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Coincidentally, it was a dispute over grants between council and then-city manager Mahaney that ended in a nasty split. He was forced out for his failure to hire a grant coordinator and accepted an early retirement package of nearly $320,000, according to public records. Mahaney said he took the deal to protect his health and retirement benefits and is now ready to reenter city government. Terms of the agreement prevent him from publicly discussing the matter, but he claims there were different reasons for his departure. "They obviously wanted to let me go because we had disagreements over growth," said Mahaney, who vows to side with residents over developers. "If they had moved forward and fired me, even over a trumped-up reason, that would have put my retirement at risk." Mahaney said his background as a civil engineer, as well as his 15 years of experience as city manager, make him the most qualified candidate to tackle growth-related issues. He vows to pump the brakes on residential development to give city improvements time to catch up. "I can't stop the growth, but I can slow it down," Mahaney said. "That's important because the infrastructure improvements you need take so long -- roads, bridges, stormwater -- that it's impossible to get those things done before the houses are built." While Mahaney and council are limited in what they can discuss about his exit, Spencer is under no such obligation. A resident of North Myrtle Beach for the past five years, he blasted both candidates for minimizing their roles in the city's fiscal affairs. "The city is $35 million in debt and the other two guys running are a big reason why," he said. "Mahaney brags he did such a good job as city manager. Then why are we $35 million in debt? If we had a surplus, I'd say, 'Yeah, he should be mayor,' but we're not. Same thing with Baldwin." Spencer maintains he'll be an independent voice. "I won't do favors for anybody," he said. "I'm only in it for the people of North Myrtle Beach. ... I'm not saying they're bad people; it's just time for some new blood."
