To the editor:

“Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know.” I heard there words for the first time just over five years ago. I had just interviewed for a “lead” position after having recently retired from a 22-year naval career.

I knew that I had blown my interviewers away, but as my soon-to-be future manager escorted me out of the building, he turned around and asked if I would be willing to come onto the project at a lower position.

Another had been working the project prior to my predecessor’s retirement, he said, and “Sometimes the devil you know is better than the one that you don’t!” I agreed to his request, but I wondered whether his claim was true.

Three individuals are vying for the office of Mayor for our fine city. Two of these — mayor Linda Johnson and Councilman Leroy Bennett — are well known throughout the city.

While I do not know them personally, I do know of their actions while serving in their current political positions. I know they like to serve the public in secrecy as shown in their numerous closed-door sessions while purporting openness in their public service.

They are fiscally inept, as they continue to pass new “fees” and taxes to provide for services that are already paid for while offering horrendously out-of-touch pay raises to senior city employees based upon a flawed compensation study that uses Richmond and Washington, D.C., suburbs as comparables.

One is self centered and self serving, as shown in the actions taken during the recent redistricting debacle. I can continue this list but must move on, as time is short.

The third individual competing for mayor of Suffolk is Art Bredemeyer, whom I also do not know personally. I do know that he served and retired from the U.S. Air Force (I’m a U.S. Navy retiree, but I will not hold this against him). He is a lawyer, and based upon what little I can find about him, he serves on various area boards and commissions.

I also know that Mr. Bredemeyer has not been part of our deceitful, decrepit, weak, incompetent, useless, self-serving mockery of a city government. That’s a huge plus to me.

Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. Or is it? On Nov. 6, join me in voting for Art Bredemeyer for mayor of Suffolk.

By the way, the devil my former manager knew was out of a job within three months, as the devil he didn’t know out-worked and outperformed him and cleaned the mess up.

Let’s allow Art the opportunity to do the same for us as mayor.

Don Roberts
Suffolk