The 49-year-old Harrell has served in the House for a dozen years and has achieved a reputation of a tenacious budget master. As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, he has presided over the crafting of the state budget for a half-dozen years. Most of his tenure as budget master has been in lean times, which means he -- and others -- had to make some tough decisions.
Many of the tough budget decisions have come at the expense of Gov. Mark Sanford, another Charleston County resident. While a spokesman for Sanford singled out Harrell, remarking that he had sided less with the governor in his vetoes than the leader of House Democrats, the new speaker said Thursday that he was optimistic that the relationship between the legislature and the governor would improve.
Improving relations will take considerable work since Sen. Majority Leader John Land, D-Manning, declared last week that the governor was "irrelevant ... to the legislative process."
It'll take time to mend the fences destroyed by those kind of remarks. But Harrell has the credentials to do so. His colleagues describe him as thoughtful, as well as pragmatic. After he was elected speaker, Harrell told The Associated Press, "This is about everyone in the House working together -- both political parties, all races -- to improve South Carolina."
He'll need that attitude as he leads the House through difficult future legislative sessions dealing with property tax reform, attempts to kick start the economy and provide essential services.
The top leadership spots in the executive and legislative branches of state government are rounded out with a third Lowcountry personality, Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell, also of Charleston.
While this weekend may be one of celebration for Lowcountry lawmakers, the hard work must be shouldered in the halls of the state capital, where all three must work in a fair manner with representatives of all parts of the state.