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