GTC board raises concerns over CMH interim CEO

Patti Brandt Burgess, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·3 min read

Apr. 21—TRAVERSE CITY — Grand Traverse County commissioners have unanimously recommended that the Northern Lakes Community Health Authority Board "explore and address" the actions of the agency's interim CEO Joanie Blamer.

Blamer is accused by GTC county board Chair Rob Hentschel of using her position as interim CEO to lobby to make the post permanent.

"What I've been told is that Joanie Blamer ... is asking to meet one-on-one with the board members of Northern Lakes Community Mental Health," Hentschel said, adding that such behavior violates board policy and is unethical.

The information regarding Blamer came to Hentschel and other board members from an email sent by Kate Dahlstrom, a vocal advocate for better mental health services in the region.

Commissioner Penny Morris, who sits on the Northern Lakes board, said she was at a meeting when Blamer said she wanted to meet with individual board members to discuss her priorities for the agency. Morris said she had concerns that board policy was being violated, but said Blamer told her she talked to the board parliamentarian who assured Blamer it was OK.

Dahlstrom said she saw Blamer's statement in detailed health board minutes.

When contacted Wednesday, Blamer said she did not know about the county board's discussion earlier in the day.

"I am not using the interim position to lobby to make it permanent," Blamer said. "The board will make their decision. I won't be making that decision."

Hentschel said Blamer violated board governance policy 2.8.8, which states that the CEO should deal with the board as a single unified whole and not communicate with individual board members outside of established formal channels. The policy does not apply when a board member has made a request for facts or data from the CEO.

"She is in violation of board governance in addition to what appears to be using the platform of a temporary position to lobby with an unfair advantage against other candidates for that position," Hentschel said.

Hentschel made a motion to ask the health board to take disciplinary action against Blamer for violation of board policy, though the motion was changed. The health board meets at 3 p.m. Thursday in Cadillac.

Commissioner Darryl V. Nelson suggested the recommendation be reworded to ask the health board to address the situation rather than discipline Blamer.

"The thing that concerns me is that nobody is telling a good story about what is going on at CMH," Nelson said, adding that he has not been happy with the level of services coming out of the agency.

Commissioner Betsy Coffia said the county board may be overstepping its bounds by asking for disciplinary action after receiving an email Wednesday morning. She said there were "serious issues" with the CEO search but she needs more details before recommending disciplinary action that could have a serious impact on Blamer's career.

Coffia said the county board has had its share of controversies and any one of them could be subject to the same treatment.

After the July retirement of Northern Lakes CEO Karl Kovacs, the CMH board conducted a search, eventually offering the post to Dave Pankotai, who after negotiations over his salary broke down declined to accept the offer.

In early February the board unanimously approved beginning a new search. But at a subsequent meeting Feb. 17 Blamer was offered the post. The motion was approved on a vote of 6-4. The board has 16 members, with some absent and others who participated remotely and couldn't vote.

A vote to rescind the offer to Blamer at the March 17 meeting ended in a tie vote, 6-6. Agenda items for today's meeting include a motion to rescind the CEO offer to Blamer, as well as a motion to engage Hiring Solutions LLC to conduct a CEO search.

Hentschel said he thought it was urgent that the county board make its recommendation before the health board meeting. A second recommendation made by Morris and also approved unanimously urges the health board to vote to rescind its offer to Blamer and launch a search for a new CEO.