PORTLAND, Ore. - Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler has pulled the plug on a controversial plan to hire someone as a Social Media Coordinator.

Last week, Wheeler defended the job listing, saying he sees social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter as the future of communicating with his constituents.

But people's eyebrows were raised when word about the position got out and folks learned the county was going to pay the person $60,000 to $70,000 a year.  And those who already work for the county weren't too happy about it either. Willamette Week reports that some county workers, faced with layoffs, confronted Wheeler on Monday at a brown bag lunch, asking him why he planned to hire a new county worker as dozens of others are about to lose their jobs to budget cuts.

Wheeler said he wanted to pay for the position by cutting his salary and the salaries of others who work in the county's Public Affairs office.  But he now admits there is no way to justify the position, given budget cuts and layoffs.

"We're looking at about a $46 million budget shortfall over the next two years and I think that it's important to be sensitive to the timing of this, as well as the perception that it creates if we hire new people, even if those hires are the result of other reductions or cuts we're taking in the office," he said on Tuesday.  "I don't want to be hiring somebody new while we're laying people off.  I think it sent the wrong message to my employees and I need to be sensitive to that."

Instead of opening up a new position, Wheeler said the county will use its current communications staff to look at more creative ways to use social media.  He said he wants to continue embracing new social networking technology because it's another way for taxpayers to know what government is doing, and it can help hold public employees accountable.