Don Mohler for Superintendent?

Joe A. Hairston's contract as superintendent of the Baltimore County Public Schools system isn't up yet but that hasn't stopped tongues from wagging about potential replacements, including one name familiar to school and Baltimore County government officials—Don Mohler.

Mohler, a former area superintendent for Baltimore County schools, has spent the last seven years working for county government, first as the lead public affairs official for County Executive James T. Smith and currently as spokesman and chief of staff for Kevin Kamenetz.

Mohler came to county government after a career spent as a teacher, principal and area superintendent in the county school system. Mohler holds a doctorate in education and was a candidate for the county superintendent's job the year the board hired Hairston.

And for the last year or so his name routinely comes up as a potential replacement for Hairston, who has roughly a year left on a four-year contract approved in 2008.

The rumors about Mohler surfaced again this week after two school school board appointees learned they would not be reappointed when their terms expire at the end of June.

Meg O'Hare, one of the out-going board members, and pointed to appointments made since 2006. Many of those appointments have ties to county government or even to Mohler personally.

"The good ol' boys system is eager to get their hands on the school system," O'Hare said in an interview last week.

Mohler recently laughed at the talk, which he has heard before.

Mohler answered questions about his interest by talking about how much he enjoys his current position.

"I don't have anything to say about that," Mohler said Tuesday about the possibility of a return to the school system. "I love being chief of staff."

Mohler repeated that last statement several times even after it was pointed out that he wasn't exactly denying an interest.

"I've been a fortunate person in that I've enjoyed every job that I've had in my professional career," Mohler said.

But is this his dream job, I asked.

"My dream job is to play shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles," said Mohler, deflecting the question. "The problem is, I can't hit, I can't field and I run like I'm standing still."

Etc.

Moving on. Next week will be the last in county goverment for Lt. Mark Demski, who spent about 25 years in the county fire department and about eight years managing the emergency operations center in the county's emergency management office.

Demski takes a new position on June 1 at the Maryland Emergency Management Agency where he will be in charge of joint operations and state's emergency management center. He'll also be reunited with Richard Muth, the former head of county emergency management who left in 2008 to run MEMA.

Happy birthday to three-time council candidate who turns 63 today.

Open in an emergency. Speaking of emergencies, Ellen Kobler, a county spokeswoman, has just the thing for Shaun Adamec, the soon-to-be former spokesman for Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Kobler prepared her own special "Emergency Adrenaline Withdrawal" kit which she presented to Adamec at a going away happy hour party Tuesday for Adamec in Annapolis. 

Inside a shoebox adorned with emergency stickers and instructions is everything one needs to get their blood pumping, including a large can of energy drink and an emergency radio. (See photo above.)

And if that doesn't do it for Adamec, there's also a coupon for a skydiving center near Adamec's new job in Boston.

Congrats to Marci Goodman who hopes to get to watch the governor sign an anti-bullying bill for private schools she helped draft a year ago. The aide to former Councilman Bryan McIntire and now Councilman Todd Huff got involved in the anti-bullying movement about three years ago after a series of incidents involving a family member. The bill expected to be signed today affects over 300 non-public schools statewide. Goodman also worked on a bullying prevention bill for public schools three years ago.

She's also good at "bullying" reporters in order to get a little ink for her projects.

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