Editor

I want to thank the members of the County Planning and Zoning Committee and the Bryan County Commissioners for their responsiveness to the many citizens who attended recent meetings and/or signed petitions voicing their concerns about townhomes or condominiums which are not compatible with single family properties adjacent to Highway 144.

I also want to thank Phil Jones - Bryan County Administrator for listening and acting.

The proposal to change zoning came about last June, and what happened since that time has been a "poster child" for how democracy should work between our neighbors and elected/appointed officials.

Well over 1,300 citizens in an appropriate and businesslike way (for the most part) worked with the county to reach a consensus about how we want Bryan County to look in the future.

We all recognize that growth is inevitable, but controlled growth that meets the wishes of the majority shows that government is working for us.

If that is to continue, it is incumbent on each of us to be active in a respectful, businesslike way with our elected officials so they know what our wishes are, and steadfast enough to make certain majority rules.

Communication - two way communication works! There is no room for anger, hate, angst, gossip, or personal pettiness if democracy is to work effectively.

Thanks also to Messrs Stephanik, Massey and Gjekaj for being good citizens by withdrawing their rezoning requests after realizing that so many neighbors were opposed to multi-family townhomes or condos in the proposed areas.

If we all stay active, alert, and communicative we can enjoy the peace and harmony that we’ve come to expect in Bryan County.