To the editor:

I’m writing to honor and recognize the excellent leadership and sacrifices that Erny Williams provided as the city manager in Saluda.  Over 12 years ago I fought for and won the battle to bring him on as the administrator for the City of Saluda.  It was my honor to have worked with one of the most competent, caring and visionary professionals that ever strived for success in an unrecognized and often disparaged profession.  I, and most of us in this community, know what Erny has meant to our success. Some of the most significant accomplishments include:

1. Erny arrived just as Saluda was becoming a destination for tourists and our infrastructure was deteriorating.  Business growth and the growing “day visitor population” made any progress exceptionally challenging.   Businesses and the community thrived because Erny met the challenges with limited resources while dealing with often misguided resistance.  The outcome could have been different and could still be different.
2. Through his patience and hard work, we developed a professional team that could take care of the infrastructure, respond to legitimate citizen concerns, provide an environment where citizens could express their opinions openly and maintain a dialog towards addressing and solving real problems. Erny was even inclusive and responsive to those that berated and disparaged the city and its employees — a rare human quality.
3.  He worked with, encouraged and nurtured the efforts of volunteers to convert a decrepit building into a library and community center that was equal to none.  His support of the superhuman efforts of volunteers created a cornerstone for private investment in our town.  Up to that point, investment was limited and tentative.
4. Erny recognized and brought to my attention the opportunity to become an independent water supply source for Polk County and Henderson County through the Tuxedo opportunity. Unfortunately, the mayor and board of commissioners dropped the ball, but his business concept was sound and represents one of the most important failings of the mayor and board of commissioners since 1979.
5. Erny worked diligently to help us establish working relationships with other city and county entities through joint planning and coordination meetings.  Primarily through his efforts and hard work, Polk County is connected through a water pipeline network that will ensure that droughts no longer threaten Tryon, Columbus and Polk County residents.
6. Before, during and after our trauma and expensive encounter with opportunistic attorneys from Washington, D.C. suing the town through the American Canoe Association, Erny was there. Part of that time was with the City of Hendersonville, part of it was as a consultant to the city and part of it with the city. We eventually won that battle and ensured they would not return.
7. Erny suffered through and nurtured the re-writing of the zoning code.  If you’ve ever lived through a similar experience, you don’t need to know anymore.
8. Under his tenure, we finally began a project to restore the current City Hall and Police Department. There was plenty of undercurrents early on with getting this project going including developers with an eye on the building but the effort is now underway.

The city now confronts its real challenges and the threat of prosperity hitting a solid brick wall. It will take vision and the knowledge and ability to manage our infrastructure to ensure Saluda doesn’t stall and spiral out of control.  It is no longer Erny’s problem and that is our loss.

Rodney A. Gibson
Former Saluda Mayor, City Councilman,
Zoning Administrator and Engineer of Record