Craig for Maryland - Bring Your Voice to Annapolis

Bring Your Voice to Annapolis!

Thank you for visiting our website. When Montgomery County first installed speed cameras in 2006, our leaders in Annapolis promised that the devices would improve public safety by reducing accidents and freeing law enforcement to focus on dangerous criminals. Four years later, the realization of these benefits is dubious, and the system’s drawbacks – profiteering by out-of-state companies, show trials without due process, road congestion, and erratic, dangerous driving – have become apparent. In response, leaders in Annapolis have recently pushed to expand the program, with more mobile cameras, hidden and disguised cameras, and fatter government contracts. We believe it is time to end Maryland’s illegal traffic surveillance, tear down the cameras, and protect the rights of motorists.

I am hopeful that, after reading about our practical solutions for cameras and other issues, you will join our movement. At this time of fiscal austerity, I am appalled to see millions in public funds directed out of state to a Texas-based company. As an attorney, I am incensed by the show trials and presumption of guilt, not innocence, that pervades the subsequent legal process. As a public servant, I am angered by the program’s haphazard implementation, which has broken existing state laws, opened the state and county to expensive civil suits, and prioritized revenue over safety. Perhaps worst of all, our leaders willfully ignore public criticism of the cameras and ignore mounting evidence of the program’s faults. If representatives ignore citizen concerns regarding cameras, how can we ensure they will stand up for Montgomery County voters on education, transportation, and local aid? I am running because the citizens of the 16th District deserve representatives in Annapolis who listen to and act upon their concerns.

I appeal to those who feel disenfranchised and ask you to join our movement. Let us send a powerful message that we, the people, value safer streets but do not believe speed cameras are the answer. I respectfully ask for your vote in the Democratic Primary on September 14, 2010.

In the months and weeks ahead, we will talk about community action opportunities to pressure our leaders on this issue. Today, I ask each of you to consider clicking the DONATE button above and contributing what you can to this campaign. Donations of $40, the cost of a speeding camera ticket, or $75, the cost of a red light camera ticket, will help volunteers and I communicate with voters, spread the facts about illegal cameras, and send a powerful message to the legislature in Annapolis. Your contributions are vital to winning in September, and I am thankful for anything you can give.

Craig

CRAIG'S LATEST NEWS AND PRIORITIES

Vote in the Democratic Primary on September 14, 2010!

Quote of the Year

"You can be held more accountable for going 12 miles an hour over the speed limit in Montgomery County than for being a gang member in the country illegally," said Walter Bader, past president of the Fraternal Order of Police union.
— Washington Examiner, October, 27, 2009

End Maryland's Illegal Speed Camera Program

The speed camera program piloted in Montgomery County has been implemented in a way that denies due process, presumes guilt instead of innocence, and fails to provide immediate and proper notice of the offense. The program infringes on people's civil rights and liberties by automatically placing guilt on the owner of the vehicle and requiring that person to betray a family member or a friend in order to prove his or her innocence. As a means of modifying public behavior, cameras do not teach drivers to operate their vehicles more safely. Instead, they teach drivers to abruptly slow down in view of the cameras only. No one condones speeding or other traffic offenses, especially in school zones, but Marylanders should not trust machines to protect their children.

Law enforcement personnel can best protect people from dangerous drivers; no camera ever stopped a drunk driver from hitting a child. Moreover, the disingenuous claim that cameras save lives masks an egregious conflict of interest on the part of the for-profit corporation that sets up and operates these cameras. In violation of the authorizing legislation, camera operators take a 40% commission on all fines, and resulting lawsuits now threaten a substantial money judgment that will worsen Maryland’s budget woes. Finally, law enforcement personnel frequently attest that the process of pulling over speeders often snares more serious offenders. For these reasons and others, it is time to end Maryland’s speed camera experiment.

Providing Superior Constituent Services

Maryland Delegates spend only a fraction of the calendar year in the chamber to conduct hearings and vote on legislation. Consequently, one of a delegate’s top priorities should be to provide superior constituent services to the citizens of his/her district. When elected officials advocate for the misfortunate and help citizens navigate the often byzantine structure of state agencies, they truly serve the people in every meaning of the word. My time in legislative offices with exemplary constituent services operations, including that of Representative Steve Israel and the late Senator Edward Kennedy, taught me that people never forget when elected leaders fight for them personally. As a delegate, I will show voters that, for Democrats, working as a part-time legislator does not mean a half-way commitment to service.

Fully Funding Maryland’s Educational Priorities

In tough times, our schools are too often the stopgap for balancing state budgets. This approach is woefully misguided. No other public good provides the short- and long-term benefits to our economy and society as education does. Public education is our government’s most effective tool to prepare children for conscientious citizenship and success in the workforce. Education yields second-hand benefits to a host of other public priorities – crime prevention, public health, and scientific innovation – such that efficient educational spending pays for itself. As Delegate from Maryland’s 16th District, I will work with educators, parents, and students, to ensure that education remains the state’s top priority, even in lean times.

Protecting the Environment

As a former activist with Clean Water Action, I understand the dangers of overdevelopment and pollution both to Montgomery County and the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed. Maryland has made progress in cleaning the Bay, but more work remains. As a delegate, I will oppose reckless development of public lands, promote the creation of green jobs in Montgomery County, and ensure that new TMDL pollution limits are applied in a way that saves the Bay for future generations.

Growth and Road Congestion

Every day, more people discover that Montgomery County is a great place to live. Unfortunately, more people put more strain on our roadways and transit systems. If we manage growth wisely, Maryland can accommodate increased population, and residents can enjoy reliable public transport and uncongested roads for years to come.

Developers and their lobbyists in Annapolis want profits, not quality of life, to paint the future of Maryland. As a delegate, I will fight sprawl by defending and expanding smart growth laws, fully funding public transportation, and ensuring that state and local roads are maintained here in Montgomery County.

Craig Recieves 100% Rating from NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland

I fully support a woman’s right to choose, but standing up for women’s health requires more of our leaders. I will oppose any legislation to weaken Maryland’s clinic access laws and will ensure that the Medicaid Family Planning Program provides low-income families the tools they need, including emergency contraception and neo-natal care. As an attorney, I wrote innovative legislation that protected women by expanding the definition of sex crimes, and, as a delegate, I will use that same toughness to defend the rights of Maryland women.