"We spent a lot of time looking around the world for the best people, and we have a list of people in mind, always trying to think if any of our commissioners or deputy mayors ... You know, the way I phrase it: 'got hit by a truck' — just as a euphemism ... I know pretty much who I would make my first call to, to see if we could get somebody to fill in right away.” —Michael Bloomberg dismissed criticism about the confidential search process to find New York City's new schools chancellor. Regularly picturing his underlings being crushed by a semi, he explained, ensures that he's always prepared with a list of replacements.

Bloomberg Defends Secretive Selection of Schools Chief [Metropolis/WSJ]