Finchem Flashes The Reagan Card; Doesn't Rule Out Working Into His 70s!

But at least he suggests a succession plan might be in the works. Or at least a possibility. Okay, he's never leaving!

Alex Miceli reports.

“Ronald Reagan got elected president when he was 70 and served two terms,” Finchem said. “But I think that the likelihood is, this will probably be it for me. I mean, there are other things I want to do, also, and I think it has to do with the evolvement of the organization, too.”

Finchem talked openly about how the process would work: creating a transition plan, bringing staff members along who can assume leadership roles and then, when the time comes, the board either makes a selection internally or opens it up to compare internal candidates with outsiders.

“That's the decision they have to make in the context of where they are at the time,” Finchem said of the board. “Our job is to bring people along who have good leadership skills, give them good, broad experience in different aspects of our organization and also put them in a position where they can demonstrate to the board the caliber of management skills they have. And the board makes that decision. That's not my decision.”

Right! How could we forget. Those wily, totally independent board directors are capable of anything!