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Show Commission denies threat to health board by Rick Brough ' Summit County Health Director Frank Singleton charged this week that the Summit County Health Board asked him to resign under a threat from the County Commission. Singleton Single-ton made the charge in a letter to the editor submitted this week to the Park Record. Singelton agreed to resign in response to a request made by the Health Board during a closed-door meeting on March 21. During the meeting, his letter says, the County Commission threatened to dissolve the Health Board unless the board acted to remove Singleton. When contacted by the Record, participants in the meeting denied the charge, or said it was a misstatement of what occurred. Commissioner Ron Perry said the charge was absolutely false. During the meeting, he explained, the group discussed the relation between Commission and Health Board. Commissioner Gerald Young mentioned men-tioned that the commission had the authority to dissolve the Health Board. But the commission said nothing to imply they would do so, Perry said. "This is one of those misinterpretation misinterpreta-tion things that Frank has a tendency to make." A health board member also confirmed that commissioners said they could dissolve the health committee for cause. (The member has requested anonymity.) The member said, "It was a tangent. Nobody took that remark as a threat. If it had been, I would have been noisy about it." The member added, "I'd like to know where Frank's getting his information." Health Board Chairman, Dr. Robert Winn, said u was time to put the Singleton matter in the past. "I can't answer to the intent of any statements by the commissioners," he said. "But at this point I don't think it's important anyway, and we should get on with the business of public health." Commissioner Cliff Blonquist also told the Record no threat was made, After the March 21 meeting, Singleton worked out a resignation agreement with the county. On March 28, it was signed by Singleton, Gerald Young for the commission, and Dr. Winn for the Health Board. The document said Singleton was resigning, effective June 30, for "policy differences" and not for any malfeasance on the job. The board and commission agreed to give Singleton a favorable recommendation recommenda-tion if contacted by any prospective employer. The paper also said Singleton agreed not to initiate any claim, demand or action against the county in the future. Actually, corrected Blonquist, the board agreed to accept the document by a "consensus" decision at their March 21 closed-door session. This gave Dr. Winn authority to sign for the board, he said. But he said he does not recall a formal vote. "Maybe I nodded my head and raised my hand," Blonquist said. "Maybe there were a couple of people who opposed it. But I've scratched my head as to where a vote came from." "No one was acting in any malicious manner," he added. If Singleton thought his removal was improper, he should talk to the county instead of going through the media, said the commissioner. |