No decision yet on Thorburn

Communication has snarled between the Spokane Regional Health District board and its chief health officer, Dr. Kim Thorburn, fueling continuing questions about her future with the agency.

That may not have been apparent at Thursday’s public meeting, where Thorburn and board members made small talk after a summer hiatus.

But Thorburn has retained Spokane lawyer Kit Querna to inquire formally about the outcome of a long-delayed performance evaluation. And board members have referred Thorburn’s concerns to Michelle Wolkey, the lawyer who represents the health district.

Nearly eight months after results of the November 2005 evaluation were presented to Thorburn, and two months after the mixed review was made public, board members have taken no action and the issue wasn’t on Thursday’s agenda.

That surprised Mark Richard, a board member who said he had expected to consider the matter this week.

“It’s stretching on a long time,” he said.

Instead, board members will meet privately on Wednesday in a meeting called by Chairman Todd Mielke. But Mielke, who did not attend Thursday’s session, indicated that no decision is expected then.

Meanwhile, even the conversations between lawyers have been punctuated with misunderstandings about the future of Thorburn’s $125,000-a-year job.

On Wednesday, for instance, Thorburn said she’d been proposed a new post that she considered a demotion.

“They said, ‘We’ll offer her a position where she doesn’t report to the board,’ ” Thorburn said. “The demotion was my conclusion.”

But Mielke said no such position was considered or offered. Querna, Thorburn’s lawyer, said he didn’t communicate clearly an informal idea from Wolkey to divide the health officer’s job into several positions.

“It was just one possible alternative to make the relationship move more smoothly,” Querna said.

For his part, Mielke said board members had asked Thorburn’s attorney to clarify comments reported in a newspaper story but that no clarification had been received.

Thorburn and her attorney said they’d received no request for more information about her comments, which indicated frustration with the board. But Wolkey said Thorburn’s attorney discussed the issue with her and sent a response last week.

“I receive input from her attorney on where we should go from here,” Wolkey said, declining to elaborate.

At the heart of the confusion is an increasingly strained relationship between Thorburn, 56, who has directed the health district for nine years, and the 12-member board.

Mielke said relations have deteriorated since he joined the board nearly two years ago – on the night members issued a no-confidence vote for Thorburn.

That vote still stands.

“My frustration has been a lack of communication, a lack of cohesiveness, a lack of teamwork, a lack of recognition that this is a supervisory board,” he said.

Mielke said board members need more information before they can decide whether to retain or dismiss Thorburn.

Thorburn’s contract, signed in March 1997, entitles the health officer to a year’s pay if she is terminated for a reason other than cause.

Mielke criticized Thorburn’s contract this week, calling it “poorly written.” He also said it did not adequately define “cause” when used as a reason for dismissal. “It tends to be somewhat vague,” he said.

The contract also calls for annual reviews of Thorburn’s performance. Her last completed evaluation – a positive review – was in 2004.

For her part, Thorburn said she doesn’t dwell on the relationship with the board or the delayed evaluation. She said she’s not looking for a new post.

“I like my job. I’m planning to stay,” she said, adding later. “I’m (hired) at will. If they decide to fire me, they decide to fire me.”