Such moments make me misty for the old days, when, in 1973, then-Mayor Frank Rizzo failed a lie-detector test. But that was Philadelphia then. This is Norristown now.
The grand jury's highly critical report alleges that Matthews ran the county government as his fiefdom, awarding contracts to business and political associates while using $57,000 in campaign donations on his car, meals, and two country clubs.
If you're living well on other people's money, why limit yourself to one golf course?
Matthews resigned as chairman. County Solicitor Barry Miller, his former campaign manager, who is often viewed as his political enforcer, was fired.
"I hate to say, 'I told you so,' but I told you so," Commissioner Bruce Castor said, sounding as if he didn't hate it at all. "Jim Matthews is a man totally devoid of honesty and integrity and incapable of telling the truth."
I am so going to miss these guys.
The antipathy between Castor and Matthews is intense, relentless, and tribal in that Matthews worships at the altar of GOP National Committeeman and former county chair Bob Asher, while Castor has been aligned with current county GOP chairman Bob Kerns.
The Bobs aren't too fond of each other, either.
Keep in mind that all these people are Republicans. In January, the GOP loses control of the county Board of Commissioners for the first time in 13 decades.
The current incarnation is going out not with a bang, but a multicar crack-up.
Castor is the county's swashbuckling former D.A., a highly political, visible post that comes with a recurring role on the evening news. Ferman is Castor's former deputy. Immediately, critics accused Ferman of doing Castor's dirty work.
