Dear editor,

Would fiscally responsible people reward individuals who have increased our water rates 2.5 percent every year for the next 25 years? Would fiscally sane people reward individuals who have ensured that every household in Selma will, in addition to the yearly increases, pay $7,000 more for water during these years than we pay today?

One would think responsible elected officials would not reward those who burden every household in the city; however, the Selma City Council, by doubling the salaries of the members of the water board, has rewarded those who increased our water bills for years to come!

Everyone knows that we must have clean water and make repairs to the water works. No one questions the need for a bond issue to ensure that; however, to my knowledge, there is no law which required the water board to agree to bond issue terms requiring it to generate 120 percent of income over expenses. The city has floated many bond issues. None of them contained such a provision.

The thinking of the majority of the members of the Selma City Council is typified by Councilman Randolph’s comment, “It just amazes me how we can try to table something just because we don’t have information.”

When it comes to spending money, it never has mattered whether we had information or not. If we can give something away free or increase someone’s salary to get reelected, we do it.

No one should be surprised that we doubled the salary of those who increased every household’s financial burden. After all, this same city council has spent over $500,000 in the last 18 months to keep the St. James Hotel, which is losing $1,000 a day, open. Of this amount, $193,000 is money the city does not have budgeted and the council has not voted to spend on the hotel.

For our actions in doubling the salaries of the members of the water board and spending money on the St. James that we do not have, we on the city council should be impeached for malfeasance in office, recalled (if Alabama had a recall law), or voted out of office next August. If the people do not change most of the membership on the city council next August, we deserve the kind of council we get.

Cecil Willamson

Selma City Council, Ward 1