BENTONVILLE — Bonnie Bunting, the assistant director for the Benton County Department of Emergency Management, will resign today after working with the county for more than four months.
“I am going to pursue other avenues in the private sector and in teaching,” Bunting said of her resignation that is effective Jan. 11, although she is no longer working in the County Administration Building.
Bunting’s decision to resign comes after a Dec. 15 meeting she had with Chris Glass, county administrator, and County Judge Dave Bisbee, Bunting said.
“I will say we did not do an either/or (agreement with Bunting). I have talked to her about some issues and allowed her to make a choice to what direction she was going,” Glass said of the meeting.
After Bunting hands in her letter of resignation, only an administrative assistant will remain in the county’s Emergency Management Department.
Benton County officials are now interviewing candidates for the director of Emergency Management, a spot left vacant after Marshal Watson resigned Dec. 7, Glass said.
Until the position can be filled, the Department of Emergency Management will be under the helm of Matt Garrity, the director of Central Communications, the county’s 911 call center, Glass said.
Glass noted the similarities between the two departments when asked if one person is up to the challenge of overseeing the department of emergency management in addition to fulfilling his duties with CENCOM.
“For the most part, yes, because the main role of (the director of emergency management) is coordinating first responders and supplies and things like that,” Glass said.
John Luther, director of the Washington County Department of Emergency Management, questioned whether one person could be effective in both roles.
“Managing dispatch is very important but managing dispatch and coordinating emergency management are two very different things. I can tell you this, I do not have the ability to manage dispatch and do my job,” Luther said.
Bisbee, however, is confident Garrity will be able to perform both functions until another director for emergency management is hired.
“I am comfortable with where we are,” Bisbee said.
Luther also questioned how wise it is to have the county’s department vacant.
“My question is this: If we have a catastrophic earthquake or another ice storm, what do you do if there is no Emergency Management Department? It is just a very unusual situation,” Luther said.
“Planning to mitigate risk and preparing to take care of the citizens is one of the most important jobs we can do. People look to their governments in these times of need and it is critical to have a staff of people that are specialized in working with these issues,” Luther said.
Bisbee said the county hopes to hire a emergency management director by mid-January, Bisbee said.
Watson, now the emergency management coordinator for Rogers, has also agreed to step in and help should a disaster occur in Benton County before new staff is hired and trained, he said.
Vernon Tarver contributed to this report.