Gila County manager fired during critical monsoon flood recovery
James Menlove (right) Monsoon storm damage in Globe, Arizona (left)
GILA COUNTY, Ariz. - As Gila County works around the clock to recover from last year's deadly, devastating floods, information has emerged that the county manager has been abruptly fired.
The timing of this decision is very important. There is a lot on the line as monsoon season approaches.
Volunteers descend on Arizona towns hit by catastrophic flooding
Following catastrophic flooding that devastated parts of Globe and Miami, Arizona, residents are focused on cleanup and recovery with the help of hundreds of volunteers from across the state.
The backstory:
It was eight months ago that this part of Arizona faced a 6-foot wall of water. The county is leading this effort to fix and repair the area before flooding strikes again, but just as millions of dollars are on the way, the person in charge of spending it is out of a job.
Globe, Miami, and so many residents and business owners fell victim to the floods last year. The full recovery will take years. In downtown Globe, many storefronts are still fenced off, revealing the power of the water.
"They’re saying this is a 125-150 year event. We’ve never seen so much water in our creeks that it ran it over," Globe Mayor Al Gameros said.
It's all hands on deck in the small corner of Arizona, which made this moment all the more interesting. Unexpectedly, the Gila County Board of Supervisors voted to fire manager James Menlove.
Menlove did not respond for comment. But supervisor Tim Humphrey said the termination was necessary.
"It got to the point employees were told not to talk to me," Humphrey said.
Humphrey says the county's public works department was hemorrhaging employees, losing more than 50% of the workforce in the last year.
That workforce is important at this moment of recovery and rebuilding. Money is on the line too.
‘We feel optimistic’
The county just approved an $18 million bond for flood recovery projects. Globe is also hoping FEMA reconsiders a previous funding denial. The mayor says federal officials have inspected the sites in the last two weeks as they consider the appeal.
"We feel optimistic these return visits are good," Gameros said.
Globe community starts to rebuild after deadly flash floods
Historic flooding in Globe over the weekend left sections of the city shut down with extensive debris, as cleanup begins.
What's next:
An interim county manager has already been appointed for Gila County.
"Now I guess we’ll see where it goes as we start rebuilding things that have been kind of disassembled in my opinion," Humphrey said.
As for the FEMA funding request, there is no timeline for how long it might take, but the mayor of Globe is hopeful they will know sooner rather than later.