Dear editor:

The town of Thorsby suffered a great loss with the passing of their mayor and friend Dearl Hilyer recently. He was a great man who always had a smile on his face and spoke to everyone.

Dearl had recently won re-election as mayor over Tara Hunt Jewell; she was the only candidate that ran against him, giving up her seat on the town council.

I moved out of Thorsby a while back, but it is a beautiful town full of great people, and right now they need a mayor to lead them in the right direction.

The sitting council goes out on Nov. 4 and the new members come in on Nov. 5. As a taxpayer still in Thorsby because I do plenty of business there, I do believe the citizens should have a say on whom they want as mayor.

The two options should be a new election or Mrs. Jewell should be asked to be mayor. After all, no one else was willing to take the risk of running and losing their seats for this position, but it is obvious with all the private meetings closed to the public that the town will not have a say-so in who their new mayor is.

It’s sad, too, because I think of someone I would want to elect into office. It is always someone with heart, loyalty, dedication, strength and courage; someone unafraid to do what they believe in and follow their dreams.

The residents of Thorsby need a say in this because, after all, it is their future, their businesses and where they raise their children. Nothing personal to any sitting council member, I just believe this should be done the right way.

Tonya Buendtner, Clanton