Hamilton Holiday Kids Parade
Truancy Court in Butler County
2009 Ohio State football
Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > June > 29 > Entry
Becker bumped from EMA list
The Butler County Emergency Management Agency has narrowed down the list of applicants for agency director to two — both from outside Ohio.
The finalists are Jeff Galloway, emergency management director in Fentress County, Tennessee; and Joey Henderson, emergency management specialist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the Washington D.C. region.
“We’re looking for someone who has the experience, someone who has an impeccable record, impeccable background, someone who showed leadership skills and experience writing grants,” said Ronald D’Epifanio, Fairfield mayor and member of the EMA governing board.
EMA Interim Director Sue Isaacs said the board hopes to have a final pick within a couple weeks.
The job comes with a salary of at least $60,000 per year. It has been vacant since former EMA Director William Turner resigned amid pressure in March after criticism of his handling of windstorms in September.
One suspected favorite for the job was Bill Becker, Middletown city councilman and former police chief and city manager.
D’Epifanio said Becker was a “fine, fine man,” but that “there were just other people who had more qualifications.”
Prior to heading emergency management in Fentress County, Galloway’s resume says he was a lieutenant in the Palm Beach County fire department in Florida, where he worked since 1984. He has extensive training in firefighting and emergency response.
Henderson’s resume says he was responsible for two training exercises before Pres. Barack Obama’s inauguration. Before that, he was also training and exercise administrator for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency.
Henderson’s resume says he is an Ohio native. The former Baltimore firefighter holds a master’s degree in management from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in fire science from University of Maryland.
D’Epifanio said the board was not intentionally trying to hire someone from outside Butler County. It just turned out that way. “I think everybody was given an equal chance,” he said.
The job will come with some immediate challenges, such as repairing relations with local police chiefs, which cost the previous director his job, and finding local funds to build a new emergency operations center before federal grants for the facility expire.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Emergency Management Agency
Comments
By Don Carpenter
June 29, 2009 6:59 PM | Link to this
I think that it shows great leadership to find someone who will bring a new, fresh perspective on this vital position. It is never easy to buck the road to least resistance. Hats off to the EMA board!
By Kelley
June 30, 2009 9:19 AM | Link to this
The plans of the Police Chiefs and the Sheriff to install their own person in this position rightly has failed.
By Kenny
July 2, 2009 3:10 PM | Link to this
Speaking of Turner, every time we had had a big snow, flood or wind storm he was able to pull together whatever was needed to get federal assistance. He’s gone and what is going to happen following this flood and wind storm. Give Turner the credit he is due he got the local governments over $5 million in funds following the wind storm, bet we get nothing from this last storm.