Peterson nominated to join county health board

In a narrow vote, the Lincoln County Health Board on Jan. 13 gave Jeffery Peterson of Eureka its endorsement to join the body.

Peterson, who has spent recent weeks working with the county on communications strategy, heads next to the county commissioners for final approval. His ascension would add another voice from north Lincoln County on the health board.

“… I want to be an asset to the board,” Peterson said during the interview process. “I think it is a responsibility of folks — when they can be an asset — to serve on community boards.”

Peterson comes to the board with a doctorate in communication, health and culture from the University of New Mexico. He earned his master’s in intercultural communication from California State University, Chico, and a bachelor’s in organizational communication at the same institute.

His resume includes stints in academia, most recently at Washington State University and Boise State University. Peterson has been published in journals as well, including the peer-reviewed American Journal of Preventive Medicine and Health Communication.

For the past few weeks, Peterson has worked on a contract basis with the county health department, helping employees with community outreach efforts. Recent work includes filming short videos for the county’s COVID-19 website and compiling easily-accessible information on emerging topics like the FDA-approved vaccines and the new strain of the virus that likely emerged in the United Kingdom.

His contract, which concludes at the end of the month, would expire before he would join the health board.

Peterson was one of six residents under consideration to fill the seat of outgoing health board member George Jamison. After calls for more representation from the Eureka area increased late last year, Jamison offered to resign from the panel. Jamison is one of three at large members appointed by commissioners to the board — all of whom live in and around the county seat.

Of those from the north county, Patricia Kincheloe, a former educator, presented the most tenable alternative. Kincheloe, who boasts experience as a school administrator and years of service on community committees, earned backing from the two north county residents already on the health board.

“I want to be an asset,” Kincheloe told health board members. “If I can’t be an asset, I don’t want to be on the board.”

Both he and Kincheloe thought the pandemic could have been handled better. Kincheloe acknowledged that officials were constantly learning about the coronavirus. She did say she approved of face masks in situations where not wearing one made people uncomfortable.

Peterson pointed to mistakes made at all levels of government, from the federal to the local. He wondered whether local officials had missed an opportunity to channel residents’ interest in the pandemic.

“There has been a lot of community passion around this issue and I think we could have, at an earlier date, been much better at harnessing that passion,” he said.

Both he and Kincheloe called for better cooperation.

“I think we just need to keep working together,” Kincheloe said.

“[What] I would try to do differently is to try to tamp down on the name calling and looking at your neighbor as crazy,” he said. “I think a better approach would be to listen.”

After board Chair Jan Ivers narrowed the list of candidates down to Kincheloe and Peterson, members split over who to recommend.

Eureka representative Debra Armstrong joined County Commissioner Josh Letcher (D-3) and Jamison in backing Kincheloe. Members Sara Mertes, Laura Crismore and Jim Seifert fell in behind Peterson.

With the board deadlocked, Ivers cast the tiebreaking vote and selected Peterson as the board’s nominee.

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners is expected to take up the appointment at its Jan. 20 meeting in Eureka.