{"id":12493,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/meagan-crawford\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T17:33:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T17:33:40","slug":"meagan-crawford","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/meagan-crawford\/","title":{"rendered":"Meagan Crawford"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Previous Offices Held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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First time running for office<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Top Three Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Main Street: Utilize and expand existing resources to support small-business owners, breathe life into downtown and strengthen our local economy \u2014 making Sanford a place where people want to be. Community wellbeing: The unhoused population creates issues that affect our ability to live in harmony; Home for Good is a viable solution and will restore faith that change is near. Supporting schools: Everyone deserves access to a quality education, and educators need support to do their jobs well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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As a local small-business owner and mom to two young kids \u2014 including a toddler on the spectrum \u2014 I'm running because complaining doesn't create change. Scanning our playgrounds and sidewalks for needles isn't acceptable, and we deserve better. I\u2019m bringing a fresh, grounded perspective \u2014 one focused on safety, economic growth and open communication. I\u2019m investing directly where I\u2019m raising my family to ensure our community thrives; it's time for younger voices like mine to invoke change.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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What is the biggest challenge facing your town\/county? The biggest opportunity?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Addressing homelessness and its ripple effect on neighborhoods, public spaces and municipal budgets is Sanford's most pressing challenge. Our greatest opportunity is turning compassion into tangible results through supportive models like Home for Good. By pairing housing with real stability and keeping residents informed about ongoing solutions, we can replace frustration with hope. Sanford has a strong foundation and the heart to build a safer, brighter future for everyone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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If you could change one thing about how the town\/county functions, what would it be and why?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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If I could change one thing, it would be bridging our civic divide to build a stronger community foundation. Misinformation and polarization often obscure how our city operates, keeping us stuck. By creating transparent, accessible ways for residents to understand local government, we can shift from debate to meaningful action. When we ground ourselves in shared reality, we can unite our purple city to support our schools, revitalize Main Street and improve daily wellbeing for everyone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Do you support more development \u2013 i.e. more housing construction and business building in your town\/county? Why or why not?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Yes, but only if it serves Sanford\u2019s long-term interests. Growth shouldn\u2019t mean accepting any project that comes our way. Proposed developments like the data center and Aries facility risk harming our natural resources and burdening taxpayers, especially given concerns around financial stability and track records. We must evaluate major industrial projects critically \u2014 prioritizing responsible business growth and sustainable housing that protects our environment and supports future generations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":10915,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Meagan","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Crawford","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":12439,"voter_guide_candidate_age":38,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Founding client success manager (hotel tech startup), microbakery owner (Pearl Baking Company in Sanford)","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"Sanford is where my husband and I bought our first home, are raising our two toddlers, and built my small baking business. I believe in acting locally to deliver practical results.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"Associate's degree in hospitality management and certificate in event planning","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=14via_ijtbTENKKbRbfyJGu1nNnBrEZ1e","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[1186],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-12493","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_party-non-partisan"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/candidate"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13045,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12493\/revisions\/13045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=12493"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=12493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}