[Vision2020] Gritman aims to oust Swanson

Mon Jul 3 12:57:05 PDT 2017

Interesting discussion, but I’m more than a little confused.  My confusion is likely to remain since all of us seem to only know what we’ve read in the paper, but maybe someone can help me be less confused  :)

First, I didn’t think BJ Swanson decided to “go public” or “throw down the gauntlet” – my understanding from the reporting was that someone on the board other than Ms. Swanson gave her private (to board members only?) email to the newspaper.  What I recall is that Ms. Swanson originally only confirmed that the email was accurate and refused to comment.  It was the board – or certain board members – who were very eager to go public, yes?

Second, before this whole thing happened in public, I recall reading a brief newspaper article about the board election – maybe that was in late May/early June?  That made my eyebrows go up because there was something irregular about the election, and if the process is flawed, the outcome is suspect, it seems to me.  There was subsequently a letter to the editor from Sharon Harris that detailed those irregularities, which was stunning – and disappointing – to me even without the conflict of interests by the board chair, no-bid contracts, and all the rest.

Not being one to rush to judgment with nothing more than what’s been in the newspaper, I’d been waiting for Gritman to address the stunning election irregularities, but with today’s article, it seems clear that’s not going to happen.  Because the election process was flawed, the outcome is suspect, and neither “getting rid” of Ms. Swanson nor Ms. Swanson’s resignation is going to fix that.

I’m a stickler for process & rules being followed, and the Gritman Board’s decision to just ignore the big ol’ elephant in the Board room – the flawed election process -- is deeply disappointing & inexplicable to me as well as others I’ve chatted with.  Gritman is going to have to work very hard to get my confidence in the administration of our community hospital back, something the current Board seems uninterested in doing and instead seems to want to serve up a sacrificial lamb rather than address the flippin’ flawed election process.  I can’t trust the process or a Board that allows an election with such significant irregularities to stand, and this makes me sad.  

Saundra Lund

Moscow, ID

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Darrell Keim
Sent: Monday, July 3, 2017 10:50 AM
To: Rose Huskey <rosejhuskey at gmail.com>
Cc: Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Gritman aims to oust Swanson

Rose:

You should-in no way-be reading into this me taking any position on the charges BJ has made.  I am not expressing an opinion for or against the stand she has taken.  I don't have the facts other than those in the paper, and all the bard members I know appear to be fine, upstanding, dutiful people.

BJ may be a board member gone rogue when dissatisfied with board behaviors, or a courageous whistleblower.  I don't know.

I write to simply point out that stepping outside the board is likely to result in the actions currently being considered by the Gritman board.  In my experience with boards of directors, members have a responsibility towards integrity, organization image, and finances.  I expect this of my board members, and know Gritman has similar standards.  BJ has obviously weighed responsibilities and found she must take a public stance.  She has thrown down the gauntlet, and now the board must also weigh its knowledge and decide what it believes.   

As we all know, whistleblowers frequently pay the same price as board members gone rogue.

I do appreciate your kind words towards myself.  Thank you!

Yours Truly,

Darrell

On Mon, Jul 3, 2017 at 10:25 AM, Rose Huskey <rosejhuskey at gmail.com <mailto:rosejhuskey at gmail.com> > wrote:

Darrell, I appreciate your tireless contributions to the community and the support you have organized and provided for many folks who have been marginalized but I respectfully disagree with your conclusions.  It is courageous and honorable when organizations goes awry, particularly  when the leadership is involved and profits financially  from self-serving behavior that the public is alerted.  Surely you do not wish this unsavory and reckless behavior to remain hidden.   Silence is assent – is that preferable to shining the light of day on this conduct.  Ignoring or covering up malfeasance has a long and disgusting history in this county.  It is a practice that promotes and protects corruption.  You would not tolerate it in your organization and the community shouldn’t tolerate from the Gritman Board.

Rose Huskey

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com <mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com>  [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com <mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com> ] On Behalf Of Darrell Keim
Sent: Monday, July 3, 2017 9:18 AM
To: Moscow Cares
Cc: Moscow Vision 2020
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Gritman aims to oust Swanson

Not surprising.  I'm not passing judgement on her claims RE Gritman.  Right or wrong, she took issues outside of the board and has caused Gritman to lose face in the community.  It was nearly inevitable they would consider censure.

I wish all parties the best as they move forward maintaining Gritman as a healthy and vital community resource.

On Mon, Jul 3, 2017 at 12:45 AM, Moscow Cares <moscowcares at moscow.com <mailto:moscowcares at moscow.com> > wrote:

Courtesy of today's (July 3, 2017) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

---------------------------------

Gritman aims to oust Swanson

Longtime board chair planning to resign first

Kara Besst, Gritman Medical Center CEO, has called a private meeting of the 40-member general board of the community nonprofit and is asking them to remove former board chair BJ Swanson from all her board positions.

Swanson was board chair for about 16 years, before being replaced last year by Greg Kimberling. She has been critical of the way he has been handling two major conflicts of interest after taking over the chair. Recently, she was also removed as an officer of the 10-member board of directors.

Kimberling is the broker for Gritman's hazard insurance policies, and his sister owns Sprenger Construction Inc., the hospital's favored contractor for several years.

Besst's email - calling the meeting for 5:30 p.m. July 12 at Gritman - was sent Friday evening.

Swanson said Sunday by email that she was writing her resignation from the board.

"I can't compete with the money and expensive attorneys hired by Gritman and am working on my letter of resignation," she wrote in an email to a general board member Sunday morning. "I no longer want to be associated with the Gritman Board and Administration's raping of the community to enrich just a few individuals."

"The request is following allegations by BJ Swanson against Mr. Kimberling," Besst wrote Friday. "The Board has investigated the allegations on several occasions and, each time, has concluded that the allegations are unwarranted.

"Instead of accepting the Board's decisions, Ms. Swanson chose to publicly disparage Chair Kimberling, the Gritman Board, and Gritman Leadership, and, in the process, has undermined the public's trust and confidence in GMC."

Some members of the 10-person board of directors listened to both Swanson and Kimberling state their positions at a meeting Tuesday, Besst said. Then all those present voted to support Kimberling. Besst's email did not say they had voted to remove Swanson.

A general board member who asked not to be named questioned whether the general board had any authority under its by-laws to remove a member of the board of directors.

Another general board member reacted strongly Saturday evening. Sharon Harris of Kendrick has been a critic of the way Greg Mann, another Kimberling critic, was removed from the board of directors recently in favor of Steve Busch, who had not previously been associated with Gritman.

"Should we not address my concern over the way the last election was held before we stack another election on top of an invalid one?" she emailed general board members.

"Come on, fellow board members, how can you keep sweeping things under the rug? How long before the public notices that there is a lot of stuff under the rug and it is bulging?"

She called for the meeting on July 12 to be public since Gritman is a community nonprofit.

"I am sure I will be the next target, since anyone who challenges your actions is removed," she wrote, addressing Besst.

"As you are no doubt aware, Gritman Medical Center, Inc. ("GMC") has been the subject of several articles in the local media," Besst wrote in the initial email to general board members. The meeting would, she wrote, "address the misperceptions and correct the record and answer any questions that General Members may have."

---------------------------------

Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" 

 <http://www.moscowcares.com/> http://www.MoscowCares.com

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

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