PHILLY GRILL: Alan Kessler Hopes We’ll Stick With Frank Sinatra
In his role as chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service, Wolf Block partner and political fund-raising powerhouse Alan Kessler got to throw a swingin’ ’do in New York this morning to honor Frank Sinatra, the face of the new 42-cent postage stamp. Philly Grill caught up with Kessler right after the ceremony to ask a few questions about the Chairman of the (non-postal) Board and find out who’d look better on an envelope — Ed Rendell or Al Gore. — Ali Cahill
Why Sinatra on a stamp?
You could spend a lot of time answering that question, but he’s really the first American entertainer superstar with a popular song — one of the most notable entertainers in American history. His son just told a great story about how an immigrant whose parents moved here with nothing in their pockets could be on a postage stamp.
Are you a fan of Ol’ Blue Eyes?
How could you grow up in this country and not be a fan of Frank Sinatra’s music and movies? And while I came a little after the craze, it’s a great thing for the Postal Service that every once in a while selling stamps and honoring great entertainers can be merged.
How’d you get to be a governor of the Postal Service?
I just woke up one morning, and lo and behold — someone called me Governor! [Laughs] Just kidding. It’s like a board of directors, called the Board of Governors, and they’re appointed by the president. I was appointed by President Clinton in late 1999. I had to get Senate confirmation and took office in late 2000. Then I was elected vice president chair of the board three years ago, and this past January, elected president of the board.
You’ve been a big fund-raiser for both Ed Rendell and Al Gore. Do you think we’ll see either of them on a stamp someday?
[Laughs] Well, hopefully not for a long time, because the requirement is that you actually have to be dead for 10 years. But I’d love to see both of them honored someday, but hopefully not for a long, long time. I think they’d agree.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Who was the artist that designed the stamp? Thank you.