Mertes reappointed to health board

County commissioners reappointed Dr. Sara Mertes to the health board Dec. 16 amid discussion about how best to ensure representation from all parts of the region on the panel.

Mertes’ reappointment, which came at the recommendation of the health board in a narrow vote last month, was unanimous. She is the sole physician on the board, though other members boast health care experience.

Board appointments typically are a muted affair. But the expiration of Mertes’ term came as calls from the north county for more representation increased.

The seven-person board is comprised of representatives of each of the region’s three major municipalities as well as one county commissioner. Commissioners also appoint three at-large members. Mertes, a Libby-based physician, is one such appointment.

In practice, that breakdown left the board heavily tilted toward the county seat. Heading into December, all three at-large members hailed from in and around Libby as well as County Commissioner Mark Peck (D-1) and Laura Crismore, the city’s representative.

By way of explanation, officials said that interest from the northern portion of the county in serving on the board had not, previously, been forthcoming.

That’s changed with the pandemic. While commissioners did not act on calls by a few residents for disbanding the board and packing it with members willing to oust Health Officer Dr. Brad Black, they did float the idea of making the panel more geographically equitable.

Mertes reappointment — her term expires Dec. 30 — came up shortly thereafter. Residents, including several of those who called for the board’s dismissal, lobbied for a north county resident to take Mertes’ seat. Debra Armstrong, Eurekea’s representative to the board, joined those calls.

Ultimately, the board voted 3-2 on Nov. 23 to nominate Mertes for another term after Peck pledged to work with his colleagues on the board of commissioners to address the lack of representation.

During their monthly meeting in Eureka, commissioners laid out the steps forward. Mertes would be reappointed. At large board member George Jamison’s offer to resign was accepted, giving commissioners a vacancy to fill with a north county resident.

That position will be advertised in the Eureka area. Those residents who already applied in hopes of replacing Mertes need not resubmit paperwork, officials said.

Additionally, Peck has stepped off the health board, giving the seat to County Commissioner Josh Letcher (D-3), who hails from the Eureka area.

As for the future, Letcher said he would like to see a system where each portion of the county — Eureka, Libby and Troy — gets represented equitably on all boards. He suggested that commissioners approach the process with a preference for equitably divvying up seats but the flexibility to adjust if no volunteers from a certain area are forthcoming.

“Maybe give a preference and then if somebody isn’t [qualified] or nobody signs up you could pull from another district,” Letcher said.

Peck expressed reservation at binding future commissioners, but liked the thought behind the suggestion.

“I think we just leave it up to the commissioners at the time,” Peck said. “I almost hate to pigeonhole that selection process into one thing or another.”

Determining what was an equitable allocation would not be without hazards, he said. While Peck previously held up adding Letcher to the health board as an immediate show of good faith to the north county, he argued that his colleague represented the views of commissioners, not his district.

“I’ve had two or three people come in who say, ‘Eureka has two to three people [on the health board] now,” Peck said.

County Commissioner Jerry Bennett (D-2), who made the motion to approve Mertes’ nomination, recommended future boards also be comprised of individuals with diverse. Mertes’ medical credentials are helpful, he argued, but limiting a board based on expertise could lead to a myopic view of the issues at hand.

“I think it’s important to have a physician on the board, but I don’t think the whole board needs to be compiled of medical personnel,” Bennett said. “I, personally, don’t have any objection to [Mertes] being reappointed, but just want to make it clear we need to keep that broader spectrum available to the board of health or any other board.”

Without naming names, Bennett said the county has several boards made up of members of an organization. That leads to a singular focus, he warned.

Letcher seconded Bennett’s motion to reappoint Mertes to the board. He did so only after Jamison repeated his desire to step down from the position.

“I hate to see George go,” Letcher said. “It’s his decision. My heart would be to have him stay on. He’s a great asset there.”