Afternoon.
They had finished lunch.
As Dong Xuebin came out of the newly renovated cafeteria, he ran into Meng Hanmei, Director of the County Party Committee Office, who had just finished eating as well. He called her over and headed upstairs with her.
"Old Meng, how many deputy directors does the County Party Committee Office have now?" Dong Xuebin asked.
Meng Hanmei blinked. "Including Secretary Su, there are two now."
Dong Xuebin gave an oh. "Only two?"
Meng Hanmei nodded. "There used to be more. At one point, there were five or six. Later, higher-ups issued an official document requiring cuts to deputy positions, so they were all reduced. It's been two for the past few years. When Secretary Su came in on a temporary post, there were originally three, but Old Sun retired last month."
Dong Xuebin knew about that. He nodded. "Can you squeeze in two more for me?"
Meng Hanmei considered it. "Two people wouldn't be a problem on my end. I'm just afraid the city won't let us set that precedent. If Withdraw County and Establish City is truly finalized, then adding them won't be a problem. Four deputy directors in the County Party Committee Office should be fine. But right now..." She felt it was unlikely. They were still Jiaolin County, not Jiaolin City, so organizational and staffing allocations had to follow county-level standards. Withdraw County and Establish City had yet to be approved. Though it was practically certain, they could not simply increase staffing allocations directly.
"I'll talk to the city," Dong Xuebin said.
Meng Hanmei nodded. "All right. I can do it anytime on my end."
If they waited until Withdraw County and Establish City was approved, the County Party Committee Office would be upgraded as well, and transferring people in afterward would