Statement from Mayor Brad Cavanagh Regarding the Recent Announcement of the Foreclosure of Grand Harbor Resort

10/30/2025

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This election, I have chosen not to respond to most of the personal attacks that have been thrown about by my opponent and his teammates. However, in some cases, false claims are not just an attack on me, but can also cause real damage to our city and its reputation. I worry that this could happen with their false accusation about the Grand Harbor Hotel, which implies that the City of Dubuque is unwilling to do business. It’s time to set the record straight. 

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The claim that City Hall said “No” to some deal that has led to the Grand Harbor Resort’s foreclosure is not true. The truth is, the City Council said “Yes” to a 75-year lease with a developer in 2022 to bring a new resort to upgrade the Grand Harbor. The City Council even agreed to a 10-year development agreement for tax increment financing to help this developer pay for the project.

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In the end, none of this information made it to a public City Council meeting because the developer could not reach a purchase agreement with the owners of the Grand Harbor Resort.

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This resort upgrade could have been a great addition to Dubuque, but the truth is that not all deals work out. Know that in this case, your current Council did their part to work with this developer to incentivise the potential investment. Deals sometimes fall through for many reasons.  What’s important is that we keep doing our best to build good-faith partnerships to get things done rather than sling mud and false accusations for personal gain. 

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That’s true leadership, and that is what I will continue to bring to the table as your Mayor.