What bipartisanship is really about

For the first time in four years, Berks County government is in good hands.

The re-election of Republican Commissioner Mark C. Scott and the addition of Republican Christian Leinbach and Democrat Kevin Barnhardt is welcome news for Berks County residents.

The editorial in today's edition of The Mercury explains how bipartisanship is supposed to work, as in the case of Berks -- and how it's not supposed to work -- as in the case of Montgomery County.

The three Berks Commissioners have pledged to work together on a series of goals designed to make county government more efficient and improve the lives of Berks County residents.

In neighboring Montgomery County, a megalomaniac named Jim Matthews has hijacked the Board of Commissioners with his new-found ally, Democrat Joe Hoeffel. What do Matthews and Hoeffel have in common? On the issues, nothing. On the fact that they use county government as their own private playground? Everything.

Look for big things from the Berks commissioners after four years of uninspired leadership under Democrats Judy Schwank and Tom Gajewski.

As for Montgomery County, the voters would like a another shot at the two-faced Matthews. More than 85,000 people thought they were voting for a Republican majority under the leadership of Bruce Castor. They got an axis of evil (Matthews/Hoeffel) that will take the county backwards over the next four years.

The Philadelphia Inquirer weighs in on the Matthews-Castor feud and concludes that the only winner is Joe Hoeffel, who apparently used a Jedi mind trick on Matthews to gain unprecedented power for a minority commissioner.