ELMORE COUNTY, Idaho — On Friday, Elmore County commissioners voted 1-2 to approve Dr. Ryan Cole to the board of Central District Health. Cole first gained notoriety when his Garden City testing lab was slammed by the winter surge of COVID-19 cases in December. Since then, the doctor has become more outspoken against the COVID-19 vaccines, once calling them "needle rape."
Republican Ada County Commissioners, Rod Beck and Ryan Davidson, appointed Dr. Cole to the Central District Health Board after former board member Dr. Tedd Epperly was forced off the board in June.
Epperly served on the CDH board for more than 15 years. Beck and Davidson wanted to remove Epperly and have someone in the position that was more aligned with their views.
"I think if they get the wrong person in that role, it could potentially harm the community in regards to the importance of the decisions and standing up and speaking out on behalf of the public's health, which is going to be so important,” Epperly told The 208 in June.
Going into the Elmore County commissioners' meeting on Friday, Dr. Cole needed one more vote to have the majority needed to be confirmed to the board. Commissioners from the counties in CDH's jurisdiction vote on board members who are nominated.
Prior to their vote, county commissioners interviewed Cole.
The lone Elmore County commissioner to vote in favor was Al Hofer, who said he agrees with Dr. Cole that the current COVID-19 response isn't working and things have to change.
If all three Elmore County commissioners voted against Cole's appointment, the vote would have been tied at 6-6, something that CDH officials said has never happened. What happens when a board nominee has a tied vote is unclear since it has never been an issue.
Central District Health will officially confirm Dr. Cole's nomination during its next meeting.
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