Mrs. Stepp and Mr. Littlejohn are to be commended for voicing their opinions in their letters to the editor. They both made valid points and emphasized the lunacy of our present mayoral situation and misuse of the Mayor-Council system of government. However, neither attended the recent and important City Finance Committee public hearing. And although very subtle, the proposed mayoral salary dramatically holds the key to Union's future.

When are we going to realize, it's not the form of our local government which is the problem, but who we elect and how they govern which is the real issue. We citizens have to accept the blame for the embarrassing situation we face. Many of us can not step back and look at our situation without strong biases, as so poignantly illustrated in both letters. That's unfortunate.

Both the Potts era and the Morgan era had the symptoms of “an administrator/mayor running rampant with our funds” without proper control of its respective councils. The most common denominator is that the “councils” were ineffective in their own way. It appears, not until there is a crisis, will the people join together and make a desperate change. Changing the form of government to mayor-council wasn't intended for the purpose of giving Morgan full power - at least by the majority of the citizens. However, that's exactly what happened because it appears it was an obvious coup deviously perpetrated by Morgan and a few council members. You see the results.

Now we have a similar situation unfolding. Rather than carefully studying what other comparable cities with strong mayor governments are doing and how they perform while considering our unique economic situation, our finance committee and some mayoral nominees try to adjust the mayor's salary without sound logic and justification. Are we going to allow this government behavior to continue? Isn't it time for the people to get involved?

With Union's negative economic growth and with strong qualified department heads, an administrator is not needed at this time. The new mayoral salary should not be much more than Morgan's mayoral salary of $6,000 plus and to that of other comparable cites.

Five local cities with a similar population size and same strong mayor-council form of government to Union, offer their Mmyor a yearly salary of: Laurens - $7,200; Georgetown - $7,500; Union - $103,545; Seneca - $10,200; and Marion - $13,000. We certainly stand out in the salary category. Are we that rich? Do we know something the other cities don't? Or have we been brainwashed by a few? Even the proposed $56,000 is not in the same realm of reasonability. Why?

It's easier to add than to try to subtract from a salary. We are not a rich community. These are difficult economic times and our government must reflect that by being especially financially prudent. Therefore, the finance committee must propose a more reasonable salary of $7,500 a year for the new mayor. Both the mayor's salary and the hiring of an administrator can be revisited and adjusted at a later date, as the need arises. But a $7,500 yearly salary for the new mayor is adequate for the duties required at this time.

Whether you realize it or not, our city is in a real governing crisis now. The new mayor salary ordinance will set a precedence and be critical for the City of Union government's reform and progress. May the will of “common sense” prevail.

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David Fant is a Union native and a former systems analyst.