“That’s my bad.”
Pittsburgh Emergency Management Coordinator Darryl Jones used those incredibly underwhelming words to explain not making it clear to City Council or Controller Rachael Heisler that he was leaving the state or who would be in charge while he was gone.
That’s the apology you offer for not refilling the printer paper or accidentally disconnecting the online conference call. You forgot to get the mail? “That’s my bad” is an appropriate response.
But when your job is about managing things when the unexpected happens or the expected goes terribly awry, it’s kind of important for people to know where you are and, if you won’t be there, who will be picking up the slack.
There is no suggestion that Jones was off lolling on a tropical island when this happened. He was still on the job. He was in Myrtle Beach, S.C., but not catching some sun. He was at a conference of fire chiefs — definitely within the scope of his work.
But if the manager at a fast food joint runs to the bank with the deposit, he still needs to tell the other people who is in charge until he comes back.
Maybe this wouldn’t have been a big deal on a normal day when nothing happens, but Jones’ job is to handle emergencies. If “nothing” happened regularly, the job would be unnecessary. On April 29, there was an active emergency with powerful storms ripping up trees, damaging buildings and downing power lines throughout the region. One Pittsburgh resident died.
Yes, Jones was in contact with his team. Yes, he was actively involved. But that does not absolve him of his city code obligation to let Heisler and council know where he is and who is shouldering his load. In fact, it might be all the more important to know what is being handled in person by someone on the ground and what is being directed from Myrtle Beach.
Is this an understandable error? Not really — especially since it wasn’t a one-time thing. Jones came back to Pittsburgh — then did the same thing one day later when leaving town to honor the late Fire Battalion Chief John P. Walsh at a national firefighters memorial service.
It was only in October that Larry Scirotto resigned as Pittsburgh’s police chief. That came after council learned that he was resuming his side gig, NCAA basketball refereeing. That was a problem because council was unaware of an agreement with Mayor Ed Gainey about doing so a year into his contract — and because council believed they should know where the police chief might be.
Jones made sure Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt knew where he was, as well as others in the emergency response chain. But those are responders, not decision makers. They are the vital people doing the job, yes, but not the people who are responsible for the job getting done.
The city’s various staff did an admirable job of responding to a crisis. That isn’t in question.
But “let people know where you are and who is in charge” isn’t just Pittsburgh city code. It’s common sense. And “my bad” is a response that fails to recognize its seriousness.