Hilton Head needs Steve Riley

The article, “Council secretly hires law firm,” paying $11,500 to discuss Steve Riley behind closed doors is quite upsetting to say the least. To paraphrase our great U.S. Senator from South Carolina Lindsey Graham, “If Steve Riley, town manager of Hilton Head Island, is fired or forced to resign there will be holy hell to pay!”

Riley is a primary reason Hilton Head is thriving and prospering today, less than a year after being ravaged by Hurricane Matthew. The hard work, planning, and leadership for the years prior to Matthew, and his diligence, persistence and assiduousness during and after this event, is unrivaled.

Riley is a gem in the arena of public service and it is incumbent upon Town Council to recognize this fact. We need Steve Riley much more than he needs us. To hold against him his openness in looking at other job opportunities is ridiculous — it is the American dream to look for opportunities to advance one’s career.

I have always admired our local town government with regard to its ability to govern and function as a smooth team, accomplishing the stuff that needs to be done without the drama and dysfunction of other similar organizations (the Beaufort County Board of Education comes to mind). Please, Mr. Mayor and Town Council members, do not act and function like them, or our Congress with its current approval rating of less than 20 percent.

This story was originally published August 1, 2017 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Hilton Head needs Steve Riley."