It is very sad for our community that Smithfield Councilman Daniel Evans might have to resign because his son, Smithfield-Selma High School teacher Jason Evans, is being considered for a post at the Recreation and Aquatics Center.

Councilman Evans has served the people of Smithfield with distinction and the highest levels of integrity. Our town benefits greatly from both his common sense and his solid business acumen. On the other side of this equation, a well-regarded teacher and talented young man could well be disqualified for a job that he is qualified to fill because of who his father is. Clearly, if there was ever a situation that called for a little common sense, this is it.

The town’s policy that prohibits the hiring of the immediate family members of elected officials was obviously intended to ensure that patronage would not be used to the detriment of the town’s citizens. In this particular case, an independent committee will evaluate candidates for the job in question, and there will be more than an arm’s length between the council members and the job applicants.

I urge the Town Council to inject a little sanity into this situation. The correct action would be for the council to revise the policy prohibiting the hiring of a council member’s relative in cases where an independent committee will make the hiring decision or there is other independent oversight to preclude the appearance of impropriety. That will allow the Town Council to retain one of its most talented members, and it will allow the Recreation and Aquatics Center to have the benefit of the best pool of applicants.

THOMAS C. BELL
Smithfield

(Note: The writer is a former Smithfield councilman.)