OLIVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A few of Ottawa’s conservative new county commissioners raised questions concerning the course of their colleagues used when deciding on a brand new chief for the county well being division.
The dialog about hiring Nathaniel Kelly occurred throughout a gathering of the Board of Commissioners Well being and Human Providers Committee after Commissioner Gretchen Cosby added an merchandise to the agenda to debate his credentials.
The choice on the board assembly on January three, oust her administrative well being officer and change her with Kelly it was additionally an addition to the assembly agenda. Some have mentioned that the actions exhibit a lack of transparency by the brand new board majority backed by the conservative Ottawa Impression PAC.
Kelly, a safety supervisor for an HVAC firm in Grand Rapids, is a outspoken critic of COVID-19 mitigation protocols corresponding to social distancing and sporting masks.
Questions concerning the hiring course of have been raised by Commissioner Rebekah Curran, who was endorsed by the Ottawa Impression.
“One of many issues I hear from my constituents is, ‘What precisely was the method?’ What number of candidates have been thought of and which candidates have been thought of? Curran mentioned.
“Nicely, I might say that we aren’t going to return and repeat the choice,” Commissioner Sylvia Rhodea responded.
“I didn’t ask to repeat the choice. What I requested was for these inquiries to be answered,” Curran mentioned.
On the time, board chairman Joe Moss, who additionally runs the Ottawa Impression, mentioned Kelly could have a powerful crew backing him.
Later, Jacob Bonnema, one other Ottawa Impression commissioner, returned to query the hiring course of.
“I simply wish to say that I believe Commissioner Curran requested a query and I did not hear a solution,” he mentioned. “So I simply wished to get again to it once more. Might he reply his query yet one more time?”
“It’s 11 o’clock. I used to be questioning in the event you may make a movement for a brief recess,” Moss snapped.
The movement failed by one vote, forcing Cosby to reply the query.
“Because of the present ambiance, I do not really feel compelled to share different candidates,” she mentioned.
She mentioned it would not be honest to call different individuals the board thought of to be well being officers until they formally utilized.
“That is fairly honest,” Curran mentioned. “So my query turns into what number of candidates have been thought of – that is only a quantity. After which how was the appliance course of made public or how was the appliance course of carried out?
“The request got here beneath my course, I believe it was by the Ottawa Impression…” Cosby mentioned.
She mentioned she could not keep in mind precisely what number of different candidates there have been, however mentioned she’d discover the quantity.
The lone Democrat on the board, Doug Zylstra, expressed his perception that the fee had no authority to take away and change the county well being officer. There may be nonetheless no definitive willpower on this regard.
Kelly nonetheless has to submit her accomplished software, after which the state well being division will overview her credentials and approve her appointment.