To the editor:

I am writing on behalf of William Coughlin who will not return to the Beverly City Council as a result of finishing fourth in last week's election for councilor at large.

Bill has been on the council for 14 years and during that time he has shown his commitment to the city of Beverly and all of its residents.

Being an at-large councilor means taking the time to learn the issues and their complexity, looking into various alternatives to solving them, and finally, communicating to the citizens how one stands.

Bill has standards for the mayor's office and has seen over his years that the current mayor's efforts have served Beverly well. As such this past campaign he endorsed Mayor Scanlon openly, as he believed the mayor was absolutely the right candidate for the job and his opponent was not. Some political analysts would say this backfired in terms of Bill's getting re-elected to office, but his sense of character and conviction on the matter was more important.

I find it refreshing to have someone who tells citizens how he really feels on an issue than one who takes no stance so as not to offend any potential votes.

Bill has been a fiscally conservative councilor who has worked with his fellow councilors and the mayor to streamline budgets while approving capital expenditures in our schools — an unpopular move in some homes. It's easy in times of fiscal contraction to combat dwindling revenues with less spending and fewer personnel, but Bill listened to the mayor's plan and concluded he had all the bases covered and his experience in this matter would prevail.

I have had the privilege of working with Bill Coughlin during this campaign, during which time I've gotten to know his wife, Marguerite, their supporters and many others in the city. I applaud Bill for his efforts and service and wish Bill and Marguerite all the best in their new endeavors.

I believe we just lost one solid soldier.

Thank you, Bill, for everything you've done. You're a class act.

Gary Lambert

Beverly