HARFORD COUNTY EXECUTIVE - DAVID R. CRAIG BIOGRAPHY

David Craig is a lifelong resident of Harford County. He was born in Havre de Grace in June of 1949 and graduated from Havre de Grace High in 1967. He married his high school sweetheart, Melinda (nee Blevins) Craig. David and Melinda have three children. All three graduated from Havre de Grace High School and were very active in sports, clubs, and church activities. In fact, David was the soccer coach for two of his children from elementary school through graduation.

The Craig's children have all graduated from local colleges, married, and continue to call Harford County home. As proud grandparents, David and Melinda have been blessed with seven beautiful grandchildren whom they surround themselves with at every possible opportunity.

Education, Career and Public Service

David received his Bachelor's Degree in history from Towson State College in 1971 and a Master's Degree, also in history from Morgan State University in 1983. He is also a graduate of the Maryland Leadership Academy and the National Leadership Academy.

David had a long and fulfilling career of 34 years with the Harford County Public School System. He began as a history teacher at Edgewood Middle School and went on to hold positions at Aberdeen and Havre de Grace Middle Schools. He retired as Assistant Principal at Southampton Middle School in Bel Air when he took on the full time challenge of Harford County Executive.

David Craig has served the citizens of Harford County at several levels of government. In his hometown of Havre de Grace he was first elected to the City Council in 1979 and went on to become Mayor of Havre de Grace in 1985. David began service on a statewide level in the Maryland House of Delegates in 1991 and was elected as one of Harford County's two Senators in the Maryland General Assembly in 1995. He served as Chair of the Harford County Delegation in 1998 and 1999. Upon completing his term in the State Senate, David was once again elected to serve his hometown of Havre de Grace as mayor, a position he continued to fill until taking the office of Harford County Executive in July 2005.

In addition to his duties as County Executive, David currently is Chair of the Board of Directors for the Baltimore Metropolitan Council and is Treasurer of the Maryland Association of Counties. He also serves on the Boards of a number of philanthropic and charitable organizations.

Preserving Harford's past; promoting Harford's future

In the early 1960's John F. Kennedy urged our nation forward saying "We choose to do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard". These words are a fitting credo for David Craig, the Harford County Executive.

Echoing back to the words of President Kennedy, Executive Craig has hit the ground running and immediately took on the hardest challenges facing Harford County. In typical head-on style, David has directly confronted issues such as Comprehensive Rezoning, Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), improved public schools and public safety and the sound management of a budget exceeding three quarters of a billion dollars.

In his Inaugural Address, Mr. Craig, an avid historian, stated his belief as one he shared with Teddy Roosevelt who directly and simply said "Do the best you can with what you have, and do it now". With that in mind, David has proposed an aggressive school construction plan to help catch up for past growth trends as well as prepare Harford for future growth needs.

He has also pledged his support to public safety. David has assured the Sheriff, Harford County's State's Attorney, and the Volunteer Fire and EMS Association that he will work with them to ensure that their agencies have the necessary tools and training needed to meet the challenges of Harford County's growing demand for emergency services.

County Executive Craig is working on several initiatives that will have a lasting impact on shaping Harford County's overall quality of life and provide future opportunities for generations to come. Chief among these initiatives is the challenge of updating a 25 year old zoning code. Economic development, continued preparation for BRAC and progressive stewardship of Harford County's rich agricultural heritage are all key elements of David's vision for shaping the future.