Humboldtian

As the Times-Standard reported, the North Coast Co-op has hired David Lippman, long-time advertising director and one-time publisher for the T-S, to become its new GM. Lippman will assume command from Howard Julien, who has been filling in as GM since the departure of Len Mayer in March.

I know David Lippman slightly from working at the Times-Standard several years ago, and can report he's a pretty good guy....for an advertising man. He's mellow, easy to talk to and has a sense of humor. This probably explains why he didn't last long as the Times-Standard's publisher, a job he was tapped to fill a few years ago after Gerry Adolph left. I don't recall precisely how long he lasted in that job, but suddenly one day about a year ago the T-S announced it was hiring a new publisher and that Lippman would remain with the company in a newly created position, which they titled "Vice President of advertising for Eureka Humboldt Publishing Group." Whew. I don't know how you fit all that on a business card. I have always suspected that Lippman just didn't like being a newspaper publisher. You have to be somewhat cold-hearted, especially working for Dean Singleton, and there's a certain amount of pretentiousness associated with the position, in addition to the required membership at the Ingomar Club.

I didn't know Lippman had a background in co-ops. The T-S reports Lippman "grew up in a New York City co-op community," and that his first job in Humboldt County some 30 years ago was at the co-op here, stocking produce I'm told.

He will take over a co-op that is experiencing some tension between the current board and some long-time members. There are hard feelings about the Co-op doing business with Evil Empire in order to get a gleaming new building in Eureka. Reportedly, while it was negotiating to get the building, the board quashed membership input on the deal.