Burke County Commissioners Seek to Take Over the Board of Health and Department of Social Services
With little time for the public to respond, Burke County Commissioners are poised to consolidate power by restructuring two boards vital to our community's well-being.
Whatever happened to the “if it ain't broke, don’t fix it” mentality championed by so many in the foothills?
I suppose that depends on what you’re fixin’ to change, and, of course, whether that change also happens to amplify one’s power or not.
That appears to be the case with Burke’s highest governing body.
Burke County’s Board of Commissioners plans to dissolve the Board of Health (BH) and Department of Social Services (DSS) and restructure them under its full control, an action that many feel is little more than a thinly veiled power grab.
The plan was announced earlier this month in advance of a formal vote that will take place on Tuesday, August 20th, at the County Commissioners’ monthly meeting.
This move would transition BH and DSS from administrative roles to merely advisory ones. In other words, they would be robbed of their autonomy and function as counselors, of a sort, recommending policies or protocols to their new suzerains.
In a word, County Commissioners could do whatever they want with future policy recommendations. They can follow them, or let their political ideologies inform what impacts the health and safety of our families and community, a common fear expressed among the restructuring’s naysayers.
A Politically Motivated Move?
We need to look no further than the recent COVID-19 pandemic to imagine what this move might produce. Medical responses varied wildly throughout Appalachia, with leaders enacting (or rejecting) policies based heavily on politicians’ political orientation or advice from their preferred pundits and supposed health experts.
Many people stuck to partisan talking points, repurposing public health policy as ammunition for ongoing culture wars.
Such is the sad state of expertise discourse today.
The Board of Health consists of a County Commissioner, dentist, pharmacist, optometrist, physician, registered nurse, veterinarian, professional engineer, and three citizen representatives.
This diverse group of experts boasts a significant amount of technical training and professional experience. There are good reasons why most BH members are required to earn advanced degrees in fields related to keeping communities healthy and thriving.
They have specialized knowledge most of us lack. That’s why we look to their leadership.
So, are we then supposed to be at peace with handing complex public health decisions over to five politicians: specifically, an electrical engineer, a financial advisor, a realtor, a technologist, and a former cop?
They have certainly been successful in their respective professions and contributed, in varying degrees, to initiatives that have improved our community’s health. Commissioner Carswell’s passionate efforts regarding the opioid crisis come immediately to mind.
But none of them are medical or social services experts.
And that’s just the makeup of today’s Board of Commissioners.
What happens if future commissioners are even less informed on public health issues, or heaven forbid, are even more politically motivated in their health and social services prescriptions?
It’s Also About a Clash in Social Values
Burke County’s current Health Department is presently guided by several values: innovation, diversity, inclusion, collaboration, equity, dignity for all people, kindness, and respect, according to its county webpage. It’s safe to presume, given current Commissioners’ political party affiliation, that a few of these moral poles are already in their crosshairs.
In fact, earlier last year, then newly minted Commissioner Phil Smith accused the BH of peddling what he perceived to be left-wing and, in his mind, un-American ideas.
“Just coming from an old conservative who knows a little bit about the Constitution and (who) used to teach Western Civilization,” he quipped in reaction to BH’s focus on cultural competency, “that sounds a whole lot like critical race theory and social justice, which are two tenets of communism and Marxism.”
These words, of course, have become bogeyman terms used to undermine anything resembling social progress for the past century.
Smith then brought into question BH’s partnership with Work 4 Change, which describes itself as “a consultancy of social scientists, thought leaders, digital storytellers, and skilled trainers.” In its own words, the group’s “approach is embedded in social justice, humanism, and equity,” centering “the common good, worker dignity, fair rights and responsibilities, and assistance to the most vulnerable in every working partnership we engage—no matter the need.”
Their commitment to social justice, humanism, and equity caused him to bristle, saying, “These words sounded the alarm to me.”
How many of his peers on the bench feel similarly?
Critics Push Back Against the Restructuring
An August 10th editorial from The Paper sees no reason to strip independence from the BH, citing that despite legislative changes aimed at “streamlining public health infrastructure…such a change in Burke should be studied thoroughly and presented publicly, not introduced and decided all in the same commissioner’s meeting.”
Health Board Chair Isaac Crouch has been outspoken about his opposition to this apparent power grab by the Board of Commissioners.
“There hasn’t been (a discussion) one in public or in private by the commissioners, coming to us and saying, this is what we want to do, this is why, this is exactly what we think will improve, we’re not going to interfere with your public health initiatives,” Crouch told Marty Queen, Senior Report for the Paper.
“When you see things going well,” he continued, “you feel strange when out of the blue you’re told, ‘We need to change this.’”
In defense of the move, Commissioner Jeffrey Brittain, who also sits on the DSS Board, says, “We believe those boards have been doing what they were designed to do. But organizationally, we believe those two departments can meet the needs of the citizens better if we were all tightly knit together organizationally.”
Challenging the notion this restructuring is coming from nowhere or that the Commissioners are trying to pull a fast one, Brittain claims, “There’s a misconception that we haven’t studied this at all. It’s been on the commission radar for at least the last 12 years.”
Ultimately, if the County Commissioners want to reorganize these two boards, it’s their prerogative. These two boards will simply have to acquiesce.
This leaves critics of the move and concerned citizens with few options.
The best they can hope for, perhaps, is to rally opposition to attend the County Commissioners’ meeting on August 20th, and raise enough of a stink to delay the move. If they’re successful, this might even be enough to get County Commissioners to back off, likely, to avoid what may be perceived as a very unpopular action.
A link tree has been set up to track news relevant to the so-called “Burke power grab,” encouraging people to either attend the August 20th meeting or email and call all five commissioners.
Crouch Believes This Move Could Devastate Burke
Crouch also has written a column making the case for preserving the BH and DSS.
“During my time as a member and Chair of the Board of Health, I have seen nothing but continuous improvement,” he writes. “Life expectancy is on the rise, child mortality is falling, and the prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis A has significantly decreased. Along with maintaining our required state accreditation, the department successfully completed national accreditation, joining only one other county in the state with this distinction.”
Sure sounds like BH is in a, well, very healthy position to address our county’s problems, given the limited resources available to them.
“Environmental Health is able to complete just as many inspections as other similarly sized counties, despite operating with about half of the staff. Ongoing efforts are being made to include the perspective of our counties’ diverse minority communities, so that the department can address health challenges faced by all citizens.”
One wonders how much these efforts to include marginalized voices have frustrated commissioners with an anti-equity perspective, such as that previously expressed by Commissioner Smith.
“We are a national leader in local government efforts in tackling substance abuse disorder, and other local governments in NC and nationwide often seek our help,” Crouch continues. “We have been recognized through various awards and distinctions, nominated for NC Health Department of the year, and Director Danny Scalise and his team have individually received awards. This expertise is recognized by the public health community—they are often invited to serve on important committees, participate in distinguished certification programs, provide advice to other health departments, speak at conferences, and submit papers on their work to medical journals.”
Crouch identifies four reasons why this seizing of power could be so destructive:
It gives politicians control over what should be determined by medical experts.
Other counties that have consolidated power under their board of commissioners have experienced “bad results,” including the over-politicization of health issues that many people fear.
He calls into question the results this move has done in Cleveland County, in particular, where Brian Epley served as county manager before taking on that same role in Burke County.
This consolidation of power “during a lame-duck session” for two of the five commissioners “does not respect the will of the people, and bypasses the input of the new commissioners who will inherit increased responsibilities and workload.”
Time will only tell whether this wresting away of power can be halted.
It will take measurable actions from Burke residents, but critics should take heart. For reference, the Great Meadows Megasite seemed like a done deal before an outpouring of citizens barraged the Board of Commissioners with their concerns over how an expansive industrial site would threaten the pristine environment near Lake James and the Catawba River Basin—and thus, our community’s health.
There ought to be more deliberation before such a dramatic change is imposed, with everyone brought to the table to express concerns and discuss the potential benefits of such a move.
That, my friends, is what democracy looks like.
Looks like lots of people are mad about this. I saw a few more articles in the local papers about this happening. It's not looking good for the commissioners.