Emmet County commissioner faces backlash for inaction on community health

PETOSKEY — On a night when the Health Department of Northwest Michigan was scheduled to deliver its 2022 annual report to the Emmet County Board of Commissioners, public comment saw citizens voice their thoughts and concerns about the department's Board of Health.

Nearly 20 people took their turn at the mic during the Thursday, Aug. 17 meeting to discuss what transpired at the Aug. 10 meeting of the Board of Health’s Program and Evaluation Committee. At that meeting, two grants were scheduled for review. Following discussion, each grant proposal received an initial motion to advance the item to review of the full board. However, both motions failed to find a second and died.

One of the grants was a "Tobacco Free Michigan" mini-grant that the RISE: Otsego Substance Free Coalition wanted to apply for. The Aug. 10 agenda materials describe the $5,000 grant as “focusing on engaging youth, increasing awareness of electronic nicotine devices, or to serve as a pilot for a project to reduce the impact that tobacco has on communities.” The grant would have funded youth-led, adult-guided projects for high schools in Otsego County.

The second grant comes from the CareQuest Institute and addresses oral healthcare for students. According to the agenda materials, the proposed $125,000 would allow for “funding to contract one day a week with a registered dental hygienist in each of our child and adolescent health centers, Gaylord Blue Devil Wellness and Ironman Health Center, in addition to the schools that have school nurses. This funding would allow for consistent availability of a registered dental hygienist if a child presented to an appointment with toothache, decay, or oral mouth pain. The (hygienist) would be able to provide screening and help to coordinate referral to a dentist in the area.”

The Board of Health is comprised of eight members, two commissioners each from the health department’s jurisdiction of Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Otsego counties. Emmet County’s representatives are chairperson Rich Ginop and commissioner Don Mapes. Ginop was Emmet County’s representative on the Program and Evaluation Committee at the Aug. 10 meeting.

Many of those who spoke Thursday voiced frustration with Ginop’s lack of participation in the meeting.

“No questions, no comments, no concerns, thus leaving Emmet County, again, with no representation or voice,” said Petoskey resident Mary Lieberman. “What is this board going to do, as your own code of ethics and resolution to guide representation on the Board of Health has been violated? I challenge you to please take the appropriate action.”

Others questioned why the committee would deny grants that help students. This is the second time the committee’s denial of a grant has sparked a flurry of public comment. The committee previously voted not to recommend a school nutrition grant earlier in the year.

“Mr. Ginop consistently votes against promising new services as well as funding to expand or continue existing ones,” said Martha Lancaster, a resident of West Traverse Township. “This is despite being provided with well documented information from health department staff on the needs these programs will address.

"This is despite much support from community members, other agencies, schools, etc., for those programs. Moreover, he rarely comments on the programs, asks questions or otherwise gives county residents any idea why he’s opposing programs to address important issues like school nutrition, children’s dental needs or teen tobacco use. Mr. Ginop’s role on the Board of Health is obstructive and frankly an embarrassment to citizens of Emmet County.”

A few residents spoke in support of the board and questioned the motivation or need behind the denied grants.

“The type of responsibilities that are represented in both the grants used to be taken care of by parents,” said resident Bob Wiley. “And maybe that’s the big problem is not that we don’t throw enough money at certain projects but we need more of a family-based society and somehow encourage families and parents. Because the nudging of these type of progressing programs can create tremendous stress within the family, actually pitting the children against the parents, which I think might be the hidden design of some of these grants.”

More: Emmet County discusses health board goals and objectives

After health officer Dan Thorell delivered his annual report, commissioner Matt Koontz asked about the failed grant proposals. He questioned if they were aligned with the health department’s mission and complied with the Michigan Health Code. Thorell confirmed they did.

Koontz then asked Ginop why he'd failed to support both grant proposals, seeing as how that was antithetical to the board’s code of conduct, which states “county commissioners should represent the official policies and positions of the board of commissioners to the best of their ability when designated as delegates for this purpose.”

Ginop did not respond.

“In the spring, the board of commissioners endorsed a resolution to guide those serving on the Board of Health with clear expectations to support the Health Department of Northwest Michigan in its endeavors that comply with the Michigan Health Code and to serve in a way that honors the stated mission of the health department,” Koontz said.

“Since your actions, or in this case really lack thereof, on these grants appear to violate that resolution, you owe it to the people of this county to articulate your positions. In fact, one of the most basic duties of public officials in the interest of transparency is to communicate their positions on issues to the public. If you’re unwilling to follow the code of conduct of this body or are unable to articulate the positions that you take in your service on the Board of Health, then you, sir, are bound by honor to resign from your appointment to that board, and I respectfully request that you do so.”

Ginop responded with: “Thank you, Matt.”

“You’re welcome,” Koontz said. “So, I guess we can assume that you intend to continue to operate in violation of the ... code of conduct?”

“Yes, I do,” Ginop said.

Koontz also asked Ginop for his "alternative solution for children suffering from toothache, decay or mouth pain."

“I think it’s the parents’ responsibility,” Ginop said. “There’s a lot of help out there. There’s help to be found.”

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Later in the meeting, while reading from the code of ethics, Koontz highlighted the option for commissioners to impose sanctions on a member “whose conduct does not comply with the county’s ethical standards.”

“We had a clear violation of ethics. Mr. Ginop admitted to it and said that he would continue to violate our code of ethics,” he said. “I would challenge the rest of the commissioners sitting here today to have the courage to live by our own standard and to take action on this incident.”

Commissioner Neil Ahrens said he would be interested in a seat on the Board of Health, if any of the current members wanted to step down.

No action was taken on either Koontz’s request or Ahrens’ offer.

The next Emmet County Board of Commissioners meeting is 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11.

The Board of Health meets at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month.

— Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com.  

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Emmet County commissioner faces backlash for inaction on community health