Rarely, if ever, does The Herald comment on the stories published in other newspapers, but we couldn’t let the recently published story in the Post & Courier about Dillon Mayor Pro-Tem, Dr. Phil Wallace, go by without putting in our two cents.
Let’s address the issues in their story. The story was published as part of the Post & Courier’s “Uncovered” series with the goal of exposing questionable government conduct and corruption. They appear to allege in their article that Dr. Wallace was profiting from the city by providing some of the medical services and then failing to report it on an ethics form and that this went unquestioned by the ethics commission and others.
In actuality, it has never been any secret that Dr. Wallace’s office was providing these services to thc city as it was noted annually in the publicly-available audit report, and at times, reported as part of our coverage of the audit in The Dillon Herald as were the funds paid to other councilmen who provided services to the city. Dr. Wallace would have no reason not to report it on an ethics form as it was widely known. The failure to report this was most likely an oversight not an intentional act. When the error was pointed out to him by the Post and Courier, his reports were amended.
Another issue raised was that the city council should have voted on who provided these services. This was most likely an oversight as well, and when this was pointed out at a council meeting, it was also corrected. Again, we do not believe that anyone intentionally did anything wrong. We believe that Dr. Wallace and the City Council want to and will follow the correct procedures now that the errors have been pointed out. There’s no reason to think otherwise as the city has always tried to set the standard for good government and Dr. Wallace has always been the standard for a good councilman.
The Post and Courier may have exposed corrupt public officials or questionable conduct in other places (we don’t know), but what we do know is that Dr. Phil Wallace is not a corrupt councilman and his conduct has always been far from questionable.
Dr. Wallace has been one of the most progressive and forward-thinking councilmen ever to serve on Dillon City Council. He has worked to make sure that the city is financially stable, and he has been a strong advocate for doing things to improve the quality of life for Dillon’s citizens. He has a heart for the people of this town. He has always had a vision for Dillon and what it can be and works tirelessly for the citizens in his district and throughout the city. He serves with class, honor, and distinction.
His public service extends beyond the walls of city council. He has served for quite a while as the Dillon High School football team physician and has worked with the Main Street United Methodist Church men’s group building ramps for the handicapped and taking holiday food boxes to the needy.
Dr. Wallace is the kind of councilman everyone should want to have on council. He works for what he believes to be the best thing and the right thing for the City of Dillon and acts accordingly.
The city and its citizens have profited from his service on council, not the reverse. He is a true public servant.