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Hospital Hill annexation, taxes and public safety dominate Cheverly mayoral exchange
Summary
In the mayoral forum, incumbent Mayor Casey and challenger Micah Watson sparred over Hospital Hill annexation, tax strategy and environmental safeguards; Casey emphasized past infrastructure and policing investments while Watson proposed annexation with staged traffic controls and more resident engagement.
Cheverly’s mayoral candidates framed the town’s future around the proposed Hospital Hill development, budget choices and community engagement during a forum that followed the council candidate session.
Incumbent Mayor Casey reviewed accomplishments under her leadership — returning 24‑hour policing, street and sidewalk repairs, stormwater projects and securing grant funds — and described the annexation process for Hospital Hill, saying the town is in preliminary planning, that Bladensburg removed problematic plat language, and that formal site review by county planners and a subsequent council review would take place before any building occurs. Casey estimated a 2–3 year timeline before full site development and said the town has sought grants and earmarks to stretch town dollars.
Challenger Micah Watson said he would support annexation conditioned on developer‑built road connections with staged town control of access and traffic mitigations: ‘‘having the developer build the road connections… and having the town control the access probably by blocking it off for a few years until we have a handle on the traffic and the impacts,’’ he said. Both candidates said they favor diversifying municipal revenue to avoid overreliance on residential property taxes, with Watson advocating careful skepticism about tax increases and Casey noting the town’s prior tax reduction during COVID and a goal of maintaining a flat tax for the coming fiscal year.
Environmental considerations featured in the mayoral segment as well. Both candidates emphasized re‑engaging Cheverly’s green infrastructure volunteers and monitoring air quality near industrial zones; Casey also said the police department incorporates green infrastructure and community safety planning into development reviews.
The forum closed with appeals to voters to participate on May 5 and with both candidates reiterating commitments to transparency and resident outreach.
