Guv Fires Emergency Management Chief

Emergency Management Chief Steve Kuhr, of East Northport, was fired by boss Gov. Andrew Cuomo Wednesday after he allegedly told workers to remove a tree from his driveway during Hurricane Sandy.

According to a report from the New York Times, Kuhr, who was working in Albany at the time, is believed to have told the Suffolk County Office of Emergency Management to clear the tree while work crews were in high demand. The account was told to the Times by an anonymous administrative official because the dismissal was not yet public.

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Kuhr was appointed to his position more than a year ago after years running his own company, the Strategic Emergency Group, out of East Northport. As Chief of Emergency Management he coordinated response to disasters and was paid a $153,000 salary according to state records.

A Cuomo aide told the New York Daily News that Kuhr's firing will not impede Sandy cleanup efforts.

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