Miracles on G'Town Avenue...

It don't pay to be male
by Josey Wales

Now Josey Wales ain't a religious man, but observing things as they happen at the Chestnut Hill Local sure has me mystified. If I didn't know any better, I might start believin' in miracles...

Word got out last week that the editor search committee picked Lea Stanley, a former Inky editor whose greatest attribute appears to be that she picked her parents well (father was a well-known editor who crusaded for civil rights), to take the reigns of the venerable paper. This expert panel decided to pass over the young but experienced Pete Mazzaccaro because he wrote a few mean things. Hanged with his own rope it seems.

People on the Hill have every reason to be confident in this choice. The last two editors they brought in from outside the organization (ha ha), John Lombardi and Jim Sturdivant, were chased out in 9 and 13 months respectively. Perhaps they and Mazzaccaro are gender-challenged for the job? Stanley shouldn't have that problem. In fact she should be just crackerjack. How can an editor search committee chaired by a guy who runs a bakery go wrong?

If that weren't enough to send your hand north for a head scratcher, Josey Wales also learned that the Local is bringing back former ad manager Ellen Manning to take the pseudo-job of "operations manager" (That's the one that was cooked up for Nancy Berger who resigned under pressure last week). This is a real pisser to anyone who's been around long enough to remember Manning's earlier tenure with the paper about six years ago. On the verge of getting fired by the Local's controller Jeff W. (don't ask me to spell that one) and community manager Ned Mittinger for lack-luster performance, she packed her stuff on a weekend and took off without warning or notice.

So this is the person the Local is happy to bring back after they canned Karl Strandberg, again for saying some mean things. Didn't matter that he was making money, he didn't play nice with others. I reckon it doesn't pay to have balls, literally and otherwise, at the Chestnut Hill Local.