BOISE, Idaho — Ada County commissioners are scheduled to meet on Tuesday. On the agenda: who will replace former county commissioner Diana Lachiondo on the Central District Health board?
Last week two county commissioners appointed former Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador as that new Ada County CDH representative.
But over the weekend, a new name surfaced.
Dr. Sky Blue told KTVB that Commissioner Kendra Kenyon reached out to him and asked him to consider applying for the position.
Blue is a physician with Sawtooth Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, an independent group that treats patients in all of the hospitals in the Treasure Valley. He says he has been working in public health and in collaboration with CDH and the state for 25 years and he believes his skillset could be utilized in this role.
But does he really want to do this or is he just stepping up to the task should he get the position?
“I didn’t want us to have a pandemic," Blue told KTVB. "I didn’t want to be in the place we are today, but given those features, I want to be in a position where my knowledge and expertise can help, so I feel like this is a natural position for that.
"I want to be able to help that and so, in that case, I want this position, I want to get our local health district in Boise and Idaho over this and through this," he added.
So how did this all come about?
Last week, the commission's two new members, Ryan Davidson and Rod Beck voted in favor of Labrador’s appointment. Commissioner Kenyon abstained and raised concerns of a possible open meeting law violation, which is now being looked into by Canyon County Prosecutor Bryan Taylor.
The majority of commissioners in CDH's jurisdiction - Valley, Elmore and Boise counties - must also now confirm Labrador's appointment in order for it to become official.
KTVB asked Dr. Blue how he would feel if Labrador, who is a politician, were to get this position over him, a medical expert.
“I try not to read too much into all that," Blue said. "Either way I’m here to offer up my expertise and wherever that will be I’m happy to participate. If those who make those decisions feel like a different voice is what they need there for what they're looking for, I've got to trust in somebody's wisdom.”
KTVB reached out to CDH on Monday the find out what happens next in this process, given that there are now two candidates. According to Director Russ Duke, it's never happened in his 15 years working for the health district.
"How I would see that playing out is that one of the candidates will have to get a majority of the 12 commissioners to vote yes in order to be confirmed as the new board member," Duke said in a statement to KTVB. "The law requires that a majority of commissioners within the district need to vote yes or the appointment fails. So, for example, if 5 voted in support for the appointed candidate, 1 voted no, and the others abstained from voting, the appointment fails. If there are two people on the ballot, one would have to get 7 yes votes, or they have to start over."
Labrador did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
The CDH board has been at the center of some drama in recent months as protesters gathered outside the district's offices and at the homes of board members while they were debating a proposed public health order. That order eventually failed on a split vote.
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