Losing Riley would be another city’s gain

Hilton Head Island Mayor David Bennett is barking up the wrong tree, which if not still standing after Hurricane Matthew, Steve Riley and his excellent staff have disposed of in an expedient manner.

We have had wonderful stewardship of our island under our town manager’s guidance, and it doesn’t need change for change’s sake. Our town manager and past mayors have created an island with a quality of life objective and resisted developers from getting a foothold.

Changing our form of government will not succeed. If Riley leaves due to Bennett’s opposition, it will not only be another city’s gain but our loss.

Note: The writer is former chairman of the town Parks and Recreation Commission.

This story was originally published August 1, 2017 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Losing Riley would be another city’s gain."