For better or worse, he stood up, spoke his mind, laid out his line of reasoning and stuck to his guns.

Since a unanimous decision was needed to approve the project, Henman's "no" vote essentially killed the wind farm initiative.

Whether you agree with his decision and rationale or not, you have to admire his courage to stand alone and vote opposite his fellow commissioners in what is most likely the biggest decision any of them will make for the county.

While a significant number of people stood against the project, a large number also were in favor.

Either way, a lot of people were not going to be happy with Tuesday's decision.

If indeed the wind farm idea is dead at this point and the company does not reapply in a year, there will be plenty of what-ifs strewn about in the coming days, months and even years.

And Henman will always be remembered as the commissioner who voted it down.

But Henman is right. The zoning rules and regulations do need revisions before something like this project is approved.

Let us hope that next time something of this nature comes up, the commission will be ready with the proper rules and regulations already in place.

Zoning is created to protect the rights of citizens from having large industrial complexes built near them, regardless of whether or not it is an environmentally friendly or highly lucrative industrial complex.

The clean energy wind can provide should be harnessed and used to the economic benefit of Kansas communities. In this case, though, more care should have been made in finding the right location first, farther away from populated areas.

Zoning regulations should have been in effect to stop the wind farm from being considered for that particular area in the first place. There's lots of wide-open prairie out there to build it on, after all.

At the end of the day, though, the system worked. While some are happy with the decision and others are not, everything operated by the processes instilled in our county government.

The proposed development idea worked its way through the system, those living nearby were allowed to protest it, and ultimately the decision came to a vote by our elected officials. In the adjoining times, there was plenty of healthy and not-so-healthy debate.

Let us hope that with the decision now made, those rifts in the community will begin to heal.

And let us salute the courage of Commissioner Perry Henman, who stood alone against the voices of his fellow commissioners.

Agree with him or not, he laid out his argument, took a stand and made a difficult choice, obviously one he truly believes is in the best interest of the community.

You have to respect him for that.