An open letter to the newly elected City Council and mayor:

To begin, please accept my sincere compliments on your successful election as our representatives, who will govern this lovely city for the next four years! I have made it a point to personally know most of you during the past eight years and a couple of you during our most recent pre election period. I hasten to add that I sincerely believe you are all honorable and decent people who will give a good measure of your time and energy to make Fairhope an even better place to live for which you have the gratitude of many Fairhopeans! Having said all of that, I do have a very important suggestion which I will now develop.

One of your very first tasks will be to agree on a council president, who is also the mayor pro tem. It falls to this person to provide strong and unbiased leadership to the entire elected body as well as to set a good example for city employees and our citizenry.

Now, during the past four years, it became very clear that Fairhope’s elected representatives occasionally “flunked the course” by becoming too polarized and too adversarial rather than working together. I make this judgment as a former mayor of a town about our size, as a career business executive with a passion for organizational effectiveness and for a spell as a management consultant to the U.S. Navy in San Diego. There is abundant feedback that my assessment is true; so let’s move on. Very central to the solution of this problem is a council president who will play it down the middle and through skillful and balanced meeting management will not allow the group to succumb to the fight mode.

There is one amongst the new council members who is tough, yet humble, he is a leader with guts and he does his homework. He would never tell you this himself; but, he is one of Alabama’s most decorated serviceman who has 11 air medals. two distinguished flying crosses and a Silver Star for gallantry under enemy fire. He rescued 60 people as a helicopter search and rescue pilot both here in America and in Vietnam. For the last 22 years he has worked approximately 9,000 cases as a trustee of the bankruptcy court. Yes, I am talking about Councilman Lonnie Mixon who should be your next council president.

Some may ask: Why the “newbie” instead of someone who has been a councilperson for years?

The answer: Mixon has no baggage, no history, he will provide a breath of fresh air; and, he is disciplined and gutsy!

I am not exactly neutral as I make known my recommendation for council president for I was Lonnie Mixon’s campaign treasurer. What the heck, that’s how I got to know him better. He is unaware that I have made this proposal, which I fervently hope he and all of you will give strong consideration!

Fairhope resident