H.R. Crawford, Examined

Yesterday, the Washington Post spilled a ton of ink on the irrepressible H.R. Crawford. AKA former Ward 7 Councilmember H.R. Crawford. AKA former HUD muckety-muck H.R. Crawford. AKA D.C. politics commentator H.R. Crawford. AKA master developer H.R. Crawford.

The piece by Debbie Cenziper documents how the District government has spent generously on Crawfordian housing project, yet a lot of work remains to be completed. The charge against this smooth-talking developer is that he promises low-income residents a shot at homeownership but doesn't deliver. What he does deliver is good quote:

"Have I done everything right? Probably not," he said. "But I have done the best I could managing some of the toughest developments in lower-income communities, the work that very few wanted to do."

There's more where that came from. Crawford is the man when it comes to getting on the phone and making grand promises when it comes to housing.