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In June 2006, Mitchell Johnson sat in the audience and bore witness to the final, stormy minutes of the tenure of County Manager Willie Best.

Following a notoriously vicious "discussion," even for the county commissioners, the board fired Best, who had chosen that route rather than resign or serve a meaningless probation. A majority of the commissioners clearly wanted him gone. If not then, later.

There, but for the grace of God, go I, Johnson said that night in so many words. All city and county managers "serve at the pleasure" of the boards that hire them, Johnson said.

Little did he know ....

Months later, Johnson has seen stormy days of his own following his role in the resignation, under pressure, last year of former police Chief David Wray. Some fully support Johnson's actions in that case. Others don't and some candidates made Johnson a campaign issue during this fall's elections.

So, the 3 percent raise ($5,228) the manager received last week predictably was viewed skeptically by some, though not the council, which approved the increase by a solid 6-2 vote.

Was the council rushing to give Johnson the bump before the new council regime takes its seats in December? Not likely. Johnson's evaluation was, in fact, overdue and had been put off by the current council.

Yet, rightly or wrongly, Johnson has become a political issue. How he fares under the next council remains to be seen. Some new council members have said they believe Johnson needs closer supervision and tougher questions.

But all say they plan to approach the situation with open minds. That would only be fair.

One page the new council should borrow from the Guilford County school board's playbook is a clear set of goals, objectives and measures each year by which Johnson's performance could be rated. (The council currently uses a questionnaire with ratings and comments under very general — and very open-ended — criteria.)

That largely frees the evaluation process from personalities and politics. It also helps set a clear direction for the council. Mayor-elect Yvonne Johnson has said she wants the council to establish a shared vision and priorities.

This is one way to do that.

It would give the manager a sense of direction and the confidence he's being judged strictly on results, in clear and precise terms. It also would make him more accountable to the council.

In turn, it would help make the council more focused as a group and more accountable to the people. After all, as school board member Garth Hebert has learned, facts are facts. And fair is fair.

Hebert, a staunch critic of Superintendent Terry Grier, found himself voting for Grier's raise this year because the superintendent had achieved what the board had asked him to achieve.

"They set goals, he made them," Hebert said.

No politics. No personalities. Just results.