Wayne McCall’s public service commemorated

Wayne McCall may be counting down the days till he’s no longer a member of the Oconee County Council, but at Tuesday’s meeting of the Council took notice of McCall’s over 4,300 days in service to the county and his District 2 constituents.

 

The councilman, who leaves the Council at the end of the year, was presented with a commemorative plaque by his council colleagues.

 

District 1 Councilmember John Elliot thanked McCall for his consistent advocacy of law enforcement and other public safety issues, the council committee for which McCall has chaired his entire 12 years on the Council.

 

McCall, said District 5 Councilmember Glenn Hart, is “the only original true thinker up here.” He credited McCall with, among other things, kickstarting the county’s recycling program as well as the change allowing senior citizens and veterans into county parks free of charge.

 

McCall was elected to the District 2 seat in 2008 and quickly established himself as a maverick willing to buck his colleagues as well as standing policy if he thought it against the interests of the county and his constituents.

 

He was a standing opponent of tax hikes and always spoke loudly in favor of thrift and fiscal responsibility, not only concerning the county operations budget but also of the school district’s budget that the Council must approve.

 

One facet of his longstanding concern over taxes was that throughout his 12 years on the Council he had donated his entire council salary, amounting to about $100,000, to a fund he established to assist low income taxpayers in the county, especially the elderly, meet their tax bills.

 

He has also donated his time and the resources of his business to community projects, particularly for the city of Walhalla.