Lawrence D. Crawford facts for kids

Lawrence D. Crawford is an American politician. He served as the mayor of Saginaw, Michigan. He was the third African-American person to hold this important position in the city.

Biography

Early Life and Education

Lawrence Crawford was born and grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. He later attended the University of Michigan. There, he earned two degrees. One was a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and the other was a dental degree (D.D.S.). After his studies, he became a dentist.

Becoming Mayor

In the early 1980s, Saginaw faced some big challenges. A major employer, General Motors, was having financial difficulties. This meant fewer jobs and less money for the city. Also, many people were moving out of Saginaw. This reduced the city's tax income.

At this time, there was also a lot of tension in the city. A sad event involving the police encouraged many Black residents to vote. Because of this, the city elected more Black leaders to the City Council and the school board. In 1981, Lawrence Crawford was elected to the City Council.

In November 1983, the City Council chose him as Mayor of Saginaw. Saginaw has a "weak mayor" system. This means the City Council, not the voters, picks the mayor. He was re-elected in 1984.

Challenges and Achievements as Mayor

As mayor, Crawford worked to help the city. He tried to make all residents feel safe and included. He expanded grants for neighborhoods. He also improved roads and other city services. This was especially true for the west side of town. It was hard to balance the needs of everyone while the city was struggling financially.

Mayor Crawford also worked to make the city's workforce more diverse. He wanted people from all backgrounds to have jobs with the city. In 1985, he created the Youth Task Force. This group looked for ways to solve problems like gang activity.

In 1986, the city tried to turn a downtown shopping mall into a conference center. This project did not succeed. It ended up costing the city $3 million. Crawford served on the City Council until August 1988. He was succeeded as mayor by Delbert J. Schrems.

Life After Mayorship

After his time as mayor, Crawford became a successful businessman. He helped start VITEC-USA. This company makes plastic fuel tanks for cars. It was the first manufacturing business in the Detroit Empowerment Zone. He is also the chairman and CEO of Diversity-Vuteq, LLC. This company works with a Japanese auto parts supplier. They make parts for Toyota factories in the United States.

Crawford has also served on important national and state boards. He was appointed to the National Advisory Board of the Small Business Administration. He also served on the Michigan Supreme Court Task Force. This group worked on fairness in the courts.

Personal Life

Lawrence Crawford is married to Winnie Crawford. They have two sons, Alan and Larry Jr. He attends the Welcome Missionary Baptist Church. He is also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and Sigma Pi Phi.