Few words have been left out of the Journal’s opinion.
Stained Fabric
Athletic coaches agree winners are found by who made
the fewest mistakes. Errors mark the difference between
success and failure in many endeavors.
Few initiate a path designed to make mistakes yet,
the recent embarrassment of the Boone County Health
Department as they sought to find a new leader could
redefine the term “incompetence.”
The result of this fumbled effort had someone
deciding to hire an applicant to lead the organization that
was inexperienced. It is often concluded, if someone is
inexperienced they are incompetent to hold the job. Why
an incompetent candidate for a leadership job was hired
has not been fully explained.
However, when the applicant’s lack of experience came
to light, members of the health department and the Boone
County Board circled the wagons to decide what to do.
The Illinois Department of Public Health was called
and they recommended someone to mentor the applicant
so they could gain experience they were lacking. That
move was approved by the county board. Understand,
these are presumably competent public officials assigned
to protect the public health and not to personify the essence
of “The Peter Principle.”
When did the Boone County Department of Public
Health become a center for advanced study to mentor the
inexperienced and incompetent?
Members of the health department board turned a blind
eye to the requirements for the job and, arguably, they
risked putting the health of the community in jeopardy by
hiring an inexperienced leader to run the organization.
It is irrelevant to argue the smarmy ethics of what
occurred. In this addled culture ethical discussions are left
for the losers to debate.
The following questions arise with no one, least
of all members of the board of health to offer answers:
Why would an inexperienced applicant be given serious
consideration for the job? Why would the inexperienced
applicant be offered a job? Why would an executive board
hire an incompetent person to run an agency vested to
protect the public health? Why would an executive board
contract with a state agency to provide a mentor to keep
the inexperienced person on the payroll? Why would the
county board hire a mentor after imposing a hiring freeze
in fiscal 2009? Why would a board of health comprised
of elected officials, bank executives, lawyers, doctors
and other allegedly responsible people go through such a
tawdry public display?
Perhaps the health department board is no different
than other groups here that are comprised of some that are
more dedicated to sustain an elitist self-perception than to
truly serve the public. Some officials here do serve the
public through their work, their vision and their wisdom.
These officials will speak out when they see unethical or
illegal activity, but they are in the minority.
For example, there remain some on the Boone County
Housing Authority Board that hired a former director that
gave service contracts to family members, allowed years
to pass without a financial audit, and violated Department
of Housing and Urban Development rules. Yet, many of
the same people that sit on multiple boards continue to
look aside as they seek to persuade their friends that they
are serving the public needs.
Some of these self-appointed experts are better skilled
at sucking air from a room than they are at serving the
public need. These are the people that will sit and smile
and recite their vacuous self-serving homilies.
Elitism is a social disease staining the fabric of this
community. The sooner this disease is recognized and
the sooner those that practice this policy are removed, the
sooner the community fabric can be washed clean.
But as long as voters find greater purpose watching
Dancing with the Stars and continue to mindlessly elect
incumbents instead of choosing officials that identify
methods to correct these wrongs, the longer this infection
will fester and the further the disease of elitism will
spread.
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