Fighter Pilot Runs From Northampton County Council

When he applied to fill the vacancy on Northampton County Council created as the result of Wayne Grube's sad death, former fighter pilot and Annapolis grad David Haines stood out. After Patti Grube, he was my favorite. I found myself daydreaming about this Democrat in dogfight with the Northampton County Bulldog, Ron Angle. Because Grube's seat became available again as a result of the sudden resignation of his widow, I hoped to see Dave's name surface again.

But he stalled. In a scathing letter to Council, which must have been written on asbestos, he crashes and burns. Haines withdrew his application on Wednesday.

"This letter is written to extend a courtesy not previously afforded by the Northampton County Council.

"After personally experiencing the arbitrary manner in which the council conducts business at the December 4, 2008 meeting, and closely watching press reports of council business over the past six weeks, it has become obvious that council would appear to be a body, currently more interested in political theatre than in effectively serving the citizens of Northampton County.

"It has also become clear that no 'new member' will be able to materially change the tenor of council in the short time leading to the 2009 election. Fulfilling a tragic or comedic role was never what I envisioned when making initial application to county council, therefore, please remove my name from further consideration at this time.

"Best of luck in the selection process and the coming year."