Pyramid Hill lights up
Women of Excellence Awards
16th Annual Music Festival
Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2008 > December > 09 > Entry
EMA gives raise to embattled director
The Butler County Emergency Management Agency governing board expressed unanimous confidence in the agency’s embattled executive director Tuesday night, Dec. 9, and gave him a pay raise.
This followed criticism of EMA Director William Turner by two county commissioners and the Butler County Chiefs of Police Association in a pair of letters sent to the board Monday, Dec. 8.
After a nearly hour-long closed-door discussion, Butler County Commission President Charles Furmon made the motion of confidence in Turner. He said he believes Turner’s relationship with local law enforcement can be repaired.
EMA Chairman Dennis Conrad said the board plans to improve communication with area police chiefs by creating a new seat on the board for one of them.
“Hopefully, we can solve some of the problems that they had,” he said.
At the same meeting, the board approved the agency’s 2009 budget, including a pay raise for Turner from $79,295 to $81,674.
Turner said he was honored for the board’s support, and that he believes the police chiefs have a misunderstanding of what his role is in an emergency.
“(EMA board members) know the scope of the position and the limits of EMA director during times of disaster,” Turner said. “They understand EMA director does not become the incident commander of all local agencies during a disaster.”
Hamilton County EMA Director Michael Snowden and Keven Clouse, a liason from the Ohio Department of Public Safety, both spoke in support of Turner Tuesday night.
But both said a county EMA needs to have a good relationship with law enforcement.
The letter from police chiefs sent to the county commission Monday said a “vaccum of leadership” exists at the EMA and vaguely referenced a “litany of concerns” local police chiefs had with Turner before and during his response to September’s massive windstorm.
This spurred county commissioners Donald Dixon and Gregory Jolivette to ask the EMA board to “consider a change in the management of the EMA…before another significant and serious even jeopardizes the livelihood of our constituents.”
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Emergency Management Agency
Comments
By joe
December 10, 2008 12:03 PM | Link to this
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.
By jess
December 10, 2008 12:19 PM | Link to this
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?
By Jason
December 11, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this
Amazing how a few undeducated people know everything. Look at Turner’s experience! He knows more about disaster training than probally anyone else in the county. Is it his fault that the police chiefs did not ask for help. Also, I am sure that most people are not aware that on the day of the wind storm when Mr. Turner went to activate the counties Emergency Command Center he found it with out power. Sounds like the people who origionally desinged it before Turner had no idea what they were doing. It was not even connected to the buildings emergency power. It is also interesting that the sherrif requests a budget increase over 1 million dollars and also wants the EMA. I guess all the grant money the EMA gets would go to the Sherrif’s office and not what it is earmarked for. And if the police chiefs, commisioners, and Jones have a problem with Turner why were they not at the board meeting to state their case?
By Jason
December 11, 2008 12:44 PM | Link to this
Amazing how a few undeducated people know everything. Look at Turner’s experience! He knows more about disaster training than probally anyone else in the county. Is it his fault that the police chiefs did not ask for help. Also, I am sure that most people are not aware that on the day of the wind storm when Mr. Turner went to activate the counties Emergency Command Center he found it with out power. Sounds like the people who origionally desinged it before Turner had no idea what they were doing. It was not even connected to the buildings emergency power. It is also interesting that the sherrif requests a budget increase over 1 million dollars and also wants the EMA. I guess all the grant money the EMA gets would go to the Sherrif’s office and not what it is earmarked for. And if the police chiefs, commisioners, and Jones have a problem with Turner why were they not at the board meeting to state their case?
By George
December 11, 2008 6:28 PM | Link to this
With what we all saw last March re: the Conklins and Hamblin, tell me why did Furmon get voted back in? And if Hamblin was being paid $76,000.00 for emergency planning, did he pack up all Butler County plans in his shoe box and take it with him? There were no plans, when we had the wind storm!
By Karen
December 13, 2008 6:41 AM | Link to this
1999! That is the last update of the Emergency Plan.