Shawn Craig, Republican candidate for State Representative and Iraq war veteran, proudly announced the endorsement by Representative Shaunna O’Connell, who has been a leader at the State House on fiscal issues including welfare fraud.
“I am proud to not only endorse Shawn Craig for his record of service in the Marine Corps, but also for his business experience. There are plenty of lawyers and professional politicians at the State House. We need more people with a business background at the State House. Shawn Craig will be a fiscal watchdog for the taxpayers. I encourage the voters of Grafton, Northbridge and Upton to vote for Shawn in the Republican primary,” said O’Connell.
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.
“Our state has wasted over $2 billion of our tax dollars. Craig will be able to provide leadership on fiscal issues. I need more people willing to stand with me against the status quo. We need to plug the fraud loopholes in welfare,” added O’Connell.
“I want to join Shaunna in the House of Representatives. I will work with her to stop EBT cards from being used out of state. Moreover, I will join the effort to pass the Small Business Bill of Rights,” said Craig. “Her endorsement is a tremendous boost to our campaign. It proves that I am the person most able to make a difference on fiscal issues for the taxpayers.”
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, Marc Lombardo, and Geoff Diehl.
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.
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 