WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

Officials signing off on a bad deal is what this issue exposes.

A letter of recommendation is only as influential as the writer's reputation.

So, then, what's the value of an endorsement from someone who would boast the attributes of a convicted drug dealer with a rollicking rap sheet?

Well that's exactly what four elected officials from Fayette County have done.

State Rep. Tim Mahoney of South Union, county Commissioner Vince Zapotosky, Uniontown Mayor Ed Fike and South Union Supervisor Robert Schiffbauer vouched for Edward Harris, 50, saying he's not a threat to the public despite his arrest for allegedly shooting at two people in a dispute over unpaid rent.

Why would respected officials lend their support to Mr. Harris• Well, Rep. Mahoney says, "We grew up together in the East End (of Uniontown). We both grew up poor."

Mr. Zapotosky said he met Harris through Mahoney and wrote the letter without knowing the extent of Harris' record, which includes terroristic threats, simple assault, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment, assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence and criminal trespassing.

Mr. Schiffbauer, who is Mahoney's cousin, said he knew that Harris "had a tainted past."

Mr. Fike says Harris "may have been the victim of unfair treatment."

Maybe. Maybe not.

Does he deserve a second chance• A third, fourth or fifth• Don't know. Harris is not the issue here.

Officials signing off on a bad deal is what this issue exposes.

Recommending a repeat offender for release from prison is not the same as recommending a college graduate for a job. This endorsement is not quite as disposable.

Mahoney may know something we don't about Harris. Maybe this childhood friend of a state representative is truly working to turn his life around.

But using the influence of a position entrusted to him by the voters of Fayette County to spring his pal is a bad choice for Mahoney. Will his reputation persevere?