DFO: Economics & Politics Got Brannon

In the HBO Poll Friday, I was among those who marked that Jim Brannon’s layoff/firing/whatever as executive director for Habitat for Humanity was both political and economic. The economic part speaks for itself. Times are hard. People are getting laid off right and left. Politics were involved, too. But it’s not what you think. No one from City Hall called board president Rick Shipman and demanded that Brannon be cut loose as a result of his run for the City Council against Councilman Mike Kennedy. The Powers The Be are running too scared from the scrutiny they’ve been under in Duane Hagadone’s newspaper and the blogosphere since the anti-LCDC crowd emerged as a self-appointed city watchdog. They wouldn’t risk getting caught in such an underhanded move, if it was in their nature to try something like that. My guess? Brannon’s campaign and informal alliance with the anti-administration group led by candidate Dan Gookin made the apolitical Habitat for Humanity board nervous. Some have said some board members were unhappy with his first run for office two years ago. Mebbe Brannon’s political ambitions reached the tipping point with the board this time. The board should have waited until after the election to take action to avoid the appearance of political payback. After all, Habitat for Humanity is paying him through the end of the month. What would a few more days hurt? Then, the action taken by the board to notify Brannon of his layoff/firing/whatever occurred shortly before his political debate with Kennedy Wednesday. Which underscores my main point that the board isn’t politically savvy. Just squeamish — DFO .