Clark must go too

After watching SHRD’s hearing tonight, I’m still not sure if Dr. Lutz should have been fired or not. I don’t feel like I have enough details to make an informed decision.

What is clear, however, is that the administration at SRHD bears the bulk of the responsibility for the circus our community has endured over the past week+. The upcoming legal fees (and likely settlements) to be borne by the public would have certainly covered any mediation costs had Ms. Clark opted to take that route earlier this year.

To restore my faith in SRHD, she needs to be removed as well. Start with a clean slate and, like City Council President Beggs indicated, give both the public health officer and the administrator clear guidelines outlining their roles going forward. Given Ms. Clark’s mismanagement of the situation, I don’t see how SRHD moves forward with her at the helm. She must go.

On a related note, Commissioner French’s reading of the sheriff’s assessment of Dr. Lutz not being able to make a decision has me scratching my head. Isn’t the issue at hand here largely one of Dr. Lutz being all too ready to make decisions and move forward with them? That was asinine, as was the board majority’s rush to remove Dr. Lutz and then rush to replace him with someone who clearly had not been vetted, or even considered, by the entire board. Tonight was a new low for competence in local governance.

Mark Pond

Spokane