Upton, MA …Shawn Craig, Republican candidate for State Representative and Iraq war veteran, proudly announced the endorsement by Representative Geoff Diehl who has been leading the fight to repeal automatic gas tax hikes – the Yes on 1 ballot question.
“Shawn Craig’s experience is unmatched in this race for State Representative. First, he has proudly served our nation as a United States Marine in Iraq. Second, he runs his own business. Third, he has served on the Upton Finance Committee. Lastly, he worked for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority stopping fraud. I have never seen such a qualified candidate for State Representative. I wholeheartedly support his bid for State Representative,” said Diehl.
Diehl got to know Craig during the signature drive to repeal automatic gas tax hikes. Craig helped organize Upton, Northbridge and Grafton. He put in many long hours of standing at locations asking voters for their signature.
“Rep. Diehl’s endorsement shows that I am the candidate with the best message on fighting taxes,” said Craig. “Everyone knows Rep. Diehl from his work, and his support will be important with voters.”
“Shawn doesn’t just talk about an issue. He steps forward and leads. I urge Republican primary voters to vote for Shawn Craig on September 9th. We need someone we can count on in the trenches at the State House fighting the Beacon Hill power structure that is addicted to our tax dollars,” added Diehl.
Craig has also been endorsed by Steve Aylward, Chairman of the ballot question 1 that repeals the gas tax being linked to inflation, Citizens for Limited Taxation 2 ½ PAC, Second Amendment Defense Alliance of Massachusetts, as well as Representatives Jim Lyons and Marc Lombardo.
Craig is a member of the Upton Finance Committee and is the liaison to the Mendon Upton Regional School District. He is also the preceding Vice-Chairman of the Mendon-Upton Multi-Board Task Force. In addition, he is a member of the VFW and Upton Men’s Club.
Professionally, Craig has 16 years of private sector experience with the majority spent within the financial services industry. He worked for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) for 8.5 years where he investigated broker-dealers for compliance with federal securities laws and FINRA rules and regulations. This included both routine as well as special investigations involving the review and discovery of money laundering, fraud, embezzlement, insider trading and unsuitable investments. One investigation of which he was the team lead resulted in the discovery of fraud and misrepresentation at a firm located in Braintree, MA. Craig drafted a referral whereby the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission became engaged along with the FBI. The firm’s owner was detained October 2, 2012 and sentenced in April 2013 to 17 years in federal prison plus 3 years supervised probation and $9 million in restitution. Craig left FINRA in 2013 to start a consulting business focused on helping small broker-dealers.
Craig earned his B.A. from Roanoke College, where he double majored in International Relations and Business, and an M.S. in Finance from Suffolk University in Boston.
UPTON DAILY 