The Marion County Board says it will no longer just rubber stamp candidates brought before them for open board and department seats.
Board Chair Steve Whritenour says he is troubled by the present system of approving whoever is recommended to them.
“My issue is, there might be more people in the public that aren’t aware that these positions exist,” Whritenour said. “The days of the good old boys’ system, where ‘I’m on the board now and I’m going to hand pick who I want to be on this board,’ I don’t feel is right. It needs to get out to the public and let them know. There might be someone out in the public, a retired doctor or retired nurse who might be very beneficial, and they’re just not aware that the Marion County Health Department is looking for someone.”
While the exact procedure still needs to be set, Whritenour wants the boards involved to still have a say.
“If there’s a list of applicants, I highly suggest that they talk to these people. They can say, ‘Hey, this is the background, this is what they have to offer.’ They can give us their opinion, but ultimately, it’s the county board that appoints that position.”
The issue came up Tuesday night when the county board was asked to reappoint four members to the health department board. The nominations were tabled until the new process is finalized and put into place.
