Troy to consider applicants for health board seat

Troy City Council is opening up the municipality’s seat on the Lincoln County Health Board for applications after receiving criticism for an administrative error that led to a faulty appointment to the panel last year.

To quell any concerns about the legitimacy of Troy’s representative on the board, Councilor Shawna Kelsey suggested inviting candidates to apply for the position. During a June 9 meeting, council members sketched out plans to advertise the seat for roughly a month and select a candidate in July.

Last month, Troy officials admitted to having mishandled the appointment of Jim Seifert, the city’s current representative to the board. After Maggie Anderson stepped down from the post in November, Mayor Dallas Carr said Kathi Hooper, county health department director, had listed Seifert as a “person of interest” for the board seat.

At the time, Carr was under the impression that he had the authority to name Troy’s representative. After speaking with Hooper, he selected Seifert to fill the vacancy.

However, a subsequent review of a memorandum of agreement between the city and the health board revealed that the city council was required to approve the municipality's candidate. City Clerk Tracy Rebo said that Troy officials were unaware of the requirement last year.

During a May 19 city council meeting, Carr apologized for the error saying that it was an honest mistake.

“I’m not perfect and I don’t claim to be,” Carr said. “But I’m honest and … I might upset some people that way but I’m learning.”

In his time on the board, Seifert has drawn criticism from residents who oppose pandemic restrictions and vaccination efforts. While Carr might not always agree with Seifert’s views on public health, the mayor said the former pharmacist and veteran made a great representative for Troy.

Following the council’s decision to open up the seat for applications, Seifert said he would officially file for candidacy. He was under the impression that he would continue serving as the municipality's representative at least until councilors made their selection.

Like city officials, Seifert found that reiterating the appointment process by the books was the right decision.

“I want them to do it right,” he said in a June 11 interview.

The county health board is made up of one county commissioner, three commissioner-appointed members and one representative from Troy, Libby and Eureka.