"Let's explain" (Voice Of The Argus, July 14) repeats The Argus's support for a directly-elected mayor. I might be convinced were the right candidates to show a proper sense of priorities.

Of the (apparent) candidates, Lord Bassam is complacent and clich-ridden while Simon Fanshawe generalises and makes excessive claims for the local economy.

We are not making a bid to host the Olympic Games or voting for a president, so charisma is no more essential than internationalism at this stage.

The priorities are highlighted on the Letters page almost every day of the week - clear up the rubbish, clean the streets and public buildings, be sensible about parking, apply the laws and bylaws that have become almost ignored in respect of noise, litter, dog mess and vagrancy, and collect unpaid revenue.

If we are to be convinced of the need for change, we want a man or woman who recognises our needs in what is not only a city of diversity but also one of pluralism, in which a significant number are not being heard.

-Denis Christian, Chichester Place, Kemp Town