Editor:

I offer my congratulations to Tim Kant who has been elected to serve the people of Fairhope as their mayor for another term. I also offer Mayor Kant and the newly elected city council members my encouragement and support in their efforts to bring all of our citizens together in the spirit our founding fathers called “cooperative individualism.”

I am confident Fairhope historian Donnie Barrett would be able to enlighten us as to the proper meaning of cooperative individualism, however I wish to pose my understanding of this philosophical idea. First of all, I see it not only as a philosophical idea but an ideal to which Fairhopers and in fact all citizens of this planet must aspire if we are to live in harmony with one another.

Without denying or discouraging the uniqueness of each individual’s contribution to his own prosperity and well being, I see cooperative individualism as giving equal emphasis to the collective interests of the entire community, town, city, state, nation and world. Idealistic, YES; worth striving for, again an unqualified YES.

Being a peace lover, my hope is that cooperation as opposed to competition among unique individuals would result more often than not in the harmonious function of the entire community, town, city, etc. Each of us has unique talents that can be shared with one another if we keep in mind that we are fostering the fragile peace that exists in our world today. There is no place in my world-view for vitriol. Differences, YES; vitriol, No.

I will wind up my sermonizing by thanking all the candidates who so energetically put themselves into the fray of the campaign. I admire their dedication to Fairhope and their sincere desire and unselfish willingness to serve our city. I would especially like to commend Dean and Pagan Mosher, and I truly hope that their energy and vision will not wane but that they will continue to contribute their unique talents in the effort to bring about the spirit of cooperative individualism that our Fairhope forefathers held up to us as the ideal.

Fairhope resident