New Bedford health board candidate withdraws after playing 'Ping-Pong' with City Council

NEW BEDFORD — Pamela Kavanaugh wasn't sure she could devote the time to serve on the Board of Health due to family commitments, but she relented.

Mayor Jon Mitchell, who had worked with her on his COVID Task Force, had been good-naturedly but persistently recruiting her to accept the appointment. In fact, he started recruiting her at Kavanaugh's retirement party from the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center in December 2021.

She would be replacing the retiring Dr. Patricia Andrade, whose term ends in February 2025.

Kavanaugh has a more than 40-year career in health care — the last 38 at the Health Center downtown in multiple capacities. She has master's degrees in nutrition and in health services administration.

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In October, she agreed to the appointment after reviewing the board's schedule. She said, "I won't agree to anything I can't give a minimum of 100% to."

As customary, the City Council needed to approve her appointment.

City Council's Appointments and Briefings committee

Kavanaugh was called to the Dec. 13 City Council's Appointments and Briefings committee meeting. That meeting ended after less than five minutes when two members left in a dispute over the number of members present to vote on appointments, including Carol Pimentel's proposed appointment to the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School Committee. That left the board without a quorum.

"They all got up. They said no quorum. They all walked out," Kavanaugh said.

She was invited back to the committee's Jan. 10 meeting.

This time she was allowed to address the board and respond to questions, which she described as a 20-minute "grilling."

She told councilors at the start, "I care very, very much about the residents of this city, having worked at the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center. We worked with marginalized populations, people who did not have access to health care, dental care. So that has always been my focus, to bring these types of programs to the city and to keep the residents of this city as healthy as possible."

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Kavanaugh's stance on safe-injection sites

Councilor Brian Gomes asked her on Jan. 10 to give her positions on safe-injection sites, where intravenous drug users can be monitored by health professionals to avoid overdoses in a hygienic setting. Such sites are currently not legal in Massachusetts, though there have been bills before the state Legislature related to creating safe-injection sites.

The council voted unanimously in 2019 to go on record as opposing such sites in New Bedford on Gomes' motion.

Kavanaugh said, "To be honest with you, Mr. Gomes, I would still need to do some research to make my opinion. And then bring it to the Board of Health."

She added, "But I know, having worked at the Community Health Center with HIV and AIDS, this is a huge problem in this city.

"I have grandchildren who are in the school system. I take them to the park. I see needles all strewn on the ground in these various areas where the kids are playing. That's a concern."

Where did Kavanaugh stand on the Parallel Products solid waste plan?

Gomes added, "I have one more question for you. What would be your position when the proposed Parallel Products comes before you and the Board of Health to take a vote?"

Parallel Products and affiliates South Coast Renewables and SMRE 100 LLC want to construct an enclosed municipal solid waste facility at Parallel Products' 100 Duchaine Blvd. location.

The company currently processes glass, plastics and cans for recycling, but wants to expand its glass operations and add the processing of municipal solid waste, which has drawn strong neighborhood opposition.

Kavanaugh said she needed to research the issue first, but promised Gomes she would do so before voting on it.She added, "I would never render an opinion without knowing what I'm talking about."

She also responded to questions and statements from councilors that evening that included Linda Morad, Scott Lima, Ian Abreu and Brad Markey.

The committee unanimously approved a favorable recommendation on Kavanaugh's appointment to the full council on a voice vote that same night.

Gomes sends appointment back to committee

But Gomes moved to send her appointment back to committee at the Jan. 26 full council session, a motion approved by the board.

Gomes said Kavanaugh was a great person, with experience in health care who would "do a fine job on the Board of Health."

But, he said, he was hesitant because she didn't give "concrete" answers to his two questions from the committee meeting. This return to the committee would give her an opportunity to answer, he said.

Kavanaugh got a call and a "head's up" from the City Clerk's office that she had to return to the committee for another session. Her appointment had been bounced back. A letter so informing her was on the way, she was told.That's when she decided to withdraw, she said. She was asked not to make a hasty decision.

"I said, if they didn't like me back on Jan. 10 when I was grilled for 20 minutes, then they're not going to like me now."

She said in a subsequent intervew, "And that's fine. You don't have to like me. But I'm not going to be a rubber stamp to anything. I will give you my opinion on a particular topic, but I need to know about the topic before I give you my opinion."

Kavanaugh added she didn't have the time or energy to be "put through this Ping-Pong thing."

The council unanimously voted without comment to take no further action on Kavanaugh's appointment during Monday's committee session.

Mayor Jon Mitchell said Tuesday, “It’s unfortunate that the city lost the opportunity to have so qualified a candidate as Pam Kavanaugh to serve on the Board of Health. She recently retired after serving in important public health roles for 38 years at the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center, and she was an invaluable contributor to the city’s response to the pandemic. It is important for all those who volunteer their time to serve on municipal boards or commissions that the council proceed with their confirmation without undue delay.”

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford health board candidate withdraws after council 'Ping-Pong'