Dear editor,

I am writing to encourage the re-election of Walker County commissioner Heiskell in the upcoming election. This woman has a track record that recommends her, including the fact that Walker County continues to outperform its peer counties during this awful economy. The future is promising, and I hope that voters will take seriously the investment that they have made in good governance and competent staff over the last decade, and that this team is well-positioned to lead Walker County through the coming recovery.

Every week brings a new announcement of new jobs, and I have personally experienced the abilities of her public works staff during the amazing work they did during the tornado clean-up and recovery. It is important to have people in office who know what they are doing, and, while I am certain that her opponent is a terrific neighbor, wife and bus driver, she does not have the credentials to manage a multi-million dollar budget and a staff of nearly 400.

You don’t stick around in public service for three terms without disappointing someone, and the core of Bebe’s opposition seems to be a handful of hotheads and opportunists who have attacked her relentlessly through the primary and current campaign. These techniques are effective, however, and led to a surprisingly narrow victory for Bebe in the Republican primary.

Please consider carefully what I characterized earlier as an investment against taking a gamble on someone who has no record at all.

Your vote matters, and please vote to re-elect commissioner Bebe Heiskell.

Bobby Davenport, Lookout Mountain, Ga.