There is a changing of the guard going on right now at Marion City Hall.

Longtime city administrator David Mayfield will retire at the end of the year. In Monday’s council meeting, Doug Kjellin was appointed to take Mayfield’s place.

That’s a good thing. This community needs continuity. We need to move forward. With support from the council, Kjellin can help us do that.

So, council members, make policy decisions but let Kjellin do his job. He’s capable and intelligent.

Councilman Steve Smith said at Monday’s meeting that he wanted to take a look at job descriptions and department head positions — among them the economic development position — for 2012.

Now that concerns me.

When Mayfield retires, Kjellin will wear two hats as administrator and developer. It may be true that in this current economic climate a full-time developer isn’t needed, but someone is needed to assist existing businesses and seek new opportunities. I would hate to see him stretched too thin.

There has been talk of other changes taking place — combining duties and combining public funds, saving money in the end. I like that idea but we need to make sure the person responsible for those duties isn’t stretched too thin.

The council sees this as an opportunity to save money. Saving money is good but not at the expense of the community moving forward.

This is not the time to cut back on a community development representative. We need someone who would be dedicated to economic development and be available to the public at least a part of every day. At some time, the economy is going to shift and we need to be ready.

Marion has made some strides. Let’s not lose the ground we’ve worked so hard to obtain.

— susan berg