If Michael Cunningham had not trained under Joey Preston for 10 years, he would probably suit everyone on Anderson County Council as a perfect administrator, the sort of person they might have found and hired after a national search and interview process. We hope he will come to suit everyone on council anyway, despite the way his hiring was railroaded through Tuesday night.

An effective county administrator would have the proper education for the job. Mr. Cunningham has an undergraduate degree from Clemson University in political science and a master’s degree in public administration. Quite often, a county like Anderson would seek someone who has experience as the second-in-command of another county, or who has been administrator of a smaller county. Michael Cunningham, obviously, has that experience.

You would want someone with a feel for your community. Mr. Cunningham grew up in Abbeville County, graduated from Dixie High School, got his education, then joined the Anderson County government as an intern. He has been the assistant administrator since 2002. During his tenure here, he has served on scores of community boards and committees, always contributing strong leadership and, as far as we know, never being one of those board members who creates drama with no results.

An effective county administrator is someone who is well-respected by the people who have worked for him. We have never heard a negative comment about Mr. Cunningham from any county employee.

Considering the current environment of county government, you would especially want someone who has stayed out of the machinations surrounding Mr. Preston. Although Mr. Cunningham has been loyal to Mr. Preston, he has not been part of his inner circle, and he is one of the best people we know about keeping his own council.

People like to say that Mr. Cunningham has no known vices. He doesn’t drink or smoke, doesn’t hang out in bars, is a church-goer, a happily married man with two small children. He keeps his private life private, as he should. He declined to even give our reporter the names of his children, wanting to protect their privacy.

We can surmise from his willingness to take the job that Mr. Cunningham must have nerves of steel and a lot of self-confidence. We believe these attributes are rooted in his deep faith in God. He told our reporter that every day when he gets up, he has three goals. They are to please God, not embarrass his wife and family and to be the best public servant he can be. We can ask nothing more of this fine young man, and hope he will be given a fair chance to prove himself to the county and the new council in January.