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Friends and Neighbors-

I am following up on a Sept 20 letter I sent to Lt. Gov. Molnau about, among other things, training issues in MnDOT's office of Emergency Management. A week ago, the Lt. Gov. fired Sonia Pitt, the director of that office, for abuses of public funds and other violations.

While Ms. Pitt's firing was a good first step, it does not resolve the larger concerns of emergency management training and certification in that office. Last week, Gov. Pawlenty announced his own investigation of supervision and management issues at MnDOT - a step I welcome. I sent the following letter to urge him to include the training issue in his review of MnDOT's management protocol.

As usual, thoughts, concerns, questions and ideas are encouraged. My best,

Jeremy

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November 19, 2007

The Honorable Tim Pawlenty, Governor
State of Minnesota
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155

Dear Governor Pawlenty:

It was my pleasure to work with your office to chief-author Minnesota’s ground-breaking Energy Efficiency performance standard. Our energy work was one of the highlights of the 2007 legislative session - achieved through political courage on both sides of the political aisle.

In the wake of the 35W bridge tragedy, we have an opportunity to work together in a similar fashion to implement needed reform at the Department of Transportation. As you may know, my committee assignments have led me to take a legislative interest in the emergency response to the bridge collapse - specifically, the emergency training and qualifications of MnDOT employees.

In Minnesota, we are blessed with capable and dedicated state employees who serve your administrative agencies and ultimately the people of Minnesota. The Police, Fire and EMS personnel who responded immediately to the disaster deserve the national and international praise they have received. The extensive education and training paid off in a nearly seamless response in the hours immediately after the collapse.

Despite the successfully overall response, I am concerned that not all agencies were able to respond with the same level of competence. I hope that you share my commitment to remedying the emergency response training and certification issues at MnDOT, and any other state agency facing the same challenges.

Given the misuse of public funds and other abuses, the firing of Sonia Pitt, director of MnDOT’s office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM), was justified. I believe that the rank-and-file MnDOT employees are professional and dedicated public servants, and I hope that your review of agency supervision and oversight protocol shows just that. My hope is that Ms. Pitt’s abuses reflect a single incident and not a larger problem of financial oversight.

My concern is pointed at a larger problem. Department of Public Safety records show that neither Ms. Pitt nor anyone in the MnDOT office of HSEM have achieved professional certification in Emergency Management. Specific coursework yet to be completed includes Debris Management, and Mass Fatalities Incident Response.

As we look for agency reform, one of my greatest concerns is that we have the most qualified and professional personnel in all state agencies ready to respond to any future emergency incidents.

We have a shared responsibility to move forward and prevent any future problems with emergency response. As your office reviews management and supervision practices within the Department of Transportation, I urge you to review the certification and training process of all agency emergency managers and staff.

Working cooperatively, I believe we can craft a strategic plan to ensure that as soon as possible MnDOT will have certified emergency managers fully trained and ready to respond. I am working with legislative staff to consider whether legislative action will help ensure that all state emergency management personnel are probably trained and achieve prof that MnDOT emergency management personnel can live up to the promises made in the State Emergency Operations Plan and that they achieve full training, including the courses already referenced.

If your investigation warrants further legislative action, I am interested in collaborating with your staff on legislation to ensure the lapses in emergency management training do not occur again.

Given the exemplary response by all others involved in the bridge disaster, we must ensure there is no weak link should Minnesota face a similar incident in the future.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Kalin, State Representative
Minnesota House of Representatives

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Jeremy Kalin
State Representative - 17B
sign up for my email updates at www.house.mn/17b

Contact me at the Capitol:
Rep.Jeremy.Kalin@House.mn
651.296.5377
579 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
St. Paul MN 55155

Contact me at home:
11629 Loftman Trail
North Branch, MN 55056
651-257-9861
Jeremy@Kalin.com