Meet Roger Crawford
by Barb Crawford 
My husband Roger was born in St. Paul in 1952 to an elementary school teacher and a tool and die machinist. When Roger was born his mother, at 46 years old, had thought she was done having children. The youngest of five, Roger grew up playing with nieces and nephews who were older than he was.
His parents moved to Circle Pines when that was considered a move to the country. Growing up, Roger's days were filled playing baseball with friends in the neighborhood, reading the daily newspaper starting at age 7 - particularly the sports section and Don Riley - and collecting baseball cards. He remembers learning math by studying the statistics on the back of those cards. In high school, Roger's passions were football , basketball, and, of course, baseball.
When I first met Roger in 1971 it took about five hours to fall in love with him. His humble nature was the kind of character I valued. Even though we had grown up in very different types of households, the essential human traits that we both valued were the same - and hard work, caring for others, and humility were at the top of the list.
We were married in 1972 shortly after Roger was drafted and then enlisted in the Navy. Our first child was born four hours before he left for a 6 month deployment; Roger had time to coach me during the labor and delivery, bathe his new daughter, and say goodbye. At the time we thought we had it rough, but when we look at the 18 month deployments of today's military families, our experience was minor. In any case, this military experience helped us both to grow up, appreciate our family and our country, and formulate a desire to do something meaningful with our lives.
We moved to Mora in 1977 after Roger's discharge from the Navy because I was hired to teach high school English and journalism. Roger went on to finish his degree in Mass Communications, dreaming of a career in journalism. Small town Mora, tough economic times, and four children, however, quickly teach you reality and practicality. Roger tried many different jobs in an effort to provide for his family and find fulfillment - real estate, working in the county assessor's office, and working for the state in job service - but his desire to do something meaningful led him back to school in his 30s to get his elementary teaching certificate. After working four years teaching the same thing his mother had taught - 4 th grade - economic times again taught us reality and practicality, forcing Roger to leave this career that he loved.
For the past 20 years Roger has been a self-employed real estate appraiser. Although it has been a good career - and one in which he has gotten to know the people of the five county area - it was his service to the community that helped him find the fulfillment that he sought.
Roger has volunteered in many capacities over the years, from baseball coach when our kids were little to being on the East Central Regional Library board. He eventually ran and was elected a Mora city councilman, Mayor, and the city of Mora's representative as a County Commissioner.
I am proud, as his wife, to look around our community and to see some of the things Roger has impacted:
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When I look at our beautiful old courthouse, still a courthouse, remodeled, modernized, and within the city limits, I remember that Roger was a part of a committee which carefully came to the conclusion that saving the old courthouse was fiscally wise as well as historically and aesthetically important. -
As I drive past the pool every day, I am proud to know that as a brand new city councilman, Roger fought to find a way to rebuild this swimming pool that brings so much enjoyment to the kids of our community and regularly has families driving up from the northern suburbs to enjoy.
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Despite the fact that Roger's efforts to save our city's police force were not successful, I am proud to know that he stood up for what his constituents overwhelmingly wanted.
When Roger pledges to always provide an independent judgment, to vote his conscience, and to fight for what is right, not what is popular, I know that he means it. The above are three examples. He is a principled man, a man of integrity.
Our four children are now all grown and two of them have given us four grandchildren. Roger wrestles on the floor with his grandchildren just as he did with our own kids. I had always thought that I would be the special one in our grandchildren's lives, but Grandpa Roger's nature - his ability to listen and his silly sense of humor - had his grandchildren falling in love with him as quickly as I did.
I guess what I want you all to know about Roger are what will make him a good state legislator. I can only tell you about those things I know about him that I personally value when I go to the voting booth:
Yes Does this candidate have wisdom, experience, and integrity?
Yes Will this candidate carefully study all sides of an issue and try to solve problems by thinking outside the box, working with others, and voting his/her conscience rather than bowing to partisan pressure or lobbyists?
Yes Will this candidate listen to the people?
Yes Does this person have a record of fiscal responsibility and conservative principles?
Yes Is this candidate running for office because he truly wants to serve and make a difference?
Yes Will others listen to this candidate because he has earned their respect?