County Emergency Managment Planner may be unqualified

The Union County GOP has charged the county with hiring a Golan Cipel type for a critical homeland security position. Below is their press release.

The employee who was given this position is Salena Carroll. Carroll was hired in 2000 and her title was “Community Organization Specialist” (view job description by clicking here) her salary was $38,659.92. Part of her job duties were to: train residents in activities necessary for them to assist them to develop and maintain a community garden, to establish a tutoring program for neighborhood youth….

In 2004 the county received homeland security funding to establish the position titled “County Emergency Management Planner” (view job description by clicking here). Carroll was promoted to the position and given a salary of $64,500. Her new job duties are to: develop, plan and provide technical guidance in the development of a regional response capability to a weapons of mass destruction incident….. Her current salary is $69,696.

God help us all.

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http://politics.nexcess.net/pressrelease/2006/09/union_county_gop_2.html#more

PoliticsNJ.com Press Releases
Union County GOP
DEMOCRAT POLITICAL FAVOR JEAPORDIZES UNION COUNTY HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY PLANNING
September 28, 2006
(ELIZABETH)- Union County Republican Freeholder candidates Pat Quattrocchi, Glenn Mortimer and Diane Barabas called for an investigation today into the hiring practices at the Union County Office of Emergency Management.
There seems to be a mystery around the procedure and process of the hiring of the position of the Domestic Preparedness planner, a key position should our area fall under a WMD attack in the future. “ said Pat Quattrocchi. The Republican candidates stated that the situation is particularly disconcerting since the job description calls for developing a regional plan capability that addresses the special needs of the UASI area that encompasses critical infrastructure target hardening measures, unique regional first responder capabilities and regional communications and information sharing resources.

It appears as though the individual hired for this position had no experience, has not submitted a resume, and her only qualification is that she is a good democrat party worker and friend of the political bosses. “ After months of attempting to determine what process was followed, I think we might just have the Union County version of Golan Cipel in our Emergency Management Planning Office”, said Diane Barabas.
This week’s chemical spill in Elizabeth has put this issue on the front page again. Over 50 people were sent to the hospital on Monday and the Republican candidates expressed their concern about the effectiveness of an unqualified political appointee running and planning Emergency preparedness for the citizens of Union County. “This is just another example of the democrats playing favorites, and putting their own political interests above the safety and welfare of the public,” said Mortimer. “This situation smells worse than the chemical spill.” “In the interest of public safety and our own Union County Homeland security, we are calling for an immediate investigation and we believe the public deserves an answer,” commented Quattrocchi, Mortimer and Barabas.

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