To the editor:

The image that has been portrayed of assistant city manager of Virginia Beach, Ron Williams Jr., in recent weeks has been disturbing to me.

Ron has been unduly and unfairly criticized for a remark he apparently made to his boss about “five percenters.” Frankly I had never before heard the phrase except as a mathematical term to mean 1/20 of 100. Ron’s word that he had no derogatory intent, particularly of a racial nature, is completely believable to me and is consistent with his background and character.

I have known Ron, his parents and family since his birth, and he is without doubt an honest person with a strong Christian background. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute, where integrity is a hallmark. Thereafter, he served honorably in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is a hardworking public servant of whom the City of Virginia Beach and its citizens should be justly proud.

I am certainly proud of all he has accomplished and can only hope that the misinterpretation of his words will not harm his good reputation.

Jack Eure

Suffolk