BY JACOB TROXELL Staff Writer State Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, who is on the ballot for Lieutenant Governor of Maryland this year, will look to be Salisbury University’s first graduate to hold a Maryland statewide office position. She is running alongside Harford County Executive David Craig as his running-mate. “David and I are really trying to emphasize the experience we have,” Haddaway-Riccio said. “Our state is facing a lot of very complicated issues.” Haddaway-Riccio was appointed by Governor Bob Ehrlich to replace SU alumnus Ken Schisler as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates in 2003. At 26, she was the youngest woman in the nation to serve at the state level at the time. This is also the first time an SU graduate has run for a Maryland statewide office. Haddaway-Riccio said many of her experiences at SU, such as being involved in the Student Government Association and the political science department, were very beneficial to her. “Don’t ever let age be a factor if you have something you want to accomplish or if you have a goal go after it,” Haddaway-Riccio said. “Every experience and every opportunity you are given in college always helps strengthen you and gives you a better ability to achieve your goals.” Haddaway-Riccio also said Harry Basehart, a political science proffessor who retired from SU in 2008 and was her academic advisor, helped her establish her political career. “All of the professors in the political science department were wonderful,” Haddaway-Riccio said. “I really enjoyed the program, I would go to (Basehart) for advice and guidance a lot. He was great to work with.” In her senior year of high school, Haddaway-Riccio served as a legislative page in the Maryland House of Delegates for two weeks though the page program, and grew up being around Schisler, who she eventually replaced. Haddaway said both of those things inspired her to get more involved. “Having done the page program gave me sort of a home field advantage, normally when you come in as a freshman delegate there is orientation and a whole class of freshman you come in with, but I was appointed, so I really hit the ground running,” Haddaway-Riccio said. “Having been on the campus before and seeing how the committee system works I felt like I was better prepared because of those experiences.” | Haddaway-Riccio and Craig have brought up many issues they plan to fix in Maryland as the days until the primary and general election grow fewer. Some of these issues include the economy, having a transparent and efficient government, Maryland’s competition as a state, public safety, the environment, issues related to personal responsibility and Maryland’s education system. A few solutions the two have suggested are, stopping taxes from impeding job creation and economic growth, using social media to create more government transparency and understanding of Maryland laws and regulations, improving quality of life by creating a safer state, cutting down on early prison releases and reducing the administrative budget of the state education department and passing the cost-savings on to local schools. “Jobs in the economy have to be at the top of everyone’s list right now. I think that is particularly important for college students who are nearing graduation and are about to enter the workforce,” Haddaway-Riccio said. “I think getting a budget balance would help in some of these other areas in terms of our competitiveness and economy.” Before serving in the Maryland House of Delegates, Haddaway-Riccio was an administrative assistant for the Maryland Department of the Environment and a Development Officer for the National Audubon Society. She is also the creator of her own web design company, Dragonfly Designs. She has held many positions in the House of Delegates including co-chair of the Legislative Policy Committee for the Women's Caucus, treasurer of the Eastern Shore Delegation and assistant minority whip. She is currently serving as the Chair of the Talbot County Delegation. Haddaway-Riccio is also a part of the House Economic Matters Committee, Joint Committee of Federal Relations, the Public Utilities subcommittee, business regulation subcommittee and many other local boards and caucuses. The primary election will take place on June 24, 2014 and the general election will take place on November 4, 2014. “When you look at David’s experience and combine that with my legislative experience, we have a very strong ticket,” Haddaway-Riccio said. “We have the ability and track record to demonstrate and back that up.” |
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