David, I truly agree with Director Norris, In my own experience with my local county government and the appointments I hold there, and with my term as SEC while operating from the Michigan State EOC, I was by the very nature of being present, exposed to discussions that were restricted to those in attendance who were US citizens with background checks. The same holds true today, while I may not necessarily be a party to the specific discussion, as a committee member, I am in the room while others hold those conversations. US citizenship is entirely appropriate for the position of EMCOMM Director. That person will certainly be attending meetings where the topics are of a very sensitive nature. 73, Dale Williams WA8EFK Director Great Lakes Division On 8/11/2021 5:45 PM, Minster, David NA2AA (CEO) wrote:
This is a follow-up to the posting about the search we are doing for the Director, Emergency Management.
In the posting, a requirement listed was for US Citizenship. I received emails within minutes from 2 Directors concerned about this requirement.
I will be rewording the requirement, but I have worked with CT counsel and here’s the short of it:
* It is not illegal to require US Citizenship for a position * The requirement must be tied to a legitimate reason or cause * The reason or cause must be documentable and defendable
My assessment was confirmed by counsel. The reasoning is this:
* The first two served agencies examined (FEMA, DHS) -REQUIRE- US Citizenship for employment. Although there are “rare exceptions”, they require citizenship. * These requirements are public and well documented. * It is not unreasonable to expect that our EmComm Director, in order to attend meetings of a sensitive nature or clearance, would be held to the same standards. * It is not unreasonable to expect that if our EmComm Director did not meet these standards, these agencies could quietly or overtly exclude ARRL from those meetings.
It is my intention to add the following language to the job description after having passed it through counsel:
“Must be able to be credentialed by our served agencies, who may require US Citizenship and an FBI background check.”
If you have an issue with this, please contact me directly, ASAP.
Thanks.
David
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