I had to laugh when I read about Bruce Castor blaming the latest Montgomery County power shuffle on his fellow commissioner-elect, Joe Hoeffel. Incumbent Jim Matthews, a Republican, has allied with Hoeffel, a Democrat, leaving Republican Castor out in the cold. So Matthews will be the chairman and Hoeffel will be the vice chair -- the first time a Democrat has held that post in GOP-run county government in more than a century.
Castor, who got the most votes in the recent election and wanted the chairmanship himself, did not blame his fellow Republican for this latest black eye on their party. Instead, he said, “This is just shenanigans by Joe, designed to make us look bad...”
To the contrary, Hoeffel is perfectly right to do the best he can for himself and the Democrats, negotiating to get as big a voice as possible for himself and his party.
Whether there’s any blame for Matthews is more debatable. The situation is definitely bad for his party, and his motivation may be personal, but he says it’s important that the official with the most experience in governing holds the chairmanship, and there’s some justification for that...
It’s certainly entertaining those of us on the sidelines, but even if it doesn’t last, this shake-up has some broader, positive ramifications. Moving Montco more toward two-party power will probably also help decrease arrogance and increase accountability.

Posted by
Patricia Matson