To the editor:

According to figures given to council members at a recent council meeting by City Treasurer Cynthia Mitchell, the city’s financial condition continues to deteriorate as sales tax revenues continue to decline each month.

Figures for April show a $22,687 decrease from the same month last year.

Sales tax revenues through April are down $286,647 compared to the same period in the last fiscal year.

Lodging tax revenues are down $33,002 compared to the same period last year.

Sales tax and lodging tax figures indicate that merchants in Selma are not taking in as much money as in the previous year and that not as many people are staying overnight in the city as last year.

My opinion is that crime and drugs are major problems in Selma today.

We do not need to wait 90 days for some $50,000 study to be completed and then another six months for recommendations to be implemented while city government stonewalls any recommendations for change in leadership positions in the police department.

What is the mayor’s

and police chief’s plan to combat crime today?

Build another low rent housing project?

Hire more campaign workers and put them on the city payroll as TrustBuild liaisons?

It is obvious neither Mayor Perkins nor Chief Martin has any plan to reduce crime and drugs in this city.

If they had, surely they would have implemented it by now.

I do not believe that

the city can wait for a study before it takes action against crime, drugs and guns in the city.

The problem exists today.

How many more individuals and businesses must be robbed and how many more drugs must be openly sold on Selma’s streets before the people rise up and remove the mayor and police chief from office?

Cecil Williamson

Councilman Ward 1