Official: NY emergency chief canned for diverting crew to own house

New York State Director of Emergency Management Steven Kuhr was fired by Gov. Andrew Cuomo for allegedly sending crews to take away a fallen tree on his own driveway in Long Island. / State of New York

ALBANY, N.Y. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has fired his $153,000-a-year emergency management director for diverting a crew to remove a tree from his Long Island home's driveway after Superstorm Sandy hit, a state official said Wednesday.

Director of Emergency Management Steven Kuhr was fired after the governor was told that Kuhr called a Suffolk County crew to remove a fallen tree from his driveway, according to the official. Kuhr was working in Albany at the time last week, shortly after Sandy hit.

The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the personnel decision wasn't announced. A spokesman for Cuomo declined to comment. The New York Times first reported the action.

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Cuomo appointed Kuhr in October 2011 as executive deputy commissioner of the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

There was no answer at Kuhr's office Wednesday night and a phone number listed in his name was not working. As of Wednesday afternoon, Kuhr's bio page had been taken down from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services web site.

The action comes as Cuomo has bitterly criticized utilities for what he said has been slow progress restoring power to customers from the Hudson Valley through Long Island. Most of the power has been restored to more than 2 million customers who lost electricity because of Sandy, though lights started flickering off again Wednesday night as a new storm raked the region.

Kuhr previously was president of Strategic Emergency Group, a consulting firm that had contracts with New York City, the state and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, according to the news release announcing his appointment. Kuhr had also worked for New York City for 20 years including with the fire department.

The action comes as Cuomo has bitterly criticized utilities for what he said has been slow progress restoring power to customers from the Hudson Valley through Long Island. On Monday, Cuomo said the poor progress by the utilities was "unacceptable."

Con Edison restored power to almost all the high-profile Lower Manhattan customers who were without power by Friday evening. But Cuomo emphasized that there is more to New York, and Con Ed's service area, than Manhattan, and accused the utility companies of blowing other areas off.

When asked what kind of recourse he had against the power companies, Cuomo reminded a reporter that they are regulated by a government authority.

He said the state could take actions "from sanctions to revocation of franchise," he said.

[JohnKrats]

I am sure it was due to his need to perform duties as a dummycrat in Albany. The governor should award Mr. Kurh and himself the State's highest civilian award, posthumously, politically that is.

[eroteme2]

I wonder if Mr Kuhr's wife might have suggested to him that being he was the Emergency Management Director he should be able to remove that damn log from her (their) driveway.

[audemus]

Has to be a Repub.

[mrleme]

really, where's your "America we are one" via Obama

[bobnjersey]

[though lights started flickering off again Wednesday night as a new storm raked the region.]
----------------------------------------
yes ... from now on ... wind, rain, and snow are not allowed to touch the electrical grid ... it's not robust enough for those extremely rare occurrences.

extremely hot days ... and very cold days might be a problem too.

lage cumulous clouds over a blue sky might also present an issue ... and could cause outages of a week or more.

everyone should be patient ... and let the remaining 'crew' of three full time employees do it's work.

[ttipbc]

Another thing that's rediculous (sic) is that you can't spell RIDICULOUS.

[tsigili]

That is the standard corruption of the Democratic Party. Nothing surprising there.

[lloydbest1]

And the Republican party as well. And Cuomo DID fire the twerp.

[marine1957]

"fired his $153,000-a-year emergency management director for diverting a crew to remove a tree from his Long Island home's driveway after Superstorm Sandy hit"

That's what he gets for thinking too much of himself ... thst selfish S.O.B.

[AOCGUY]

Can't wait to read empiregeorge's take on this one. I belive his position has been that the state is better equipped to deal with disasters than the fed (FEMA). Well in george's own home state it appears that may not be the case.

[logictoo]

I also believe the states and local governments can better handle EMA's. The guy was fired and likely replaced immediately. If it had been director of FEMA it would be business as usual until a full investigation was complete.

[canislupus16]

Logic - Your first assertion is certainly debatable, that States/locals can handle such situations, especially alone. One point alone is that Sandy was a multi-state, multi-jurisdictional event, and states - and certainly localities - are ill-equipped to deal with that. Secondly, the geographical concentration of costs is typically too much to bear for a single jurisdiction, and that certainly is the case with Sandy, and any number of other major emergency natural disaster events around the country. Or perhaps you live in a gated bubble community which relies totally on itself and its inhabitants for your every need, including those caused by natural disasters. Sure.

But I digress.

Kuhr was not replaced immediately, nor has he been yet as far as I know, although what is your beef if he is? Hopefully someone will be appointed to this spot to take on the duties of the position in a responsible manner.

Comparing this situation with a similar situation at FEMA is to compare apples and oranges, if you are talking about run of the mill FEMA employees. Kuhr is appointed by the governor and serves at the pleasure of the governor (apparently the displeasure in this situation) and lacks civil service protection. Cuomo summarily fired Kuhr immediately. Any FEMA civil servant would likely have to go through some sort of review process, which you describe as business as usual. If an appointed official of FEMA (one lacking civil service protections) had done what Kuhr did, I have little doubt he would be canned immediately as well.

But c'mon, Logic. Your real agenda here is to denigrate either the federal government's role in the disaster, or to denigrate the Obama administration. Try being honest and thinking with an unbiased brain for a change. You otherwise appear to be illogical and not too bright.