Politics sow division as Ada County commissioners weigh public health board appointment
The Ada County Board of Commissioners is expected to name one of three physicians to fill a Central District Health Board of Health vacancy this upcoming week, amid public fears that an outcome rooted in politics stands to further divide the community.
The three-member county commission will conduct public interviews Monday before choosing between Dr. Sky Blue, an infectious disease specialist with a background in epidemiology; Dr. Stan Moss, a retired orthopedic surgeon; and Dr. Ryan Cole, a pathologist with a focus on skin. They’re vying to replace Dr. Ted Epperly, whose tenure was allowed to lapse in June after 15 years serving on the seven-member panel that helps set public health policy for Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties.
Ahead of Monday’s interviews, members of the public have sent a flurry of emails to the county primarily backing Cole or Blue, which has left little question for commissioners over the weight of their collective decision for what traditionally has been a nonpartisan appointment. In turn, the public has helped affirm the selection process as a polarizing debate about politics, science, community health and individual freedoms during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Seeking to limit, if not eliminate, any possible public health-related face mask requirements, school restrictions or stay-home orders, local Republicans claim the CDH board opening is a way to ensure civil liberties go unencumbered, according to party member email submissions. The recent return of a Republican majority to the Ada County Board of Commissioners at a time of heightened national political discord has created a push to reassert GOP power in Idaho’s most populous county, said Michael Tomlin, spokesperson for the Ada County Republican Party.
“Everything is political, especially in these dangerous days. Why would we not advocate for any political appointment that best represents the philosophy and beliefs of our members?” Tomlin told the Idaho Statesman by email. “We will advocate for strong conservative representation of Idaho’s majority whenever we can.”
In the interim, the COVID-19 delta variant has yielded yet another spike of infections across the country, including in Idaho, and prolonged the pandemic. Idaho’s test positivity rate has surged to above 10% and the state has added more than 3,500 COVID-19 cases this week, according to the Department of Health and Welfare. Ada County has been hit hard, with more than 1,200 of those cases. Even so, gaining greater control of the CDH board to combat public health directives has become a priority for the county GOP.
Republicans have swung their support behind Cole, and therefore against Blue, in a coordinated campaign by flooding the county with hundreds of emails for several days running. Blue, who many medical experts consider the state’s leading epidemiologist, is now pitted in a feud over science with Cole, who during the pandemic has gained a following on the right for coronavirus and vaccine skepticism.
It’s not the first time for the county commission that a typically unheralded county appointment has waded into the realm of politics. In January, Blue was passed over for a prior opening on the same CDH board in favor of former U.S. Rep. Raúl Labrador, who previously served as chair of the state Republican Party. Ada County District 3 Commissioner Kendra Kenyon, the commission’s lone Democrat, raised concerns about a possible open meeting violation related to the choice, but the two Republicans were later cleared in an outside review.
Epperly, the president and chief executive officer of Family Medicine Residency of Idaho, was a vocal proponent of pandemic-era shutdowns, mask mandates, gathering limitations and other efforts to stem spread of the virus. He called his ouster strictly political, and Kenyon agreed.
State statute dictates that the Central District Health Board of Health maintain at least one active physician among its members, and Epperly’s exit meant the board was left missing that requirement. Come Monday, Kenyon said she hopes to find a second vote for Blue to fill the five-year vacancy on the health board.
“My ultimate goal is to appoint the most qualified medical doctor to fill the position,” Kenyon told the Statesman by email. “Dr. Blue is still my first choice for the CDH board appointment because he checks all the boxes. He is open-minded, fair and dedicated to the community.”
Three doctors vie for coveted Central District Health appointment
Blue said in a phone interview that he’s again seeking the volunteer position in hopes of bringing his experience studying infectious diseases to Central District Health. Since 1999, he has worked as a physician partner at St. Luke’s affiliated Sawtooth Epidemiology and Infectious Disease in Boise, according to his résumé.
Blue received his medical degree from the University of Iowa in 1989 and has lived in the Treasure Valley for the past 23 years. He said his specialty, infectious disease, is a topic that has been at the forefront of many people’s minds for nearly a year and a half now.
Blue said he’d rather pay attention to the science of the pandemic, but he acknowledged the politicization of masks and vaccines. Blue, 58, is a registered Democrat, and he said focusing on the politics of the pandemic can be to the detriment of the science.
Politics can pressure scientists into finding things to fit their beliefs, no matter what those may be, he said.
“I don’t like how we’ve done science here. I kind of refuse to get into (politics),” Blue said.
But the issue of mandates is far more complicated than whether or not masks or vaccines should be required, Blue said. The delta variant and introduction of COVID-19 vaccines make the present pandemic different from its earlier stages, he said.
“I don’t think there’s really a universal answer to all of it,” Blue said.
Moss, meanwhile, said in an interview that his interest in the board stems from his desire to give back to the Treasure Valley, where he has lived since 1981. He retired in 2016 after 38 years as an orthopedic surgeon.
After serving in the U.S. Army, Moss completed his medical residency at the University of Utah in 1973. While practicing in Idaho, he performed surgeries regularly for both St. Luke’s and Saint Alphonsus.
Despite retiring five years ago, Moss, 72, said he has kept up to date on what has been a trying time for the health care industry: His license is current, he regularly reads medical journals and he pays attention to all developments concerning COVID-19.
As a result, he also has noticed the politicization of the pandemic, an issue he said he’d like to address by educating the public about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
“I can’t really understand why people believe the vaccine is harmful,” Moss said. “There’s a lot of misinformation that has made people hesitant.”
Moss said he is a Republican who is an independent voter on most issues. He said the CDH board should focus on educating the public so more people choose to get vaccinated. Until then, he thinks the prospects of returning to a prior sense of normal remain dim.
“It’s a contagious disease, and it’s not going to go away until the population is immune one way or the other,” he said.
Republican favored Cole: ‘Needle rape’ and ‘tyranny with a needle’
Cole’s approach to the pandemic has been markedly different.
The licensed pathologist earned his medical degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Since 2004, he has operated the eponymous Cole Diagnostics in Garden City as its chief executive officer and medical director.
Cole’s name is one many may recognize after he became a controversial figure among Boise’s medical community. He has garnered national attention for public statements on COVID-19, sharing frequent misinformation that conflicts with the latest research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cole is registered as unaffiliated, according to Idaho voter records. But at least as recently as April, he was registered as a Republican, according to FactCheck.org, a nonprofit news outlet based out of the University of Pennsylvania.
Citing work conflicts, Cole backed out of a previously scheduled interview with the Statesman. But in his application, the 53-year-old said his years of experience studying infectious diseases in a lab setting make him qualified for the health board.
“I see the broad impact of all health conditions and infectious diseases on individuals and the community on a daily basis,” he wrote.
Many of Ada County’s medical experts adamantly disagree, stating Cole is unfit to serve on the CDH board, which first and foremost is charged with looking out for public health.
“Dr. Cole has limited clinical interaction with actual patients as a pathologist,” Dr. Bonnie Reed, a family physician at St. Luke’s Clinic in Meridian, wrote in an email to the county supporting Blue. “He has also recently been engaging in the questionable practice of prescribing experimental medications for patients even outside the state, even though this does not fall within his clinical expertise or training as a pathologist.”
While spreading erroneous information about vaccine efficacy, Cole has also touted the use of ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug used in animals and humans, as an effective treatment for COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and World Health Organization have all advised against using ivermectin for COVID-19, and the FDA warns that ivermectin can be dangerous in large doses — especially versions produced for animals.
In addition, Cole has falsely claimed that COVID-19 vaccines have killed thousands of people. Late last month, he spoke at an anti-vaccine event labeled the “White Coat Summit” in San Antonio. After calling face masks an “unnecessary cloth that does nothing” during a presentation, Cole jokingly referred to the vaccine as “needle rape” to audience laughter.
“This is not science,” Cole said during the event. “This is tyranny with a needle. Let’s stop this.”
Rod Beck, chair of the county commission, declined a Statesman interview request, instead asking that questions be submitted by email. In his written reply, which also included Kenyon’s prior responses to a reporter naming Blue as her top choice, Beck denied having already made up his mind on the appointment and also said he had not corresponded with his fellow commissioners about the matter “in any detail that would lead to a decision.”
“I answered questions from several individuals regarding process and responsibilities, etc. I have not spoken to any candidate since they applied,” said Beck, who represents District 2. “The citizens of Ada County are fortunate to have three highly qualified doctors seeking the position on the CDH board.”
A ‘Call to Action’ from Ada Republicans
After more than 50 emails, mostly from doctors and the region’s other medical personnel, were sent to the county in support of Blue in July, Ada County’s Republican Party launched a campaign last week backing Cole. Since that time, well over 1,000 emails — many of them echoing the same copy-and-pasted message — engulfed the county’s inbox over four days.
“We need a Conservative on this Health Board,” the request for supporter emails reads, while also calling Blue’s credentials into question. “I urge you strongly today to write letters to the Ada County Commissioners asking them to appoint Ryan Cole to the Central District Health Board. Dr. Cole is a strong conservative and we need to help the commissioners get him over the finish line with their appointment.”
“I know that Commissioners often need to justify their appointee decisions by the number of emails/letters they get in support of a candidate, so please consider this a letter of support for Dr. Ryan Cole!” Boise resident Molly Marrone wrote in an email to the county, borrowing language directly from the Republican prompt.
The local GOP’s social media pages on the same day issued a similar “Call To Action” asking followers to email the Board of Commissioners. The party’s Facebook and Twitter posts, which labeled Blue a “clear darling of the Left,” also suggested Moss as an alternative, but he received only a handful of support emails.
Tomlin, the Ada County Republic Party’s spokesperson, denied being aware of the request for supporter emails not associated with those on the organization’s social media pages. “But it is accurate,” he told the Statesman. One of the party’s Facebook posts includes a comment from Ada County District 1 Commissioner Ryan Davidson, the former chair of the local GOP Central Committee, also encouraging people to email the county board.
Davidson did not respond over three days to a list of emailed questions from a Statesman reporter. In a prior phone interview in June, he said he had nobody specific in mind for the CDH board, despite Kenyon sharing concerns with the Statesman that her commission colleagues would “tee up” someone for the role, as she alleged they did with Labrador.
“I’m sure one of my fellow commissioners will tee somebody else up for the opening, I just don’t know who it is. Because they did last time,” Kenyon said then. She walked back those comments last week, saying she no longer had that concern “at this time.”
Tomlin acknowledged the political nature of the Central District Health Board of Health effort, and also that Cole fits the bill for the local Republican Party.
“County Commissioners are elected in partisan races. This is one of their dutiful appointments and their voters will assume they will exercise care in making an appointment consistent with the people’s desires,” he said. “Dr. Cole has a great reputation with our party as he has represented the view of one expert in health matters and also cognizant of Constitutional liberties. He is a great choice.”
A battle over public health amid a deadly pandemic
Of Ada County’s nearly 300,000 registered voters, roughly 124,000 are Republicans, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. Based on that total, Republicans outnumber Democrats by a ratio of more than 2-to-1, though the county’s more than 106,000 voters registered as unaffiliated have the ability to swing any countywide election.
But local Democrats are crying foul over their rivals’ use of the pandemic to sow political division. They say they balk at politicizing a decision-making body established to provide objective medical guidance to the region, including how to overcome a deadly, once-in-a-century virus that has proved its resilience worldwide.
“I think it’s a disservice to the people of Ada County that Republicans are making this some partisan thing when at the end of the day this should be about who protects our health the best,” Erik Berg, chair of the Ada County Democrats, said in a phone interview. “More than what Ada Dems or Ada Republicans think, the health care community has been very vocal. I trust the health care community that Sky Blue is the right choice.”
Regardless, the emails to the county commission have continued to pour in from Republicans focusing on politics rather than science or public health.
“Our children and all of our livelihoods depend on who you appoint (to) the health board. Dr. Ryan Cole is the only logical option. His conservative beliefs are in alignment with our conservative county,” wrote Ada County resident Dori Healey, who identified herself as a nurse.
“We need more liberty minded people on this board. Please vote in Dr. Cole and help us stand up for conservative values in Idaho. We need them more than ever!!” wrote Melodi Cagle, of Boise.
The three medical doctors are the finalists for the health board position following a two-week application period that closed on June 30. Three other applicants were not included in the candidate pool because they are not physicians: a Boise chiropractor, a nurse practitioner in Boise who has publicly questioned the science behind vaccines, and an Eagle-based veterinarian.
The Idaho Medical Association, an advocacy group that counts more than 3,500 medical professionals in the state as members, submitted a letter to the county in support of Blue, as well as Dr. Travis Kemp, an orthopedic surgeon in Meridian. Kemp applied for the CDH board role and was initially included for county commission review, but later withdrew.
Reached by a Statesman reporter by phone last week, Kemp declined to comment on his reasons for withdrawing. But in an email to the county, Kemp said he bowed out to back Blue for the position.
“I have worked with Dr. Blue for over a decade and both trust and respect his expertise,” Kemp wrote. “He is better qualified than I am to fulfill the duties necessary for the job.”
Dozens of other local doctors have written to the county to support Blue’s candidacy, but they worry their appeals will fall on deaf ears with the Republican commissioners. Dr. Lisa Kern, who practices family medicine within the area’s Saint Alphonsus Health System, was among them.
“Please consider the recommendations of your medical community regarding who will best serve in this role rather than political priorities,” she wrote in her recommendation of Blue and Kemp. “Viruses do not care about your party affiliation.”
“Dr. Sky Blue has been a guiding voice throughout the pandemic exercising judgment and guidance free of an agenda,” wrote Brian Brumpton, chief executive officer of Boise Family Medicine, in an email to the county commission. “Dr. Ryan Cole has shown a predilection for advancement (of) conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated claims, demonstrated serious errors in medical judgment and a willingness to risk public health.”
Watch or attend the meeting
The county commission will host scheduled half-hour public interviews for each of the three doctors starting Monday at 11 a.m., with a potential selection slated for that afternoon. Members of the public may watch the meeting via Ada County’s YouTube channel, or attend virtually by phone or via the Webex online platform. By phone, dial 415-655-0001, or on Webex, use access code: 1771 80 4026 and password: crEicZ6Fp26
Attendees are also welcome in person in the county commission’s meeting chambers, located at 200 W. Front St. On Monday, face masks become required on three of the county building’s five floors. The rule will apply to the second, third and fifth floors, but not to enter on the first floor, nor in the commission’s third-floor meeting chambers.
Public comments for the Ada County Board of Commissioners on the CDH board appointment — or any other matter — may be emailed to bocc1@adacounty.id.gov.
This story was originally published August 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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