Kincheloe tapped to replace Bernhard on health board

A name familiar to close watchers of the Lincoln County Board of Health is set to represent the Eureka area on the panel.

Patricia Kincheloe, a runner-up for an open spot on the board earlier this year, is ascending to the seat vacated by former Eureka Town Councilor Scott Bernhard. The seat is one of three at-large spots on the city-county health board filled by county commissioners, and one that they designated last year for an individual with ties to north Lincoln County.

Bernhard resigned from the board in May, just a few months into his tenure. He cited relocating to Deer Lodge as the reason for his departure. Kathi Hooper, health department director, announced his resignation at the board’s June meeting.

Typically, the health board accepts applications for an open at-large seat, interview candidates and makes a recommendation to county commissioners. Though the board cancelled its July meeting, Chair Jan Ivers floated Kincheloe as a possible replacement for Bernhard before commissioners last week.

“We [as a board] talked about this previously,” Ivers said at the July 21 meeting. “[Kincheloe] interviewed for it the last time the position was open and she had a lot of support from the board.”

And there were no other candidates for the position, which has been advertised locally, Ivers said.

“My understanding is that nobody else was interested in applying for the board this time except for [Kincheloe],” Ivers said when County Commissioner Jerry Bennett (D-2) asked about a board recommendation.

“Since we already interviewed her, we felt we were already familiar with her,” she told commissioners.

Kincheloe, along with north county resident Jeffery Peterson, made the board’s short list in January to fill a seat vacated by Libby resident George Jamison. Jamison offered late last year to step aside for another voice from the Eureka area.

As the pandemic worsened during the winter months, residents from that part of the county asked for more representation. At the time, all three of the at-large members hailed from in and around Libby. Because the county’s three cities each control a seat, the board was made up of mostly members from the Libby and Troy area.

Several of the more prominent residents behind the push had earlier unsuccessfully advocated for the board’s disbandment and the removal of the county health officer.

Commissioners ultimately gave the seat to Bernhard, who questioned the severity of COVID-19 and expressed skepticism of the various vaccines against the coronavirus, following lobbying by north county residents. But both Peterson and Kincheloe enjoyed widespread support from board members.

According to a resume submitted to the health department, Kincheloe is a longtime educator who got her start as a substitute teacher in Kentucky. More recently she worked at Ranch for Kids, the Rexford-based facility for troubled youth that closed after the state Department of Public Health and Human Services removed 27 children in 2019.

Kincheloe also boasts a long history of volunteer work, including with the Lincoln County Fair Board in the mid-80s and as an American Red Cross first aid instructor. She served on the Eureka Volunteer Ambulance Service for 18 years, according to her resume.

“I want to be an asset,” Kincheloe said during her interview before the board in January. “If I can’t be an asset, I don’t want to be on the board.”

Armed with Ivers’ informal recommendation, County Commissioner Josh Letcher (D-3) made the motion to appoint Kincheloe to the board last week.

“She’s good,” said Letcher, who serves as the commissioners’ representative to the county health board. “She has a lot of qualifications.”

Bennett offered a second. The final vote was unanimous.

Kincheloe’s ascension adds yet another new face to a board that has undergone significant turnover in the past year. Ivers, fellow at-large member Sara Mertes and Town of Eureka representative Deb Armstrong are the only remaining pre-pandemic members of the panel.

Shortly before Jamison’s resignation, Letcher joined the panel as the commissioners’ representative, replacing Mark Peck. Former Libby representative Laura Crismore resigned in January. City councilors replaced her with resident Amy Fantozzi in March.

And in Troy, retired pharmacist Jim Seifert was tapped to replace outgoing representative Maggie Anderson. His appointment was rescinded after city officials discovered in May that they had not followed proper procedure.

Troy’s seat on the board remains vacant.