It's Joe B.'s World

Allen, however, says he has no plans to run for office himself (although one can't help wondering why he was willing to sit for three hours' worth of interviews and a photo session for this article).

"One, I can't afford it," he explains of his lack of desire to personally enter the electoral arena. "And secondly, that's not where my interest is. But I tend to believe I'll still be a player around here after Lanier."

In fact, Allen is amused by the suggestion that his own standing in the political realm is tied to the rise and demise of Mayor Lanier.

"Let me say I have great respect for the mayor," he says slowly, "but I had a fairly successful career here before he was mayor and I believe I'll have a very successful career after he's mayor."

Allen certainly has an eye peeled on the city's future, and he mentions Councilman Joe Roach as one person he considers potential mayoral timber. But it's pretty clear that his crystal ball conjures the sharp-featured visage of Hammerin' Helen Huey, the human bulldozer from Spring Branch, as his first choice to succeed Lanier.

"I think she has a lot of great leadership qualities," Allen says. "Works very hard at it. Understands public policy issues. Knows how to analyze a problem and come up with an effective solution."

When it comes time to helping craft those solutions, one suspects that minister-without-portfolio Joe B. Allen would aspire to play exactly the same role in the court of Queen Helen that he has in the halls of King Bob.

That is, if he isn't surreptitiously trying the crown on for size himself.
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