I’ve been following the debate about the mayor’s salary and I feel I have to take issue with the letters that appeared on Dec. 10.

The mayor has made it clear from the start he wasn’t asking for a raise. What he asked for was that the council acknowledge being the mayor is a full-time job., and to make it one.

That’s a far cry from asking that his salary be tripled in a bad economy, as he’s been accused of doing.

When anyone works more than 40 hours a week, it’s considered a full-time job. I haven’t heard anyone argue the mayor doesn’t put in those hours — and more.

As a local resident of more than 40 years, I have no problem with compensating him for his time, and I applaud the council for doing so.

It was also reported in your Dec. 13 story (“City Council approves mayor’s raise”) that former Mayor Kim Abel’s husband Bob came to the Dec. 9 meeting and made some very insulting remarks about the current mayor. As a longtime newspaperman (now retired), I found it most peculiar that your story didn’t mention that when his wife was mayor, she also asked the council to make the job full-time.

That was more than three years ago, so the need for a full-time mayor was obvious to her even then.

The issue of putting the mayor’s raise to a vote was also raised. We voted when we elected the City Council.

Deciding this issue — and others like it — is among the hard choices we elected them to make.

They’ve done their job.

Finally, I have to agree with Councilwoman Carolyn Powers, who said Mayor Lary Coppola has accomplished more than any mayor in the past 20 years, and with Councilman Jerry Childs, who said, “Some will call this a raise. I would cal it a new beginning for our community and a stronger voice for Port Orchard, now and in the future.”

Port Orchard needs and deserves a full-time mayor — just like every other city in Kitsap County already has.

Stop whining and support the good job he’s been doing for us.

DAVE KIMSEY

Port Orchard