By File/henry Taylor/staff,From Our Post and Courier Readers

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Magistrate requirements

The recent articles in The Post and Courier concerning a suspended Charleston County magistrate raise an interesting issue in addition to the gist of the stories. The fact that a magistrate can be appointed in South Carolina, as well as many other states, without being a member of the state’s bar association or even having a law degree is mind-boggling.

It appears that all you have to be is a committed member of either political party, and with the Senate’s consent and the governor’s appointment, you too could be a magistrate. I do not suggest that a degree in law should be the one essential requirement, but I believe it should be the bare minimum if a person is to interpret the law.

This should be obvious, but I assume it will take forever to secure a change. There are too many fish to fry, but it’s America, and I hope for the best.

JOHN MATTHEWS

Mount Pleasant

Town council’s double standard

At a Mount Pleasant town meeting earlier this year, many homeowners and council members opposed a two-lane road through Laurel Hill County Park. The main concern was the destruction of wetlands, among a few other issues that seem to be important only when they directly affect council members.

The proposed park and sports complex on Rifle Range Road would impact most of the things they complained about with the “Road to Compromise” plan. The proposed complex will impact at least three acres of wetlands. But I don’t hear the same cries to protect the environment in the Rifle Range Road Park plan that I heard regarding the idea of building a road through Laurel Hill County Park.

As a resident of the Phillips Community, I think the new lanes proposed in the “Road to Compromise” are essential for the future of Mount Pleasant.