State Sen. Todd Gardenhire says he wasn’t trying to influence the reappointment of Erlanger Trustee Jennifer Stanley, he was just having a candid conversation with a commissioner.
Hamilton County commissioners voted 7-1 Wednesday to confirm the reappointment of Stanley to the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Hospital Authority board of trustees.
But the vote came after an attempt to postpone the confirmation about the way the hospital board approved nearly $2 million in executive bonuses in December. And later the commission asked the state’s top lawyer to see if the hospital board violated the Sunshine Law.
HOW THEY VOTED
To postpone the appointmentChester Bankston – noGreg Beck – noTim Boyd – yesRandy Fairbanks – noJoe Graham – yesMarty Haynes – noWarren Mackey – noSabrena Smedley – noJim Fields – noTo appoint StanleyBankston – yesBeck – yesBoyd – abstainFairbanks – yesGraham – noHaynes – yesMackey – yesSmedley – yesFields – yes
Commissioners Tim Boyd and Joe Graham said Sen. Todd Gardenhire called them and asked that the commission delay Stanley’s appointment until the opinion is released.
Gardenhire and other state delegates raged against the hospital board after learning of the bonuses.
Both said the delay had nothing to do with Stanley’s resume, which they described as “outstanding.” Stanley is a marketing executive, a Rhodes scholar and has a long resume in academics and business.
Mayor Jim Coppinger responded by saying Gardenhire and the delegation have their own appointments. Stanley, who he said was highly qualified, is one of his own.
“The delegation did not express any desire to me to blow up these board appointments,” Coppinger said.
He added that the inquiry into the Erlanger board had to do with the Open Meetings Act and wouldn’t likely address Stanley’s competence.
“We are just really fortunate to have her. I would ask that this commission move forward,” he said. “Frankly, I don’t want her to have the opportunity to back out. She’s doing this as a volunteer.”
Gardenhire said after the meeting Wednesday he was not in any way trying to influence commissioners or speak for the state delegation.
“It was an overall conversation with one commissioner who, when it came up, I said, ‘If it was me, this is what I would do,'” Gardenhire said. “It wasn’t a delegation request at all. But I think it would be prudent to see if the board violated the Sunshine Law before the appointment.”
Boyd, who abstained from the vote to confirm Stanley’s appointment, said later it wasn’t a directive from Gardenhire, but he made the motion to postpone the vote as a courtesy.
“If one of my delegates calls me and makes a request, I’m going to do anything to accommodate and make that request,” Boyd said.
Graham added afterward that postponing the reappointment wouldn’t have impacted Stanley’s post. Based on the law, she would serve until reappointed.
“Would the attorney general’s opinion affect my opinion? Certainly. And in this case, a few weeks wouldn’t have meant anything [would change],” Graham said.
Contact staff writer LouieBrogdon at lbrogdon@timesfreepress.com, @glbrogdoniv on Twitter or at 423-757-6481.