Name: Bret McNabb
Age: 36
Family: Wife, Tanya, and three children ages 2, 4 and 6
Occupation: Corporate attorney
Education: Oakland University, BA; Saint Louis University, JD; University of South Carolina, MBA
Years in Fort Mill: 3.5
Top five concerns: Transparency from local government; engagement of constituents by local government regarding important topics in our community; and planning for responsible development and growth in Fort Mill.
Q: Fort Mill is experiencing a population and development explosion. What does this mean for the town and how would your actions on the council help the needs of this growing community?
A: With growth comes opportunity; however, the opportunities we are faced with can either benefit a very small number of people or our community as a whole. I aim to ensure our growth maximizes prosperity for all of Fort Mill through planning and zoning that aligns with long-term growth strategies. Not every new development in Fort Mill can be another 1,500-home neighborhood. We need to have balance between residential and commercial development, as well as an infrastructure that can adequately support new residents and patrons.
Q: What’s the one major issue you plan to address as mayor?
A: It is difficult to choose just one of my three primary campaign platforms, as they are each important and I plan to address all of them. That said, transparency and community engagement will be the lower hanging of the fruit, while the planning and development goals will be more difficult to accomplish.
Q: What do you see as the role of mayor?
A: I view the mayor as the CEO of our community. The CEO is responsible for establishing goals that support the mission and purpose of the local government and being a thought-leader and decision-maker in developing and executing strategies for accomplishing those goals.
Q: If you received a $1 million grant to use for the city any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?
A: Given that $1 million is not quite enough to take on a large-scale project, I would probably divide the money across the following four purposes: (i) local small business, (ii) schools, (iii), local non-profit and (iv) parks and recreation. For the first 3 categories, I would host a contest for the most compelling use of the money in furtherance of the entity’s goals. For the fourth category, we would have residents submit ideas for parks and rec improvements they would like to see, and select from there.
Q: What else should voters know about you before entering the voting booth?
A: I may not have lived in Fort Mill all my life, but my wife and I chose to bring our family to this lovely community. We chose it because of its charming character, great schools and the vast potential Fort Mill has to continue expanding all of the wonderful things about it onto a much grander scale through its growth. I have no business or financial interests in Fort Mill (aside from my home). If you think the issues I have highlighted are important and you think that with my skillset I can help find solutions to these problems in ways that will provide value to our community, vote for me on November 5.
Fun question: Which was your favorite scarecrow in the Scarecrow Crawl?
A: The ballerina because it’s my daughter’s favorite scarecrow!