his commitment to creating an environment that allows our local economy to grow and thrive. David understands that to attract new business, Harford County must offer a strong infrastructure which includes, among other things, modern school buildings. His commitment to improving the county's infrastructure has positioned the county to attract new businesses, jobs for its citizens, and economic opportunity for all of Harford.

Having a life-long commitment to public service, David Craig brings vast experience in municipal and state government to the County Executive's office. At a young age, he served his home town of Havre de Grace as a member of the City Council and later was elected the city's mayor. After David proved himself at the local level, his responsibilities expanded to the state level when he was elected State Delegate and, later, State Senator. As County Executive, David maintained his influence at the state level when he was elected President of the Maryland Municipal League in 2005, and now he serves as President of the Maryland Association of Counties. He is the first elected official to have served as President of both organizations.

Even as David Craig commits to initiatives for the future, he promotes his native Harford County's agriculture heritage. He led the effort to make the County's agriculture preservation program more competitive in the real estate market. As a result, Harford County ranks as the tenth Most Successful for Land Preservation in the entire country. Always aware of the economic impact Agriculture has on Harford County, David supports efforts to boost AG tourism and in doing so, created a successful, nationally recognized "Buy Local" campaign.

David Craig knows that taxpayers expect him to commit to resourceful stewardship of their tax dollars. In response to that expectation, David directed his administration to look for ways to reduce costs while still offering effective services to Harford County residents. Over the last three years, County Executive David Craig's administration reduced the county budget by 22%, twice lowered the property tax rate, and twice reduced the property tax cap to 5%. In 2011, the budget is 5% smaller than the 2010 budget, yet it is a budget that maintains 2010 county services, fully funds education, and reduces the property tax by 2.2 cents, reaching the constant yield for the first time since charter government. His aim is to get the county's tax rate to under a $1.

At a time when other Maryland counties worry about solvency, Harford County maintains a solid balance sheet demonstrated by its upgrade to a Triple A bond rating, by two of the top rating agencies in the country. These agencies recognized David's skillful handling of the county's finances when they described Harford County as having "Strong Financial Management" and "prudent planning of future infrastructure development."David Craig also recently caught the attention of well known columnist, Barry Rascovar of The Gazette who credited David as being "a fierce fiscal conservative" and a "longtime cost-cutter."

David Craig's experience and leadership have helped him keep his commitments to family, education, public service, strong local economy, and sound money management. All of which will ensure a bright future for all of Harford County.