Man Atop Troubled IRS is Plainview JFK Grad

President Obama's recent choice for the man to clean up the beleaguered IRS was voted "most likely to succeed" by his 1989 high school graduating class: Plainview JFK.

So far, that prediction has held up well for Daniel Werfel, the newly appointed acting commissioner of the embattled Internal Revenue Service.

Werfel graduated from Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School in 1989 and went on to Cornell before earning his Master's degree from Duke University. He earned his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law before embarking on a career in public service.

It's apparent Werfel had his eyes on that career path long before he left Plainview:

Beside his photo in the 1989 yearbook were the famous quotes of two brothers: The first said: "Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future." They were the words of John F. Kennedy, the high school's namesake.

Werfel went on to quote Robert F. Kennedy: "Some people see things and say 'why?' I dream things and say 'why not?'"

The career civil servant had managed the day-to-day operations at the federal Office of Management and Budget prior to replacing Steven Miller, who was fired last week as the IRS’s interim director in the scandal over its targeting of conservative groups.

Both a telephone and email request with questions by Patch to the IRS' National Media Relations office in Washington was not immediately returned.

“Danny has proven an effective leader who serves with professionalism, integrity and skill,” President Obama said in a statement. “...Danny has the experience and management ability necessary to lead the agency at this important time.”