Three state employees fired after nepotism reports

Raleigh, N.C. — North Carolina’s Division of Emergency Management announced Friday that it has fired three employees whose children got unadvertised, high-paying jobs to work on disaster relief last year.

Assistant directors Steve Sloan and Emily Young were initially put on on paid, 30-day leaves while the agency investigated the nepotism reports.

The firings of Sloan, Young and community development specialist Carole Ingram came one day after the WRAL Investigates team reported that six state employees had their children working on disaster relief following last year's April tornadoes and Hurricane Irene.

Calling himself a "scapegoat," Sloan said Friday that he has "done nothing wrong" and plans to "appeal this for as long as it takes to get the truth out."

In a previous interview with WRAL Investigates, Sloan said he didn't have oversight over anyone. "I knew, of course, my son, but everybody else, I had no idea," he said.

WRAL Investigates could not reach Young or Ingram for comment.

The agency said Friday that an internal investigation is ongoing regarding accusations of nepotism, but that investigation is not specific to any individuals.

Two community development specialists – Willie Mae Cox and Patty Moyer – and individual assistance coordinator Donna Latimer all had children working as disaster reservists. Latimer recently left the agency.

Disaster reservists are jobs that typically go to former state workers or people who have worked in disaster areas before.

Sloan’s son, Steven Sloan, got a community relations job after both events, making $20.92 an hour. The state paid him a total of $43,391.53, which included overtime pay, hotel and meals.

Young’s daughter, Jessica Kilpatrick, worked on the governor’s hotline after the tornadoes and made $18.18 an hour, for a total of $2,225.08, which included overtime pay.

Ingram’s son, Addison Ingram III, worked in community relations after Hurricane Irene and made $16.90 an hour, for a total of $19,226.67, which included overtime pay, hotel and meals. Her daughter, Addisondra Ingram, worked in community relations after the tornadoes and made $17.57 an hour, for a total of $4,193.26, which included overtime pay.

Emergency Management Director Doug Hoell issued a memo on March 19, changing the agency’s hiring practices, especially for temporary employees. He also included a copy of the state’s policy on nepotism.

Among the changes, Hoell wrote, Temporary Solutions, a separate state agency, will now handle the advertising, recruitment, screening and recommendation of candidates for the agency’s temporary employment needs.

The WRAL Investigates team found that friends of some of the employees’ children got temporary jobs as disaster reservists as well. However, that is not covered by the state's nepotism policy.

Read more WRAL Investigates stories or contact the WRAL Investigates team.

80 Comments

WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

VIEW ALL 80 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments.

Latest Comments

The best way of finding a job these days is through social connections, whether it be family or friends. So what if their family knew of the job opportunity and shared with them how to apply. Someone had to get it and it sure doesn't look like they were "overpaid" to me. What's the big deal?

halfpint1552
May 4, 2012 3:41 p.m.

By the way the money someone added in for meals; the reservist pays for all of the food they eat while away from home and the state pay them back for the money they spent; sometimes it can be as long as 30 to 60 days before they get paid back. Hotel pay was added in also with the total. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO! where do the employees suppose to stay while they are helping RESTORE AND REBUILD NORTH CAROLINA CITIZENS AFTER THE DISASTERS?

childrenlearn123
May 1, 2012 5:15 p.m.

Thanks RM24, but part of the comment got cut off; however, I will complete the comment.

As I was saying: Reservist workers, having local residents pointing guns at them, because they didn’t want help from the state, or getting attacked by insect, filling out hundreds of applications for local residents daily. Listening to the many stories day in and day out from individuals who loss all of their personal property and sometimes their family members. Those so call abusers of taxpayer's money and people of nepotism are the ones that restore North Carolina's communities after the disasters; while you get to sleep in your own beds, laugh and talk with your family and friends every day and night. The Reservist job is not your regular 9 to 5 job. Reservists got caught on a flooding Island, and the only way off was by ferry. To make matters even worst the FERRY STOP RUNNING! And some of those over paid reservist stayed on that Island with no way off, and you think they

childrenlearn123
May 1, 2012 4:56 p.m.

After a disaster how long should the State hold interviews and have job postings before hiring? A year make yall happy? That way once they get there, the areas cleaned up and no help needed? Do you have a clue what working conditions were like? I don't either. But before I get jealous over someone making 20 bucks an hour and slam their name I'm gonna get a few facts. Did they do a good job? Were they qualified? Or is the new standard now that if your a state employee your children can only take minimal wage jobs? So much jealousy from those I expect were TOO lazy to do the work !!!