Residents urge Sumter County Council to preserve public comment, fault leadership after July 23 chamber incident

A wave of public comment at the Sumter County Council meeting focused on a July 23 incident involving remarks by Dr. Alexander Bacon and an alleged confrontation between the council chair and a member of the public, and on a proposal residents described as a change to Ordinance 24-1009 that would curtail public comment.

Several residents told the council they were concerned about how council leadership handled the prior meeting. Council member reports and multiple public commenters described an episode on July 23 in which the council chair left the dais and, according to witnesses reported during public comment, "went out to the audience and confronted her in a way that wasn't too pleasant." No council member provided a formal rebuttal or a recorded explanation of the incident in the meeting transcript; commenters said they had not received follow-up from the council body about how it planned to address the matter.

Thomas Oltman, who identified himself as a lifelong Sumter County resident and neighbor of Chairman Jim McCann, spoke in defense of the chairman and urged private criticism over public denunciation: "Praise in public, criticize in private," he said.

Other commenters sharply opposed a proposed amendment referenced in the meeting as "section g under section 259 g ordinance 24-1009." Steve Holiday Jr. said the change appeared designed to remove or limit public comment rights and warned it would "silence" taxpayers and "circumvent an official established best practice," calling on the council to preserve citizens' ability to speak. Myra Washington said media had reported on the July 23 incident, urged more transparency from the council, and recommended the council consider regular workshops on protocol and procurement; she also suggested the option of term limits for long-serving members as a possible reform.

Calvin Bennett and other speakers echoed those concerns and warned that removing public comment would alienate residents and invite stronger public reaction. Multiple commenters asked the council to publish fuller records of who spoke and what was said, saying limited access and fear deter some residents from attending in person.

Council members did not adopt any formal action on the alleged July 23 confrontation or the referenced ordinance change during the meeting; the public comment period closed after the speakers' statements. The meeting record shows no formal vote or staff directive arising from the public comments in the transcript provided.