CSEPP board decides against hiring program manager

This story was published Fri, Oct 6, 2000

By Mary Hopkin
Herald Oregon bureau

IRRIGON - It was a positive move many were in favor of when it was proposed a few months ago.

A governing board for the Oregon Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program would be created to form a bond between the entities involved in CSEPP. The board would hire a program manager, someone unaffiliated with any federal, state or county entity, to run CSEPP efficiently.

It would be someone who could make sure the separate agencies worked as a team. A person whose only interest was making sure the county, state, firefighters and police were prepared to protect the public if a chemical release occurred at the Umatilla Chemical Depot.

But it's unlikely that position will be filled.

At Thursday's governing board meeting, board members decided a program manager was not needed.

"Our three managers are working very well together, and I'd like to see us stay at status quo," said Morrow County Commissioner John Wenholz, a board member.

The three managers Wenholz was referring to are Meg Capps, of Umatilla County CSEPP; Casey Beard, Morrow County CSEPP; and Chris Brown, Oregon Emergency Management CSEPP.

The three emergency operations managers report to the governing board at its meetings, which have been held almost weekly since the board's inception in August.

Some board members believe that under the direction of the new board, many of the CSEPP's internal problems can be wiped out.

An independent study of CSEPP management earlier this year found that the emergency managers weren't working together or taking responsibility for their jobs.

"Nearly everyone I talked to pointed a finger at another agency for the problems," said Madhu Beriwal, of Innovative Emergency Management Inc., when she presented the study's results in August.

But with the same managers reporting back to the same supervisors, who make up the governing board, can things really change?

The board chairman, Umatilla County Commissioner Dennis Doherty, said they will.

"For two reasons," Doherty said. "The governing board is a body empowered to resolve issues and we have a process to get things resolved. Secondly, we will have a single person in authority for the managers to deal with."

That person will be Beverlee Venell, the recently appointed state director for Oregon CSEPP.

The management team would answer directly to Venell, who in turn would be responsible to the governing board, which she is a member.

Venell said she thinks the new structure will work but only if the board members are committed to CSEPP's main goal.

"We have to hold both ourselves and our staffs accountable," Venell said. "I think it's critical to our success."

Some board members, like Hermiston Police Chief Jim Stearns, reluctantly agreed to give the idea a try.

Stearns said he would prefer a single project manager with the power to be an overall boss but with so many entities involved, a governing board in place, and plenty of chiefs to deal with, that would be difficult.

"So my fear becomes that it would just add another layer of bureaucracy," Stearns said. "So I would have to opt back to the status quo. Anything else would be a waste of money."

Capps, Umatilla County's CSEPP Manager, doesn't agree, however.

"We need one person to unify our vision, to keep everyone working toward the same goal," Capps said.

A final decision won't be made until the board's next meeting, at 4 p.m., Oct. 11 at the Outreach Office in Hermiston.

 

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