FEMA director to leave in March

Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Joseph Allbaugh announced plans Monday to leave his post in March to help President Bush's re-election effort.

Allbaugh, a member of Bush's "Iron Triangle" of advisers who helped orchestrate his 2000 presidential run, told Bush last summer that he would be leaving his post after the first of the year. His resignation will be effective March 1, when FEMA is supposed to be folded into the new Homeland Security Department.

Allbaugh had been mentioned as a possible candidate to head Homeland Security, but that position went to White House Office of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge.

Allbaugh's deputy, Mike Brown, is expected to be a leading candidate to replace him as FEMA's chief.

In succeeding the popular James Lee Witt as FEMA's director, Allbaugh had a tough act to follow. Despite a somewhat retiring public personality, Allbaugh stood out during the presidential campaign for his behind-the-scenes toughness, his tightfisted management style, and his striking appearance: he's 6 feet, 4 inches tall, weighs 280 pounds, and sports a flat-top haircut.

Allbaugh, 48, grew up on a farm in Oklahoma and went to college at Oklahoma State University. Before the Bush campaign and a stint as Gov. Bush's chief of staff, he had numerous jobs in Republican politics and government.

While Witt was a master of the spotlight, Allbaugh was somewhat uncomfortable in its glare. Early in his tenure, in April 2001, when the Mississippi River once again flooded Davenport, Iowa, Allbaugh criticized the city for not building levies and dikes that might have staved off floods and saved millions of dollars in federal disaster relief. Many experts found his analysis reasonable, but the timing and tone rankled people in Davenport and beyond.

However, lawmakers and local officials in New York and Washington praised FEMA's response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. About 800 FEMA personnel were deployed to New York to assist in the disaster response immediately following the attacks. Twenty-six of FEMA's 28 urban search and rescue task forces responded to the emergencies at the Pentagon and in New York.

Parts of this article are excerpted from National Journal's 2001 "Decision Makers" special issue.