Posted by Hal Dardick at 4:25 p.m.
Mayor Richard Daley today tapped a longtime Chicago firefighter with a military background to become the city’s top disaster management official.
If approved by the City Council, Jose Santiago will become executive director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. He will replace Raymond Orozco, who recently took over as Daley’s chief of staff.
“In case of a major emergency, the OEMC will lead the charge,” Daley said. “If there is a terrorism attack in the city of Chicago, you need one person in charge. . . . There has to be one voice and one command center.”
When Police Supt. Jodi Weis was hired in early 2008 at a salary of about $310,000, Daley said he would serve as both police chief and the top disaster official. But six months into Weis’ initially controversial tenure, Daley made it clear the head of Emergency Management would be the top authority at disaster scenes.
Santiago, 54, is an assistant deputy fire commissioner. Before joining the Fire Department in 1979, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He continued in the reserves for decades, serving in Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm.
“These life lessons that I’ve learned throughout my career I believe will help me succeed at the OEMC,” Santiago said.
He would make nearly $168,000 in his new job, about $6,000 more than his current salary.