[Vision2020] Gritman aims to oust Swanson
Debi Smith
Debismith at moscow.com
Mon Jul 3 18:00:03 PDT 2017
When an organization that provides an enormous public service refuses to
police itself, even when given facts and information that cry "ethics
violation", whistle blowers are a valuable commodity. Bringing the
ethical matters to community attention is a boon to the community. While
no "legal" lines may have been crossed, I am concerned about the
nepotism and lack of transparency in an organization upon which so many
of us depend.
Debi Robinson-Smith
On 7/3/2017 11:24 AM, Rose Huskey wrote:
>
> Darrell, you are are a decent and generous man. While we disagree on
> this topic I am glad that we do so respectfully. I do not have the
> access to any more information that you do – (and probably less at
> that) although I do know several of the board members. Because I do
> not play well in groups I have limited much board experience. I
> freely admit that I am not a particularly patient person when adults
> in leadership positions act in self-serving ways. You are absolutely
> correct in mentioning that “whistle blowers” often take a lot of heat
> . However, I believe they sleep better at night because they don’t
> have the weight of a guilty conscience on their mind. Personal
> courage and ethical behavior furnish a comfortable shelter in
> turbulent times.
>
> Take care, and again thank you for all you do.
>
> Rose
>
> *From:*keim152 at gmail.com [mailto:keim152 at gmail.com] *On Behalf Of
> *Darrell Keim
> *Sent:* Monday, July 3, 2017 10:50 AM
> *To:* Rose Huskey
> *Cc:* Moscow Cares; Moscow Vision 2020
> *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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