Bryantown businessman seeking District 28 delegate nomination
Crawford wants to improve transportation, education in the county
Longtime Bryantown resident Jim Crawford is running his fifth campaign for District 28 delegate. His last four attempts were unsuccessful, but this time, he believes, the outcome could be different.
“The Maryland Independent usually labels me as a ‘perennial candidate,’” Crawford said with a chuckle. “I like to think of it a little bit differently. As Winston Churchill said, ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.’”
Crawford, a self-described history buff whose passions include antique cars and World War II re-enacting, said his passion for politics comes from his appreciation for America’s past.
“I grew up in the ‘50s and ‘60s,” Crawford said. “We had our issues, and every generation does. But, ironically enough, even then I realized that this was a pretty cool time.”
Family life, Crawford said, was “more wholesome and simpler” then, and as a youth he could wander around downtown D.C. and into government buildings without fearing for his safety or having to pass through endless security checkpoints.
One of three Trump delegates from the Fifth District to the 2016 Republican National Convention, Crawford is one of four Republicans running for District 28 delegate.
“Every now and then people wake up and say, ‘You know, we need a change,’” Crawford said. “I’m hoping that will be one of those years.”
Crawford wants to alleviate northsouth traffic congestion in Charles County by adding commuter lanes for cars and buses along Routes 301, 5, and 210. He’s not a fan of light rail, though.”
“We’re not going to get light rail all the way to Charlotte Hall,” Crawford said. “The tracks don’t exist, and the logistics are just a nightmare.”
Because Route 301 is a U.S. road, the state delegation should be working to get federal funds for improvements along the most heavily congested areas, Crawford pointed out. The fact that many of the people who use it are commuting to federal jobs might make that argument easier, he said.
Crawford also wants to see the county delegation fight more aggressively for school funding.
“We’re not getting our money’s worth in many ways,” Crawford said. “I think our school system has gotten away from the fundamentals of education — the three Rs, if you will — and gotten much more involved in aspects of education that cost a lot of money but don’t necessarily produce a lot of results.”
For example, he said, look at classroom discipline problems.
“That’s not a money issue, that’s not a tax problem,” he said. “That’s a social structural problem within the education system.”
Another example, he said, is what he believes is too many administrative positions in the school system, resulting in stifling micromanagement.
“The first thing you do is go to the teachers and ask them what they need,” Crawford said. “A teacher who says, ‘I need a raise,’ I’m going to discount a little more than a teacher who says, ‘I need materials, I need discipline, I need support.’ That’s the person I’m going to pay attention to.”
Crawford said he believes residents are frustrated with the inaction of the current delegation to the Maryland General Assembly on transportation and education, as well as other issues.
“We’ve been fighting these same issues for many years, and what have they accomplished for us?” Crawford asked. “Are we making any progress in these areas? We’ve got worse traffic in Waldorf than we had 30 years ago. With good leadership and the right delegates, it could have been done.”
“If you keep electing the same people over and over and you’re expecting different results,” Crawford said, “I think that’s the definition of, if not insanity, then certainly frustration.”