For Trudy McFall, the impetus to be Annapolis' next mayor comes from a love for the city she has called home for nearly three decades and a desire to see it managed more professionally.
McFall says that yearning to improve Annapolis is why she began raising money months ago. She recently became the first candidate to officially declare a run to be the city's next mayor and succeed Ellen O. Moyer, whose second term expires this year.
"I have a great passion for Annapolis, and I just feel Annapolis could do things so much better on a variety of fronts," McFall said in an interview at her West Annapolis home.
"I also began to feel that the citizens of Annapolis might really feel hungry for someone like me. ... My sense is voters are ready for a new era."
The 65-year-old candidate notes her business management and budgeting experience, as well as her commitment to Annapolis, as traits that qualify her for the city's top job. In addition to founding the Annapolis-based nonprofit Homes for America 14 years ago, McFall worked 13 years as director of Maryland's housing agency, the Community Development Administration in the Department of Housing and Community Development.
McFall also was appointed by the mayor to be the Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners chairwoman, a position she held from 2002 to 2007. At an early point in her career, McFall worked on housing issues in Minnesota, developing approaches on how to share resources for low- and moderate-income people, she said.
She stayed in Minnesota for about 10 years, before working for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during President Jimmy Carter's administration.
After that four-year stint, McFall started with the Maryland housing agency, a job she called "complex." At one point, McFall handled funds of a half-billion dollars a year, she said.
"Trust me, I know how to manage big-scale operations," McFall said.
Known for her years of work on public housing issues, McFall said she has tried to "break the perception that public housing is someone else's responsibility."
But some have criticized McFall's motives and methods for changing public housing in the city. And although some people say McFall's lack of political experience may be a drawback, she sees it as a plus in her campaign.
"I don't feel I'm part of the 'party machine' that's governed Annapolis," McFall said.
"Let's have some fresh faces, some new ideas."
