| Roger Crawford | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 8B district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Tim Faust |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 8, 1952 Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| Political party | Republican Party of Minnesota |
| Spouse(s) | Barb |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Mora, Minnesota |
| Alma mater | St. Cloud State University |
| Profession | small business owner, real estate appraiser, former educator, legislator, veteran |
Roger W. Crawford (born June 8, 1952) is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who represents District 8B, which includes portions of Isanti, Kanabec and Pine counties in the east central part of the state. A Republican, he is a real estate appraiser and small business owner. He is also a former educator and school principal, teaching in Milaca and Pine City.[1][2]
Crawford was first elected to the House in 2010. He currently serves on the Commerce and Regulatory Reform, the Education Reform, and the Taxes committees, and on the Taxes Subcommittee for the Property and Local Tax Division.[3]
Crawford graduated from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, receiving his B.A. in Mass Communications and his B.S. in Elementary Education. He served in the United States Navy as a journalist on the U.S.S. Oriskany from 1973-1977.[1][2]
Active in his community, Crawford was a Kanabec County Commissioner for two years, and also worked with the Kanabec County Assessor's Office. He served as mayor of Mora from 2002–2006, and was a member of the Mora City Council, the Mora Public Utility Commission, and the Mora Housing and Redevelopment Authority. He is a member of the American Legion Honor Guard.[1][2]
Crawford was one of seven legislators featured in an August 2011 story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune for taking pay during Minnesota's government shutdown that summer. The paper and other media outlets reported in June that Crawford was one of seventeen Republican House members who would not take their salary in the event of a state shutdown.[4] Crawford said in August that his words had been misinterpreted.
"I believed it wasn't right to receive a paycheck if others were not able to work through no fault of their own," he wrote. "I haven't now changed my mind and chosen to take the pay. I have always said I was deferring pay during the shutdown but thought I should receive the pay after it ended." [5]