Dear Editor,

I hope the residents of Rincon fully understand the tremendous loss of talent, knowledge and experience it is losing with the resignation of Wesley Corbitt. The city has run the most efficiently and effectively and with more professionalism under his management than it has under any city manager prior to him. His ability to communicate and represent the city in a professional manner has allowed Rincon and its leaders an opportunity to work cohesively and develop strong working partnerships with all the municipalities and the county leaders in Effingham County. 

Mr. Corbitt’s financial background, knowledge and experience, along with his leadership, have allowed the City to operate smoothly and to be financially strong. I think back to all the prior city managers and all the issues we had with each and there have been no such occurrence’s since he took  position. 

Mr. Corbitt stated it had become difficult to work with some of the council members, which led him to feel he had no option other than to resign. Mr. Corbitt was, and in my opinion still is, the right person for the job.  I hope the council members will reconsider his resignation and work with him to resolve the issues that led him to feel he had to take this action.  

I had the privilege  and honor to serve as a councilwoman in the past and understand you do have differences.  However, I think by working together,  they can resolve the conflict and reach a compromise that is agreeable to all parties. That is the type of leadership I want to see from our city council. Personal issues, agendas or disagreements over policies, procedures or whatever the issue at hand is, should be worked through, rather than lose an employee who has proven his ability to serve the city, as well as Mr. Corbitt has.  

Doing what is best for the city should be the priority and having a person with his qualifications, experience and proven track record in running the city would want me to find a compromise to the issues at hand in order to retain Mr. Corbitt as city manager.   

I must admit, I am finding it hard to understand how the council could let this happen and believe the city will suffer in the long run. I would suggest further discussion between the council and Mr Corbitt to determine if they could continue to work together, as it will be detrimental to the city to lose all the working knowledge, experience, community relationships, and good will Mr. Corbitt has built and provided  to the city, its residents, and the county leaders and surrounding cities. Knowing the parties involved, I believe the council can rectify this if they are willing and hopefully will take action to do what is best for the for the city.

Ann Daniel

Editor’s note: Daniel is a candidate for the open council seat to be determined in a March 1 special election.