Mass Exodus of VITEMA Employees Raises Alarms; Senators Grill Agency Director for Answers

When V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency Director, Daryl Jaschen appeared before the Senate on Monday for a Committee on Disaster Recovery and Infrastructure hearing, the conversation shifted from getting tsunami sirens installed across the territory to what appears to be an employee retention crisis at the agency. Senator Janelle Sarauw was the first lawmaker to express her concern with the exodus of  qualified personnel from VITEMA. “We cannot continue to have the leadership issues that we have at VITEMA and the mass exodus of qualified personnel not because they want to leave but because the environment has become toxic. That is the reason we have issues at VITEMA. VITEMA is in crisis," she said. Ms. Sarauw had spent minutes attempting to get an update from Mr. Jaschen on the status of an employee, the records and property management specialist, whom it was revealed after much prodding was forced out. "The individual in that position was forced to resign. Forced. They di...