Chester City Councilman Shepard Garner has proposed cutting the salaries of the mayor and council 10 and 12.5 percent respectively. He says that if council is going to ask the city's unions take a pay cut to save the city money, they ought to be willing to do the same thing.

He's right. The gesture may only save the city $24,000 this year but it puts council in a much better position to bargain with other city workers to hold the line on wages and benefits.

A couple of council members are grousing about the idea being nothing more than a political stunt. But in politics, symbols matter. Gardner's idea to start cutting at the top and then working their way down, makes perfect business and political sense.