As I was leaving the marathon Clarendon County Council Public hearing on a proposed county business license Monday night, I saw Manning resident Will Buyck and asked him, “What brings you out tonight?”

He replied with a smile and said, “I just wanted to see democracy in action!” We laughed, but as I thought more about it, he was right. The public hearing was as fine an example of democracy in action, as you’ll ever find.

The F.E. DuBose Auditorium was packed with more than 150 citizens in what retiring Clarendon County Council Vice-Chairman Dr. Carl Ramsey described as the “best attended” public hearing he had seen in his 11 years of serving on Clarendon County Council.

I suspect Monday’s meeting was the most people Ramsey had ever seen at a government meeting, including his many years of public service. This included a long term stint as the Clarendon School District 2 Superintendent during a time which, several long time residents have told me, was a very difficult time when the school district successfully passed a controversial school bond.

I listened as Chairman Dwight Stewart delivered a sermon-like address to the packed house defending the business tax proposal. The Manning Times took some hits for a full-page ad I allowed to run. The ad was designed to make people aware of the proposal and encourage them to attend the meeting. It was an illustration.

Although the chairman took exception to the ad, it did what advertising was supposed to do. It got people to take action and come the meeting to hear the facts. Advertising pro Joanne Taylor did a great job of getting people’s attention, especially the chairman’s.

Another thing that I was proud of was that no one questioned the editorial coverage news team Cathy Gilbert and Kent Compton did on the proposal. A series of articles gave County Administrator Bill Houser a chance to explain the proposal. A group of concerned “movers and shakers,” got their chance to speak out, and a third article polled county council members regarding their opinions and stance on the controversial issue.

At the more than two-hour public meeting, more than 25 citizens got their opportunity to sound off in session was at times was insightful, educational, ridiculous, irritating, and entertaining to say the least.

Several speakers took this opportunity to roast Administrator Bill Houser. I take extreme exception to those critical comments and take this opportunity to defend him as the chairman and/or council should have during the meeting.

Since coming to Clarendon County a couple of years ago, Bill has done a great job of managing the county’s resources while watching voters and legislators take his funding away. Taxpayers want their roads paved, their trash dealt with, emergency services, and more.

They (I) want to pay Econolodge prices for Ritz-Carlton services. That is not a realistic expectation. Houser has done a great job of stretching our tax dollars as far as they will go, meanwhile keeping five “bosses” and countless customers fairly happy.

If you want to pound Houser for bringing this proposal before the public, you are wrong. Bill is just doing his job.

Although at this juncture and in the initially proposed form, the business license was clearly not the way to solve the County’s fiscal challenges, I was encouraged by the thoughts and suggestion of one speaker Monday night. I was glad Chairman Stewart and council recognized the opportunity and solution dropped in their lap in the middle of the citizen storm that blew through the F.E. Dubose Auditorium Monday night.

Clarendon County business leader and Chamber of Commerce President-elect Dennis Craven recognized the inevitable and offered to participate in a citizen-represented committee to offer suggestions and solutions to council’s difficult task of providing excellent service at a low cost to the taxpayer.

Will Buyck might have been half-joking with me, but as I reflect back on the evening, that was as fine an example of democracy in action as I’ve ever seen.