Brownie will NOT be consultant in New Orleans

[uppityperson]

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpupdates/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tpupdates/archives/2006_04_12.html#130652

Former FEMA director Michael Brown, St. Bernard officials, call off Brown trip to Chalmette

Former FEMA director Michael Brown and St. Bernard Parish officials said Wednesday that Brown has canceled his planned Thursday trip to Chalmette in the wake of negative publicity about reports that the parish was considering hiring Brown as a consultant on disaster issues. Council members also said the proporsal to hire Brown did not have enough votes to pass.

Criticism about their potential partnership began last week, after St. Bernard Parish President Henry “Junior” Rodriguez disclosed a proposal to hire the former FEMA director, saying the parish could benefit from Brown’s expertise. Rodriguez and some council members said then that they had agreed to discuss the issue with Brown during a council committee meeting scheduled for Thursday. But several council members have since openly criticized the proposal, creating a firestorm of bad publicity that reached national magnitude on Wednesday. Several officials said the reaction prompted them to call the meeting off.

Brown, who resigned his post as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency last year and has been criticized for his performance during and after Hurricane Katrina, said Wednesday that he heard that “some residents in the parish just said they didn’t like me, and that I am the face of all the problems they had."

"I am sorry and I really do want to help that parish," he added. "I ‘ve got a deep understanding of how they suffered and how they continued to suffer.” Brown said he had offered to help the parish, which was entirely flooded by Katrina’s surge, at no charge. He said he is still willing to help St. Bernard “if they ever need anything.”

[MadMaddie]

1. Yea...he has a deep understanding of the suffering cause you

see while people were losing their homes and everything they ownded..he was making reservations in a fancy hotel.....and for dinner..:sarcasm:

Who the hell in their right mind would hire this guy...especially concerning Disaster Management?

[allalone]

9. yeah remember his assistant?

well, he has to eat you know!

[marmar]

2. I don't know what the people in St. Bernard Parish were thinking...

Just from a PR standpoint, that would have been a disaster, let alone what a bad job done he might have done.

[uppityperson]

7. willing to help "if they ever needed anything" indeed

how about organizing a huge relief effort? How about working with the people to get their insurance companies to pay what they should? How about....

[NYC]

3. I'm glad to hear this. I just couldn't believe it was happening.

...hire the former FEMA director, saying the parish could benefit from Brown’s expertise...

I think they already benefitted from Brown's expertise. Once is more than enough.

[bridgit]

4. dang, and he was doing such a heck of a job too...

x(

[shadowknows69]

6. Who was the genius who came up with this idea?

n/t

[Hobarticus]

5. Sounds like they need a new parish president, too...

Even considering such a moronic idea would be grounds for immediate dismissal...

[Canuckistanian]

8. Even if he wasn't a total screwup

Surely they could have found someone with actual disaster-management experience?

I mean, it was a mistake to hire him once....