[MRIC] Meeting Postponed

[Brett Hammond]

All RACES Officers:

Kristin McMenamin, the new President of our parent organization--the Maryland Emergency Management Association--requested we postpone our meeting until the new Association Officers and Steering Committee can review our current and future activities to determine if they are in-line with the Association before proceeding any further. Therefore, the MRIC meeting currently scheduled for this Saturday January 9, 2010 at MEMA will be postponed. Please notify any of your guests that were planning to attend. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience, but am very happy to see the Association officers get more involved in our activities. I believe this will solve a lot of our problems and keep us on track with meeting the needs of emergency managers statewide.

I have checked with MEMA and Feb 13 and Feb 27 are available. I would prefer to have it on the 13th, but that is Valentine's Day weekend, so if a large number of you are planning to go away for the weekend with your sweetheart, we can have the meeting on the 27th. If you cannot make one or the dates, please let me know ASAP. To keep chatter down, there is no need to reply if you can attend on both those dates, just let me know that you have a conflict.

To address a few other comments in recent email:

Ted Wallace was given access to the MRIC reflector at the request of his Emergency Manger a year or two ago. I believe it was at our first meeting where we discussed who should have access to the MRIC email reflector. We all agreed that only RACES Officers, and those above them in their chain of command (EM, Director, etc.) would normally be given access without question. Any one else would have to have their EM or Director notify me directly that it is okay to add them. I have rejected many people over the years that have requested access but did not meet our requirements. No one has ever been added that did not meet our requirements.

Also, I am being accused of making personal attacks in earlier emails, which is not true. I did not question anyone's motives, their character, their race, gender, and did not call anyone names or say anything at all personal. My email addressed their actions, not their person. I merely recounted what took place at previous meetings and as Chairman I will  not allow a decision to delete the equipment list by a small minority, stand over the wishes of the majority.

Again, I apologize for the inconvenience, but look forward to a fresh start in February. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.


Brett Hammond
Chairman, MRIC