Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Mayor Michael Bennett and the incumbent council members will continue to govern Aberdeen for four more years.
It's official. Mayor Michael Bennett and the four incumbent City Council members took the oath of office on Monday night and will continue to set the political agenda for Aberdeen for four more years. Before the swearing in ceremony, Aberdeen City Clerk Monica Correll read the official election results. Bennett beat Republican challenger Patrick McGrady by 25 votes. There were 1,507 total voters, generating a turnout rate of 19 percent, 3 percent less than the 2009 Aberdeen municipal election. "I can't thank you enough for the shoe leather you used and the time and energy you put out," Bennett said after taking the oath. With the election behind him, Bennett said that he is considering advice from attorneys on whether to take legal action …
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Mayor Michael Bennett won the election by 25 votes, according to official results released by City Clerk Monica Correll. All four candidates for City Council were elected.
Mayor 2011 Aberdeen Municipal Election Votes Michael Bennett 766 Patrick McGrady 741 City Council 2011 Aberdeen Municipal Election Votes Ruth Elliott 1,061 Bruce Garner 993 Sandra Landbeck 1,034 Ruth Ann Young 950
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Mayor Michael Bennett beat challenger Patrick McGrady by 26 votes in the Aberdeen municipal election.
Beating his opponent by only 26 votes, Aberdeen Mayor Michael Bennett was reelected to his third term on Tuesday night after what he called "the dirtiest campaign" he had ever experienced. Bennett received 764 votes, barely ahead of the 738 votes cast for challenger Patrick McGrady, city elections supervisor Gina Bantum announced at the Aberdeen Senior Center. McGrady, a Republican, mounted a serious challenge against the Democratic incumbent in the nonpartisan election that took a bizarre last-minute twist when the city's ethics commission acted on a complaint McGrady filed against Bennett. On Oct. 14 the commission agreed with McGrady's complaint and stated that Bennett had violated ethics code by accepting a trip to Georgia paid for by …
Audrianna Adams and Frank Dupree talk about why it's important to vote in the Aberdeen municipal election.
Registered voters in Aberdeen can cast a ballot at the Aberdeen Senior Center until 8 p.m.
Know who the candidates are, where to vote and when you can see the results.
Election Day is Tuesday Nov. 8. All registered voters can cast their ballot at the Aberdeen Senior Center. The polls open at 7 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m. The election results from the voting machines and absentee ballots are expected to be fully counted approximately 20 minutes after polls close. Either incumbent Mayor Michael Bennett or challenger Patrick McGrady will be announced as mayor of Aberdeen outside of City Hall after the votes are counted. Bennett is a registered Democrat and McGrady is a registered Republican but the election has not taken on a partisan tone. Follow @AberdeenPatch on Twitter and "Like" Aberdeen Patch on Facebook to get instant election results Tuesday night. Below is a list of topics Bennett and McGrady …
Monday, November 7, 2011
A Maryland Municipal League official said Aberdeen Mayor Michael Bennett's status as president of the group will not change following his ethics violation.
Mayor Michael Bennett's status as president of the Maryland Municipal League has not changed since he was found in violation of breaking Aberdeen's code of ethics, according to Jim Peck, director of research for the league, in an interview with The Gazette. The Aberdeen City Government Ethics Commission found Bennett in violation of breaking the code of ethics for taking a Ripken Baseball-paid trip to Augusta, GA, and for speaking to members of the Georgia city's rotary club about building a stadium for the minor league baseball team on Oct. 3. "It should have no impact whatsoever," Peck told The Gazette. Aberdeen mayoral candidate Patrick McGrady filed the complaint on Oct. 14 about Bennett's trip and a decision was reached on Nov. 1. …
Aberdeen taxpayers and the city government are locked into paying for Ripken Stadium until 2022.
Correction: It was incorrectly reported on Nov. 7, 2011 that Patrick McGrady said he supported a hotel tax in Harford County. McGrady has said he is opposed to a hotel tax. Aberdeen Patch regrets the error. Is a hotel tax the answer to unburden taxpayers from the $9.1 million Ripken Stadium debt? Both Aberdeen mayoral candidates Michael Bennett and Patrick McGrady say "yes." If a hotel tax bill is passed, it could help the city government break even on the annual debt for Ripken Stadium. Aberdeen residents will be paying taxes on the stadium until 2022. Harford is the only county in Maryland that does not have a hotel tax. McGrady’s take: “The biggest thing that is dragging Aberdeen back and the reason why a lot of people in Aberdeen want …
Friday, November 4, 2011
Members of the Aberdeen City Government Ethics Commission found Bennett in violation of the city's code of ethics.
After Aberdeen mayoral candidate Patrick McGrady submitted a complaint about Mayor Michael Bennett's trip to Augusta, GA, to the city's ethics commission on Oct. 14, the commission released its decision less than three weeks later. Commission members Maria Fothgill, Myra Fender and Jesse J. Shanks said in their report that Bennett "did not willfully violate the Aberdeen Code of Ethics, but because of a series of imprudent actions and failure to think through the implications and consequences of these actions, violations did occur. Marian de Rosset is on the ethics commission, but did not sign the review. McGrady submitted a complaint, stating that Bennett traveled to Augusta on Oct. 3 to lobby for the Ripken Baseball group for personal …
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Aberdeen mayoral candidate shared his principles and then answered questions about governing the city.
Aberdeen mayoral candidate Patrick McGrady held a town hall meeting Tuesday night inside the Aberdeen Library 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. 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 …
Sue Baxter Hall
2:00 am on Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Is there really any dignity in a 'Dirty Campaign"? more ›