Aberdeen?s voters went to the polls in droves Tuesday to oust Mayor S. Fred Simmons in favor of a candidate who had pledged he would return the job to a part-time position.
Informed Tuesday night of the vote totals putting him behind former State Trooper Michael Bennett 1,323-908, Simmons turned back to the philosophies of Ayn Rand and pointed to the “objective truths” of his accomplishments during his two years as mayor: A balanced budget, increased public safety and plans to expand the city?s water and infrastructure to keep up with growth.
“At least for today, A equals A,” he said quietly amid supporters in the Aberdeen Senior Center. “As for tomorrow, who knows?”
Simmons? aggressive approach made him some enemies and left a few weak spots in his resume that his opponents targeted: The balanced budget and higher employee salaries came with higher taxes; the enterprise fund for water and sewer expansion was paid for with higher rates; the failed Wetlands Golf Course annexation, which Simmons hoped would bring more tax revenue with only a modest expansion of city services, galvanized residents outside the city to campaign heavily for Bennett.
Simmons had boasted of spending 12 hours a day on city business, speaking to residents and visiting properties identified as trouble spots. He wore a police badge embossed with “mayor” and a gun in a shoulder holster while he walked the town or followed officers on raids, and pushed for a camera system monitored from City Hall to watch high-crime areas.
But Bennett, a retired trooper turned civilian commander of State Police communications, vowed to be hands-off with the police and would remain a part-time mayor.
“If it became a full-time thing, I?d have no problem with retiring from the state a second time,” Bennett said.
Bennett said his first priority as mayor would be drawing more water from the Chesapeake Bay to stretch the city?s dwindling supply, or ongoing preparations for jobs coming to Aberdeen Proving Ground.
