Since announcing her decision to run for the Legislative District 45 seat on Jan. 6 of last year, Political Science and International Relations professor Sue Crawford has been working diligently through Facebook, email and door to door visits to get her name, face and campaign goals out to the public in time for the election on Nov. 6.
Crawford and her family have lived in the Olde Town Bellevue area for over 16 years and after becoming so acquainted with the people and services of the area, Crawford said she began to feel as if it was her time to run for legislature.
“I wanted to make sure we had someone [run for legislature] who had a good understanding of how policy works, to make good decisions, and I felt that I had those qualifications so I felt that it was important to file and run [for legislature].”
Some of the key concerns facing district 45 at this time are issues involving economic development, retirees (military retirees in particular) and education. Crawford feels that the district needs a representative who will serve as a “strong advocate” for those issues.
“We have some developments coming up such as a new bridge and road coming across the southern part of the district,” Crawford said. “It is important that we step up and make the most of that in terms of bringing in jobs … The district needs someone who’s going to be a strong advocate for these projects.”
Crawford feels that it is most important for voters to know that she is very closely connected to the district in which she lives as she is both a homeowner and mother of two sons that attend public schools in the district. Crawford believes that this close community connection will allow her to have a strong sense of the needs and interests of the district.
“In addition to attending public events, I’ve also been meeting with people in law enforcements, education, business and child services to get to know the people who work on those issues and find out what’s important to them in terms of state issues, as well as to build those relationships,” Crawford said.
Political Science and International Relations professor Richard Witmer has worked alongside Crawford for nearly 10 years and has witnessed all of the work Crawford has been putting into her campaign. Although Crawford has been handling the majority of her campaigning process, Witmer has willingly offered her whatever insight or assistance he could as he believes that Crawford is a very well qualified candidate for this position.
“[Crawford] has many of the skills you would want someone who is working in public policy to have,” Witmer said. “She has done research on public policy in Nebraska and she teaches about policy issues, so she’s got a unique background in having looked at these issues academically and having worked within the community as well … It’s hard to find that unique combination of skills that she brings to the position.”
Witmer said he feels that having gained such a great deal of campaign experience will also assist Crawford in the classroom, as she will be able to use her firsthand experiences and knowledge to benefit her students.
“As educators, we don’t just read the books,” Witmer said. “We go out there and make connections and try to bring everything back together and share that with our students and that’s what Dr. Crawford is doing.”
As the professor of a campaign management class, Witmer advised his students to work on any campaign that they would like, and a few of his students decided to help work on Crawford’s campaign. One such student was Arts & Sciences Senior Corinne Googe. Googe is the president for the Creighton College Democrats for which Crawford serves as the faculty advisor, and she said she felt that assisting with the campaign would be a way to repay Crawford’s dedication
to this organization.
“After all Dr. C has done for our organization, it is the least I can do to help her get elected to the Legislature,” Googe said.
Googe has mainly assisted with Crawford’s campaign by doing a great deal of behind the scenes work such as canvassing, helping at fundraisers, making phone calls, helping with Postcard Parties and inputting data. Through watching Crawford undergo her campaigning process, Googe has become inspired to run for legislature in the future as well. Googe also feels that Crawford stands as an excellent role model because of her ability to effectively balance running for legislature, being a mother and teaching at Creighton.
“Sue has a fantastic drive to help the people of Bellevue,” Googe said. “Whether it is helping with Habitat for Humanity, or with her son’s soccer team, she is always involved. She has a passion for education and to help small businesses and she is overall a wonderful person. Most of all, she is willing to work with Democrats, Republicans and Independents to come to the best solution for the people she will represent. You don’t see that in politics a lot anymore.”
For more information on Sue Crawford’s campaign, visit her website: www.suecrawford2012.c0m.