Columnist: Jim Matthews cracking up

Margaret Gibbons, who covered Montgomery County government and politics for the Norristown Times-Herald for decades, has left the newspaper for greener pastures.

She is now writing for The Intelligencer in Doylestown, but her beat remains the same Montgomery County government and politics.

In a recent column, Gibbons expresses concern about the mental health of embattled Montgomery County Commissioner Jim Matthews, who made a power-sharing deal with Democratic Commissioner Joe Hoeffel at the start of the year. That has brought widespread criticism of Matthews, who most consider a political turncoat.

From Gibbons' latest column:

Republican Montgomery County Commissioner Chairman James R. Matthews is beginning to show some cracks from the strain under which he has been operating since he entered that unprecedented power-sharing pact with Democratic Commissioner Joseph M. Hoeffel III.

Matthews had convinced himself that the controversy would die down in January and that he eventually would be lauded for his so-called “statesmanship” in fashioning a bipartisan government.

That has not happened.

The criticism from those within his own party has been relentless. And Republican Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr., the top vote-getter in last November's commissioners' election but the odd man out in this administration, never misses an opportunity to yank Matthews' chain.

In the past, Matthews has simply sloughed off Castor's comments or lectured him about his acting in a political fashion rather than as an elected government official who represents everyone.

However, now Matthews is verbally flinching even before Castor opens his mouth.

Matthews went off on Castor at a recent agenda meeting when Castor simply questioned something on the agenda.

Come on, Jim, get a grip.

Read the full column at The Intelligencer's Web site.