It's part of the WMD Mantra on politics...
On September 14th of this year, we needed competence in the Emergency Management Agency in Butler County when what was left of Hurricane Ike tore through the area.
We didn't get competence.
Intrepid reporter Josh has an article and a blog post on the subject. In the article, we learn that Commissioners Dixon and Jolivette have called for a "change in management" at the EMA.
But it is this bit -- from the head of the Butler County Chiefs of Police Association -- that will leave a mark:
"Leadership, coordination, communication, direction, resources, as well as anything else that one might have come to expect out of the (EMA) in the aftermath of the windstorm were all absent," said the letter, signed by Association President Richard St. John, Fairfield Twp. police chief.All of that is absolutely true.
EMA is trying to say that nobody asked for help and that's why they did nothing but that doesn't work for me because clearly this community was having problems and nobody should have to ask for help from the agency that is supposed to manage emergencies.
Before we move on, let me say that as much as I like Sheriff Jones, he's the last guy who ought to be put in charge of EMA.
In the blog post, we learn that the director of the EMA just got a raise. We are now rewarding incompetence in Butler County. Good move!
But let me take a moment to refute some idiocy displayed by commenter "Joe" who says:
Of course Chuck Furmon made the motion to give Turner a pay raise. It is called a political pay back for Turner hiring Furmon’s son in law and bumping his salary from 18,000. a year, to over $80,000.Dude. You are an idiot.
Chuck Furmon doesn't have a son-in-law. He has a an EX-son-in-law. And that wasn't a recent development. Think about that for a few minutes before you go spouting more ignorance and beclown yourself some more...
Even dumber are the assertions made by commenter "Jess" who writes:
I have a good friend who works for the County and they told me the “county grapevine” has it that just a few days ago all three County Commissioners (including Furmon) sent County Administrator Tim Williams to Turner and asked for his resignation. Question is why did Furmon make a 180 degree turnaround from this position to “what a great assest” (Turner) is to the County and made a motion to give him a raise? Could it be that ole Kentucky Boy threatened Furmon that he would tell what he knows about his son in law and all those raises could it?Uhh...no, jess. Thanks for playing. Feel free to wade around in the shallow end of the gene pool but I have to warn you that there isn't a lifeguard on duty...
This stuff is stupid.
And that's why competence matters. If we had competent people working for us, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. Giving an incompetent bureaucrat a raise is a horrible move and it is one that we will regret...
