Bill Proenza is apparently taking heat for pointing out that a key element in monitoring tropical weather is failing. From the Miami Herald:
The new director of the National Hurricane Center, an outspoken critic of his superiors since he took over in January, charged Friday night that they are trying to muzzle him and could be setting him up for termination.
Bill Proenza said the acting director of the National Weather Service, Mary Glackin, visited his office in West Miami-Dade Friday and handed him a three-page letter of reprimand.[...]
In recent interviews with The Miami Herald and other media, Proenza has strongly criticized leaders of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for spending millions of dollars on a public-relations campaign while hurricane forecasters deal with budget shortfalls.
One of his main concerns has been the imminent demise of a key weather satellite called QuikScat, launched in 1999 and long past its designed lifetime.
While I can definitely empathize with the notion that subordinates are supposed to be subordinate to the wishes of their bosses (or walk away), I admire Proenza’s chutzpah for sticking to his guns.
Trying to silence him, while perhaps appropriate but for the context, looks bad because of the context.
Perhaps the NWS would be better served by issuing its own statement, if there is actually some reasonable explanation for spending money on PR rather than research and storm-tracking.