The bitterness of Aberdeen?s nasty election campaign spilled over into the swearing-in of the new mayor and City Council.
As new Mayor Michael Bennett and three incumbent council members took their oaths Monday night, citizens who packed the City Council chamber sparred over whether the previous administration had made great strides or deserved to be kicked out.
“Aberdeen has voted for change and has tasked a newly elected body to take the lead in delivering that change,” Bennett said. “Aberdeen Communities Together, and the club, I thank you. I couldn?t have accomplished this without you.”
The Aberdeen Communities Together group, made up mostly of non-city residents opposed to the attempts to annex their properties, also turned out for the ceremony.
Bennett thanked controversial figure Art Helton, who had endorsed the new mayor and supported him through the Harford New Democratic Club. But Helton became a lightning rod for criticism because of his questionable residency and support for controversial candidate Steve Johnson.
Outgoing Mayor S. Fred Simmons did not attend, leaving City Council President Mike Hiob to preside before the dais was cleared for the returning members of the council.
Simmons? legacy again stirred debate, this time as departing Councilman David Yensan used his final speech to tout the city?s accomplishments over the last two years.
“We took a fiscal disaster and set it right,” Yensan said. “The city had no respect at the county, state or federal levels, and we righted that. Drug dealers and gang members had taken over entire neighborhoods. They?re gone now, and decent residents can come out of their homes to improve and enjoy their neighborhoods.”
Yensan had often formed a voting bloc with Simmons and Hiob.
But returning Councilwoman Ruth Elliott, also endorsed by ACT and the New Democratic Club, took the vote as a mandate for change.
“The voters will always tell you when something?s wrong, and they did this year,” she said.
Hiob expressed hope that the council could work together to improve the city. He had been critical of Helton and his perceived influence during the campaign, but said it?s now “water under the bridge.”
Over the next few weeks, a transition team will help Bennett get up to speed on every city department, and new council committee assignments will be determined Nov. 26.
