The Daily Herald's Sept. 30 editorial was partially incorrect, inappropriate and misleading.

The editorial said, "Mayor Johnson was elected on a platform of kicking butt and taking names." His platform neither said nor implied that.

The Herald said, "Lehi should commission an independent review of its government structure." Except for the vote of the people, there's no such thing as an independent review of government structure.

The editorial also said, "It's certainly not a bad idea for a growing community like Lehi to hire a permanent, professional CEO." Growth does not mean an automatic change to a manager form of government. Under a manager, the executive branch would be merged into the legislative branch and the city staff would be isolated from the people.

If a resident were to have a complaint with city staff, he would have to muster three votes from the council to get action. We all know how councils work: When things get difficult, the finger pointing begins and the buck never stops.

The Herald said, "It's a question of checks and balances." Stripping the mayor's power reduces the checks and balances on the council's power.

The editorial said, "Mayors should not have the power to steam-roll city councils." Mayor's don't have such power. They can fire, but they cannot hire.

The Herald said, "Even the President of the United States needs to work with Congress to change his Cabinet." Lehi's mayor and council did work together like the president and Congress when they agreed upon their new professional city administrator.

The editorial also stated, "Professional managers provide stability." Representative government is not meant to be "stable." That is why we have elections. For the special interest group that has dominated Lehi for the past several years, "stability" has meant a system of political patronage and an abuse of power.

Gordon Miner is a former candidate for Lehi City Council who campaigned for Mayor Howard Johnson.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A5.