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March 31, 2008

Political Scene: Emergency Management's spokesmen

The Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency now has three people entitled to speak in its name: Steve Kass, its main spokesman, Brittan Bates, an alternate, and, in critical situations, Maj. Gen. Robert T. Bray, the agency’s director and acting executive director.

That’s three spokespersons for a state agency with about 30 employees –– and no permanent executive director since mid-December.

Bates, who has been both spokeswoman and exercise coordinator for the agency, sent out a media advisory on Friday listing new contact information for her and Kass.

When questioned Friday, Kass was sore. The former talk radio host, once known for his on-air barbs tossed at state officials, has been on the receiving end of overwhelming public criticism.

“It’s been a very painful month with people trashing me,” Kass said in his signature baritone.

The thorns: Kass’ six-figure salary, his lack of knowledge about emergency management, and the creation of a new job when pressure is on state government to cut costs.

With his $126,541 salary carried along from the governor’s office, Kass is paid $50,000 more than Emergency Management’s former executive director and nearly three times as much as Bates makes. Kass is the highest-paid person in the agency.

“My salary is not a big salary to me,” Kass said. He said he made more money in radio.

How much more? “A lot more,” Kass said.

In 2005, saying he wanted to be in public service, Kass left WPRO to become Governor Carcieri’s director of communications. Last month, the governor replaced Kass with Portsmouth Republican John Robitaille. According to the EMA’s Web site, Kass is now the agency’s “communications coordinator.”

Kass insisted that the governor didn’t give him a new job. “He changed the title and my responsibilities,” he said. “It’s a new assignment with a different title.”

Isn’t that a new job? No! Kass said.

Kass has no emergency management experience, aside from taking general classes in incident command and the national incident management system along with other employees in the governor’s office. But he said he’s started taking online classes. He said the job wasn’t that difficult.

Although he’s been at the EMA since March 10, Kass said he got a computer for his office only late last week. He said he’s more than a spokesman –– he’s there to smooth things over in an agency that’s been unsettled since Carcieri fired the former executive director, Robert J. Warren.

“We’re straightening out a lot of things here. It was a real mess,” Kass said, adding that he was referring to personnel issues at the EMA. “There were some issues with the general and the local [emergency] directors,” he added. Kass said he was involved with mediating, but wouldn’t be specific.

“The general invokes a lot of emotions,” Kass said of Bray, who also is the state adjutant general and the commanding general of the Rhode Island National Guard.

Kass said he’s “on loan” from the governor’s office — temporarily, although no one has set an end point. What’ll he do afterward? Kass says maybe he’ll return to the other side of the microphone.

--By Amanda Milkovits, Steve Peoples, Cynthia Needham and Katherine Gregg
Journal staff writers

Posted by Pam Cotter at 9:33 AM | Permalink

Comments

If even he admits that job isn't that difficult, then why is he being paid so much? Ridiculous.

Posted by: Chas Walker at March 31, 2008 10:36 AM

I would ask Governor Carcier a few questions. Is this not cronism as you are wont to say? Don't you think Rhode Islanders deserve a qualified person in this position? Don't you think with the state in dire straits we could do with one qualified person not three? Do you think we will now feel safer in an emergency with Kass in charge? I don't think so!!

KATHERINE LISI

Posted by: Katherine Lisi at April 2, 2008 3:22 PM

Steve, seriously, do the right thing and please step down. This job is apparently beneath you.

I'm sure you and the rest of the state will be so much happier when you go back to the private sector.

Posted by: George at April 4, 2008 2:48 PM

March 31, 2008

Political Scene: Emergency Management's spokesmen

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