In his farewell address in October, Harford County Council President Jeffrey D. Wilson reminded his colleagues and constituents what he had said when he was inaugurated.
"Four years ago, I promised three things: to stand up for you when you are right, regardless of the cost to me; to stand up to you when you are wrong, regardless of the cost to me; and to give you the opportunity to persuade me of your opinion."
His best friends and worst enemies would likely agree that he fulfilled his promise. They might also agree that he didn't do it with the greatest of ease.
As Mr. Wilson said in his speech, "These years as council president have been fraught with pain, but they have been extraordinarily rich years as well."
The richness included the passage of several significant and far-reaching laws, particularly regarding growth management.
The 1990-1994 council, which officially ends tomorrow, can be credited with adopting a rural plan for the county, implementing a farmland preservation program and environmental protection laws regarding landfills, and adopting adequate public facilities legislation to limit growth to areas that have adequate schools, roads and water and sewerage.
"Ninety percent of what I wanted to accomplish I accomplished," Mr. Wilson said in an interview. "Five years ago, we were on a fast track down a dead-end street. We would have come to gridlock without any tools to get us out. Now, at least we have a limited set of tools and we have a long-term vision."
The pain may have been due to the way Mr. Wilson accomplished things. Even his strongest supporters say he showed intelligence and perception, but his personal style could lapse into self-righteousness and arrogance on the dais, particularly with administration representatives who spoke before the council.
"I sometimes disagreed with the manner he went about things. He could have been less aggressive and accomplished the same thing," said Council Attorney Edward Andrews. "But Jeffrey Wilson was more of a leader than any council president we've had."
Mr. Wilson ran council meetings with respect for parliamentary procedures and an ability to keep the agenda moving. Insightful and articulate, he could cut to the heart of a complex issue and bring it to light for his colleagues to examine.
He punctuated his talk with references to farmers, philosophers and fairy tales, though frequently his wisdom sounded more like criticism. He once likened the homebuilding industry to the cow in springtime that gorges itself on new grass and then is in danger of dying of bloat.
"I don't want to kill the homebuilding industry," he said. "I want to save it from its own greed."
Mr. Wilson's presidency also was marked by contentiousness with County Executive Eileen M. Rehrmann. Some attribute it to their being two strong-willed people with strong opinions. Some said it was disagreement over whether the executive or legislative branch held more power.
Their first major clash grew out of the Rehrmann administration's decision in 1991 to set aside a 5 percent emergency "savings account" to protect the county's bond rating. Last year, the unappropriated fund amounted to $8.6 million.
Mr. Wilson charged that the "rainy day account" was held "outside the budget process" and violated the county charter. Mrs. Rehrmann and her staff maintained that it was thoroughly legal and have continued to maintain the account.
"I think the savings account and Mrs. Rehrmann's not wanting to bend on it set the stage for no compromises in the future," said Mr. Andrews, who agreed with Mr. Wilson.
"We had conflict even when we were in agreement," Mr. Wilson admitted. "I think there was a sense from the Rehrmann administration that whenever they sent something over here it was inviolate, that it couldn't be improved upon and that we should just run a rubber stamp over it. And under my leadership we were not going to do that."
Mrs. Rehrmann said human nature, not a contentious mind-set, led to their troubles.
"Anytime you have people in office, you have differences in style," she said. "I've always wanted to work with people. He didn't want to work with the administration."
Which sometimes took the focus away from the legislation at hand.
"Too often their battle became the main issue," said District E Councilman Robert Wagner. "That becomes difficult to work around. . . . It slowed things down and it probably prevented
some legislation from ever coming over [from the administration]."
Despite their differences, most of Mrs. Rehrmann's initiatives were approved, if in amended form, and several significant pieces of council legislation became law. Among those Mr. Wilson considers significant are the "tree bill," which requires reforestation by land developers; measures to promote historic preservation; a strengthening of the county procurement code; and a revised 10-year plan for managing the county's solid waste disposal.
TC Mr. Wilson said he feels his greatest achievement was leading the effort to bring an internal auditor to the council staff to improve the panel's level of fiscal authority.
He also is proud of the ethics law, passed in October, which strictly defines ethical standards and financial disclosure requirements for county employees, elected officials, lobbyists and advisory board members.
In the final days before the passage deadline, Mr. Wilson and Mrs. Rehrmann met face to face, reportedly for the first time in years, to iron out their differences on it.
"It took extraordinary effort for that all to come together," he said later. "But that was my bill, and it was my job to reach out to her."
Mr. Wilson, a Presbyterian minister and "gentleman" farmer whose first brush with public service was as president of the Highland Community Association 12 years ago, describes himself as an "outsider" to county government. He was appointed to the presidency by council members in 1989 to replace John W. Hardwicke, who resigned to become Maryland's chief administrative law judge. Mr. Wilson was elected to the post in 1990.
"The power people, the moneyed people never wanted me," Mr. Wilson says today. "They preferred to work with someone they had in their pocket. And the Republicans didn't know what to do with me because I wouldn't do the straight partisan stuff. I was here for Harford County first, not the party first."
So, he emerged as a loner, a role that wasn't altogether uncomfortable for him. He had always been concerned about land-use and rural preservation, and he moved ahead on those issues despite the size of the development "empire."
If he formed an alliance at all, it was with Democrat Theresa M. Pierno, an environmental activist who was elected on a slow-growth platform in 1990. He crossed party lines to support her for council president this fall against Joanne S. Parrott.
"We were very honest and open with each other and respected one another's opinions," Mrs. Piernosaid. "We didn't always agree -- in fact, there were several things we disagreed on -- but we worked things out."
Mrs. Pierno said she found Mr. Wilson's analytical skills invaluable, and he was frequently sought by colleagues for his ability to see the long-term consequences of issues.
"I think everybody on the council used Jeffrey that way, because they respected his opinion," she said. "He had a problem with his temper and in sometimes saying too much. But ultimately, he did good job and should feel good leaving office."
In his final speech, Mr. Wilson said he chose not to run for re-election so he could spend more time with his wife and three children and "to give consideration to our community's future."
"Someone needs to take the time to think about where as a society we are going," he said. "And that takes some leisure. You can't be reflective, contemplative when you're being bombarded constantly. So I am withdrawing for a purpose, and that is to consider what comes next.
"I'm leaving elected office, but I'm not giving up politics."