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Monday, March 24, 2008

Hoeffel-Matthews open Patronage Job Employment Agency

Check out this terrific post at WRITEMARSH! about how unsuccessful Democratic Party politicians are landing lucrative jobs with Montgomery County government under the leadership of Commissioners Jim Matthews and Joe Hoeffel, who made a secret power-sharing deal in January.

Part of that deal may have been to give career politician Hoeffel a free hand to hire Democratic pals for county patronage jobs.

Margaret Gibbons, the dean of Montgomery County political reporters, recently wrote about jobs offered by Matthews/Hoeffel to three losing Democratic candidates: Peter Amuso (the losing candidate for county district attorney), Kelbin Carolina and Ed Cheri.

From Gibbons' story:
Amuso is the third unsuccessful Democratic county candidate last year to surface this year to do some work for the county.

New Democratic County Controller Diane Morgan hired unsuccessful treasurer candidate Kelbin Carolina as a $43,241-a-year senior accountant in her office. New Democratic Coroner Walter I. Hofman hired unsuccessful sheriff candidate Edward F. Cheri to the $36,338-a-year post of deputy corner.

Democrats, who as far back as the Civil War had never won any contested elected row office job in the county, won five out of nine row office posts last year.
Read the WRITEMARSH! post here.

Read Gibbons original story in The Times-Herald here.

Also of note: Now that Kelbin Carolina is gainfully employed by Montgomery County, he has the time and resources to run for the Pennsylvania Legislature. Carolina is challenging first-term Republican state Rep. Mike Vereb in the 150th District.

So not only has Jim Matthew's betrayal of the Republican Party allowed Democrats to infiltrate Montgomery County government, but Matthews' duplicity is now assisting Democrats seeking seats in the state Legislature. As Bill Shaw writes on his blog, "Thanks, Jim."

Do they allow recall elections in Montgomery County? I'm sure Republicans would like another crack at Turncoat Jim Matthews.

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