Sen. Wayne Allard on Friday said his 2002 endorsement of Michael Brown as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was a response to Brown’s work during the state’s destructive wildfire season that year.
At the time, Brown was the agency’s deputy director. On Friday, he was reassigned from Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as criticism mounted that he failed to mobilize federal resources quickly.
Allard said that wasn’t the Michael Brown he remembered in 2002, when Colorado was burdened with wildfire damage.
“When we had to call on FEMA, he was there to help,” said Allard, R-Colo. “There were a lot of people suffering. He helped us qualify them for low-interest loans. He seemed to be very responsive.”
Allard and former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell were Brown’s two witnesses before the committee that approved Brown as FEMA director in 42 minutes.
Campbell, who couldn’t be reached for comment, told the committee Brown was “more than qualified.” Allard said he was a witness because Brown was from Colorado.
“I don’t regret doing it at this point in time,” he said. “We’ll wait and see what the facts are.”
Observers speculate that Brown’s reassignment is a precursor to his likely dismissal. Allard said it isn’t time for firings.
“I think we should be meeting people’s needs, getting the utilities back up,” he said.
The Bush administration has been criticized for giving Brown FEMA’s top job when he didn’t appear to have much emergency-management experience.
He was named legal counsel for FEMA in February 2001 and deputy director in December 2001. Critics believe Brown got his job through political patronage, because he is friends with former FEMA director Joseph Allbaugh.
Further controversy has arisen over Brown’s résumé. FEMA’s online biography says Brown was an “assistant city manager” in Edmond, Okla., with emergency-services oversight.
But Edmond officials say he was an “assistant to the city manager” and later was a councilman who helped develop the city’s emergency response.
“He was asked to work on preparing a department that would respond to those kinds of crises,” said Randel Shadid, who worked with Brown. “We didn’t have any catastrophes when he was here.”
Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., on Friday said legislation should make FEMA an independent agency with a director who is not a political appointment.
“Emergency response management should be based on career expertise and not political connections,” he said.
