The seemingly imminent departure of Carmarthenshire County Council chief executive Mark James must be seen as a watershed moment for the local authority.

Mr James – who has submitted a request for severance of his contract – has run the authority throughout a tumultuous decade.

Swingeing cuts brought on by the global economic crisis are only one part of the story.

Two Public Interest reports from the Ombudsman, an independent police investigation and a highly-publicised libel case have done little to bolster the authority’s reputation – inside and outside the county.

While none of these issues has laid any blame at the doorstep of Mr James’ personally, they have undoubtedly tarnished the reputation of the Carmarthenshire.

The manner in which the authority and council has governed themselves have further cast long shadows over County Hall.

It is not Mr James alone who will – should his request be accepted – be leaving Carmarthen before this year is out, with a whole host of departmental heads either already gone or currently packing their bags.

Without question, Mr James and those others will have their supporters inside and outside the county’s administrative centre, and no doubt there are many projects for which they can take great pride and justifiable praise.

However, the reality is that the last few years have seen the authority embroiled in a viper’s nest of claims, counter-claims, accusations and political back-biting – none of which should give any pride to those involved.

Should Mr James leave as expected, everyone in County Hall must draw a line under the past and move forward – for the good of the authority, the tax-payers and the reputation of this county as a whole.