My Bio
Fred Crawford brings more than 25 years of experience working in government and large organizations—experience he believes is well suited to the role of Chairman of the Swain County Board of Commissioners. He spent his career with the Lower Colorado River Authority, a Texas public utility and state agency, where he served as Manager of the Real Estate Division. In that role, he oversaw an $800 million real estate portfolio, managed multi-million-dollar operating and capital budgets, and led a diverse team responsible for land management, acquisitions, conservation, and public engagement.
A Registered Professional Land Surveyor, Fred spent his career balancing infrastructure needs with environmental stewardship, land conservation, and public accountability. His work required careful planning, fiscal responsibility, and cooperation among elected officials, staff, landowners, and the public across more than 60 rural counties. That experience shaped his belief that county government should be transparent, well-managed, and focused on long-term results.
Since retiring and returning full-time to Swain County, Fred has stayed deeply involved in community life. He serves on the board of Mainspring Conservation Trust and volunteers with and supports numerous local organizations focused on education, conservation, and youth programs. As a candidate for Chairman, Fred is focused on listening to residents, bringing people together, and working to ensure county government serves the people of Swain County openly and responsibly.
My Key Issues
Responsible Government
Good government, at its core, stands on three equal legs: transparency, fiscal responsibility, and accountability. Like three legs of a stool, each one matters, each one carries weight. If even one leg is weak or missing, the whole thing becomes unstable. When all three are strong, you get something solid—government that people can trust, government that reflects community values, government that works as it should. That is the kind of government I believe we deserve in Swain County. And that is the kind of government I am committed to helping build.
Transparency
Transparency means that governmental and financial records are open and easy for any citizen to get. It means that the information used to make decisions is not hidden away or delayed, but shared quickly, clearly, and in a way that every person—not just insiders—can understand. Transparency also means that the public is included in the process of decision making. That doesn’t mean the public makes the decisions, but it does mean the public understands how decisions are made, who is making them, and when they can offer input or feedback. It means the community isn’t kept in the dark. Far too often, government information is tucked behind cumbersome systems, confusing websites, or language and documents that only “insiders understand. And that’s not good enough. As public servants, part of our job is to take the information we work with every day and explain it in simple, straightforward terms—so that the folks who don’t live and work inside these government walls can understand what is happening and why.
Fiscal Responsibility
Fiscal responsibility starts with understanding one basic truth: your commissioners, your community leaders, and every county employee—are stewards of the taxpayers’ money. Every dollar government spends comes from someone who earned it, someone who worked for it, someone who entrusted us with it. So when we make decisions about spending, those decisions must be taken with care. And “care” means looking not only at the immediate need, but also at the long-term consequences. It means asking: What will this cost today? What will it cost tomorrow? What will it save? Who does it help? Who does it burden? A fiscally responsible government develops budgets that reflect the real priorities of the people it serves. Because as I like to say: show me an organization’s budget, and I’ll show you their priorities. The process of creating that budget shouldn’t be something that happens behind closed doors or in the far corners of an organization. It should be open. It should be public. People should understand what’s being proposed and why. Fiscal responsibility also means leveraging the resources we have with resources from outside. This includes applying for grants, forming partnerships with other governments, Collaborating with nonprofits, and creating public-private partnerships. I have seen the benefit of working with others to do more together than we could ever do alone. The old model—simply “tax and spend”—is not responsible government. Fiscally Responsible government looks for smarter ways, more efficient ways, more effective ways to deliver the services people need.
Accountability
Government is not a faceless blob. Government is people—county employees, elected officials, advisory board members, even community volunteers. These folks are -for the most part- not in it for the money. They are in service to others. To me, public service has always been a calling—an opportunity to serve others, to strengthen the community, to leave things better than we found them. And folks who work in government must understand that because you are spending other people’s money and because your work affects the broad community, that public service comes with a higher responsibility. I believe that Public servants must meet a higher standard than a private employee. A responsibility to avoid conflicts of interest. A responsibility to be good stewards of public resources. A responsibility to act with integrity. A responsibility to uphold the trust the community has placed in them. That’s just the truth of it. When you choose to serve the public, you choose to be held to a standard that reflects the importance of the job. You choose to be responsible for your actions, your decisions, and how you carry out the work of the community. And with responsibility comes accountability.
Send Me a Message
Have questions or suggestions? I would love to hear from you!