Recipient of the John Leigh Public Sector Official of the Year
(Bel Air, MD) – – Harford County Executive David R. Craig has received the John Leigh Public Sector Official of the Year award. Craig and Harford County Government were recognized last weekend at the Association of Defense Communities national conference in Boston for the county’s preparations for BRAC.
The award acknowledges County Executive Craig’s leadership in establishing local and regional planning groups to prepare for an influx of new residents to Harford County, as well as dedicated significant resources to resolving many of the challenges related to growth as a result of BRAC. The planning and advisory commission established by County Executive Craig, helped produce an action plan to guide the county’s efforts to address its needs in the areas of land use, transportation, infrastructure, education, workforce development, public safety and health.
Additionally, the county executive applied for and obtained a federal grant to form a regional planning group, the Chesapeake Science and Security Corridor (CSSC) Consortium, and a regional BRAC office. The consortium serves as a clearinghouse for maintaining contact with the Army and also provides technical assistance to three states and seven counties neighboring the Aberdeen Proving Ground.
Earlier this year, County Executive Craig announced an agreement between the county and the City of Aberdeen to provide an additional 100,000 gallons of water per day to accommodate BRAC growth. Additionally, Harford County also broke ground on a 10 million gallon-per-day expansion of a water treatment facility to help APG and surrounding communities maintain their quality of life well into the future.
Joining County Executive Craig in receiving the award was Karen Holt, manager of the regional BRAC office.
Commenting on the award, County Executive Craig stated, “We are humbled and honored to be recognized nationally for the work we have done since 2005 in preparation for the implementation of BRAC at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. Our goal is to work in partnership with the military, the state of Maryland and local government to ensure Harford County is well prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities that BRAC brings to the region. I feel strongly that Harford County must do all we can in preparing for BRAC to support our warfighters,” Craig remarked.
Great news. Fantastic honor. But how much does it cost to attend the Association of Defense Communities national conference in Boston? I guess we could ask for details after folks get back from the latest junket to the Association of Counties conference in Ocean City.
David Your comments on this and the Boy Scout honor are rediculous. It’s all part of doing business. 2 months ago everyone was complaining that he does nothing. Now he gets recoginition and you bitch about that too. What will it take to make you winers happy. Do you honestly think that any elected executive would not attend such funtions? Keep up the good work exec. you still have a lot of supportors.
When exactly is BRAC going to happen? There’s so much money being thrown towards BRAC and I don’t see results. How many years will this go on before people demand answers?