Politics & Government
McGrady Answers Tough Questions at Town Hall
The Aberdeen mayoral candidate shared his principles and then answered questions about governing the city.
Aberdeen mayoral candidate held a town hall meeting Tuesday night inside the where he answered questions about his vision for governing the city.
McGrady opened the meeting with a statement about his principles of cutting government spending and breaking down the “wall of bureaucracy” between citizens and city council.
About 30 people attended, including 2009 mayoral candidate Mike Hiob, who supports McGrady and at times mentioned inaccuracies in McGrady's statements. Each person had an opportunity to ask McGrady a question.
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McGrady will face incumbent Mayor Michael Bennett in the municipal election Nov. 8.
In response to a question about getting business to invest in downtown Aberdeen, McGrady said that new buildings, acting as facades, don’t improve business.
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“To get people to invest here, you got to make people want to. When you call , I want there to be a booklet that you can go in and get and see what it takes for you to invest in the city of Aberdeen,” said McGrady. “The biggest complaint I hear about building in Aberdeen is dealing with the planning and zoning department. The answer is always 'No, no, no.' ”
Comments about taxpayers paying hundreds of thousands of dollars each year on the debt created by stirred concern with people in attendance. McGrady clarified that it was not ’s council that created 20 years worth of debt for .
Aberdeen residents will pay taxes for the stadium debt until 2022. It was approved in 2002, before Bennett was mayor.
“I would be okay with breaking even at this point,” said McGrady.
When asked about spending cuts, McGrady also said he would freeze a pay raise for city employees, donate the mayor’s $10,000 salary and cut the $16,000 annual dues for membership in the Maryland Municipal League—for which Bennett is the president.
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