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Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2008 > December > 08 > Entry
EMA head under fire from police chiefs, county
In a pair of scathing letters, Butler County leaders and police chiefs across the county expressed a lack of confidence in the county’s emergency management chief after his response to September’s historic windstorm.
In a letter to the Butler County Emergency Management Agency governing board Monday, Dec. 8, two county commissioners said EMA Director William Turner’s “service has become a divisive force instead of a unifying force in Butler County.”
Commissioners Donald Dixon and Gregory Jolivette called for “a change in management of the EMA.”
This followed a letter to commissioners Monday from the Butler County Chiefs of Police Association, which said police chiefs across the county see a “vacuum of leadership” at the EMA.
“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.
Click here for the whole story.
Here is the entire letter from the police chiefs to the county commission:
(Click on the top right corner to enlarge)
Here is the letter from commissioners to the EMA board:
(Click on the top right corner to enlarge)
What do you think? Should the EMA board terminate Turner?
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Emergency Management Agency
Comments
By Tim in Liberty
December 9, 2008 8:58 AM | Link to this
Turner offered excuses about not having power or not receivng calls asking for assistance. His job is supposed to be about adapting and overcoming obstacles and anticipating needs, he simply failed. Had he spent the last 10 years working well with others the letter from the Police Chiefs never would have happened. Sounds to me like its time for him to go.
By citizen
December 9, 2008 9:32 AM | Link to this
It sounds to me like he just isnt a member of the “good ole boys club” and if you have lived in Butler Co. you would know that Sheriff Jones does what he wants and if you arent on his band wagon then you are S.O.L. Politics run our county and Sheriff Jones is one of the leaders. Maybe he should be the sheriff, the mayor, and the EMA director. That would probably make him happy.
By joe
December 9, 2008 3:50 PM | Link to this
You would think as Director of the EMA Dept. who makes over $80,000. a year would have a team assembled in virtually every corner of the County to deploy immediately. Turner failed at his most basic responsibility during the latest storm. We sure are not getting our moneys worth with this guy. Let’s try somebody new!
By citizen
December 10, 2008 6:40 AM | Link to this
There was a problem in a lot of places. The Health Director could not be found during the crisis. She bragged about drinking with her neighbors since she had a “day off work”. Much money is given to the health department to prepare but it was spent on her trips to Atlantic City, Washington (2times), Orlando, Reno and Alaska.
By Bonnie
March 25, 2009 11:40 AM | Link to this
We’ll time has clarified this issue. The police chiefs wanted Turner out because they wanted one of their own in his job. As soon as Turner resigned, who was the first to apply even before the job was posted? Former Police Chief Bill Becker of Middletown. Who was the first group to support him for the position, the police chiefs. The police chiefs should be ashamed of themselves for letting Don Dixon get them in the middle of this issue.