Dear Mickey,
Below is an excerpt from an email I received last evening from one of the ARRL Force of Fifty with whom I served in Puerto Rico. Is this really an accurate representation of what occured on the call? According to other accounts that I've received, it seems plausible.
In light of the conversation that we had in Orlando, is this really the caliber of person the ARRL wished to have in the above mentioned position?
"Wish you had gotten the EMD Position at the ARRL. This guy Paul who got the position is a loser. I was on a ZOOM meeting tonight that was supposed to be a Delta Division meeting to identify needs in support of Laura. He took over the meeting and started telling everyone how his hero is Patton and that he plans to run things just like Patton. He wouldn't listening to the LA SEC who was explaining that he is going to need 25 operators on Friday. He said "what you need and what you get is another thing. You may be lucky to get 10." After several minutes of back and forth between the 2, the SEC said, "I'll let my state section manager know my requirements." Paul ordered him not to send his requirements to his Section Manager, but to him in writing. The SEC told him that he answers to the Section Manager and not to him and that he will send his request to the state and hung up.
Paul then started praising himself for his 35 years of Public Service Emergency communication experience and that if anyone couldn't take it they should just hang up so I did.
Again you would have been an excellent choice for the position."
If this is accurate, then I stand embarrassed for the ARRL and am gravely concerned the future of amateur radio emergency services. If it is not accurate, please inform me and I will do all that I can to correct the impression.
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Grace and 73,
Joe Bassett - W1WCN
ClayARES AEC for Training