Donna Larson, a 54-year-old freelance writer who worked as director of development for the Hospice of the Chesapeake while McFall served on the board of directors, said she supports McFall's campaign in part because of the candidate's "unique perspective to public housing" and pragmatism.
"I think she understands very well the difficulties that the various demographics of our city have in living together, and I think she's got good ideas for bringing us together," said Larson, a 30-year Annapolitan.
"She listens, she learns, and she makes, I think, good decisions."
Another of McFall's key concerns is growth and development in the city.
"My view is, let's figure out how we're going to do our transit first," McFall said, noting that she is a proponent of development, but in moderation.
Although she is satisfied that new tactics for fighting crime in the city have been effective, the topic is another one of the priorities on her list.
"We should not be satisfied until we're below comparable cities of our size, but I think we're on the right track," she said.
Other issues on McFall's agenda are education, reviving Market House at City Dock and intergovernmental cooperation.
"I would be prepared to make the hard decisions it's going to take," McFall said.
trudy mcfall
Age: 65
Years in Annapolis: 28
Political affiliation: Democrat
Education: B.A., Indiana University; M.A., Bryn Mawr College; Harvard University Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government
Professional experience: Founder/chairwoman, Homes for America; former director, Community Development Administration (state housing agency)
Volunteer/civic work: Founder, Citizens for a Better Annapolis; member, Annapolis Housing and Community Development Committee; chairwoman, Mayor's Housing Transition Committee
Hobbies: Gardening, boating, traveling
Web site: www.trudymcfall.com
