Every county exec needs one if he expects to get anything done. He might be called Director of Administration or Chief of Staff, but he's really the hatchet man. He does the dirty work. He takes out the trash.
Jim Hickey, Glenn Reibman's former first officer, was by far the best and most colorful of these miserable bastards. Personally, I think he went a little too far when he once threw me off the courthouse roof, but no one can deny his effectiveness.
Northampton County Exec John Stoffa is in dire need of someone with Hickey's unusual talents. He's struggled for nine months with no point man to deal with a greedy court, a cantankerous council, and employees on the verge of revolt. It's simply too much for one man, no matter how well-intentioned.
Saturday's Express Times tells us that Stoffa finally has a new tough guy in mind, and will publicly disclose his nomination at a personnel committee meeting on October 18.
Now I have no idea who this person may be. But at dawn on Friday, the day that Stoffa must have said something to the Express Times, a battlestar suddenly appeared in darkened skies over the courthouse. It ejected a pod that landed at the rotunda, where it remained motionless for several hours.
After several hours, the pod finally opened, and a scowling figure emerged.
Jim Hickey was in the house.
If he's not the actual nominee, I suspect he may have something to do with it. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to check out my emergency parachute.
Update: On his WGPA 1100 AM radio show this morning, Angle burst my bubble. According to Angle, Stoffa's new number one is not Hickey, but actually is someone from Florida.
14 comments:
If it's Hickey, I'll be stunned. Simply stunned.
It's probably just wishful thinking on my part. Hickey in the bldg on Fri, the announcement in the paper on Saturday and the unwillingness to identify the nomineee (who probably has to tell his boss). I'm putting two and two together. Maybe I've come up with five.
Sorry, Bernie. There is someone in the wings but it isn't Hickey.
Oh well ... two plus two equals five.
I didn't realize the fall wouldn't kill you. How was I to know it took a stake through your black little heart? The latter would, however, explain the 16th century woodcuttings of you chasing children through the Black Forest...
Ain't me, and I had no hand in the selection. The County Executive is more than capable of making his own cabinet calls, and certainly doesn't need my help.
My presence Friday was pure coincidence.
And I would have caught those damn kids, too, but Congressman Foley beat me to it.
Nice to hear from you, and I am sorry you can't be lured from Harrisburg. I guess I'll have to dismantle those IEDs.
Who was just appointed and confirmed as the new public works admin?
LST, Steven DeSalva, from Bethlehem.
is your email operational?
To Anon 7:04, So far as I know, my email is working fine. BOHare5948@aol.com
Stoffa is far too stupid to hire someone as good as Jim Hickey...
This must be Glenn Reibman or Bob Daday. Incidentally, Democrat Bob Daday gave $100 to Reichley. What a great Dem!
I gotta stand up for Mr. Stoffa on this one. He is a little ecentric, buthe is also from the same generation as my father. He is a good clean cut man who wants to do the right things, He is not a politician, which is what Northampton County needs. Someone without their head up their a$$!
I didn't vote for Stoffa, but I like him. And he did spend 30 + years in human relations, so he had to be a nice guy to be in that field as long as he was. He is quiet, soft-spoken and well mannered, but he is not fake. He is not stupid or dumb by any stretch of the imagination.
LST, I share your opinion of John Stoffa, except I did vote for him. He's the "anti-Reibman," according to an ET editorial.
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