State Civil Defense Still Mum on Meeting

“One week, two weeks, three weeks, four;
give them a little, then wait some more.”

State Civil Defense officials probably don’t consciously treat inquiries from average citizens and taxpayers that way. But repeated emails and calls to SCD urging a meeting to describe the agency’s new and allegedly improved emergency communications procedures have not produced a substantive response.

CHORE’s email justifying such a meeting was sent two weeks ago to Vice Director Ed Teixeira. CHORE called public information specialist Dave Curtis a week later to follow up. Mr. Curtis described his personal feelings about such a meeting -- “I do not believe this is something we would like to do” – so we sent the justification once again to Mr. Teixeira. We’ve heard nothing since.

Maybe SCD’s leadership is simply too busy to deal with bloggers, but that in itself says something about an agency’s ability and willingness to communicate under duress. As CHORE wrote in December, “It would be inconceivable for a private company to be as unresponsive to public inquiry after a major public safety incident as State Civil Defense has been.”

Suspecting legislators might evoke a response, CHORE wrote four days ago to Rep. Cindy Evans, chair of the House Public Safety & Military Affairs Committee, and Rep. Robert Herkes, chair of the House Consumer Protection & Commerce Committee, that began: “Your influence in bringing State Civil Defense to a meeting with the public to explain the agency’s deficiencies on Earthquake Sunday and subsequent improvements is sorely needed. It likely will not happen without direction from you….

“Thank you for whatever help you can provide in bringing State Civil Defense to a public session — not for vilification, but to ensure that the public is apprised of communications improvements already made and that SCD can benefit from citizens’ responses and evaluation of same.”

Citizens who agree are encouraged to make your views known to Representative Evans and Representative Herkes.