Washington County fills one board of health seat, other undecided

WASHINGTON — County supervisors appointed one person to fill the position of an outgoing board of health member Tuesday, but held off on making a decision about the seat currently held by Supervisor Jack Seward Jr.

Chiropractor Kodey Salow was appointed to the board at Tuesday morning’s meeting, after decision-makers were told Board of Health Chair Cathy Buffington did not intend to seek a reappointment.

Salow was one of two people who expressed interest in board of health membership as Buffington and Seward’s terms come up for potential renewals. The other applicant was Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator Marissa Reisen.

One motion to appoint both applicants for the upcoming three year terms died for lack of a second, after Seward said he needed another week to determine whether he’d seek reappointment himself. Doing so would put more people in the running than there are open seats.

Supervisor Stan Stoops, who made the motion, said he had expected Seward to step away from the role.

“What I’ve heard and what I’ve read, he’s got a lot of irons in the fire,” Stoops said. “This is nothing personal toward him.”

Supervisor Marcus Fedler then made a motion to appoint Salow in Buffington’s place, which passed unanimously. Fedler said after the meeting that he approved of the chiropractor’s application submitted to the county last year, but had “no particular reason,” to choose him over Reisen.

Public Health Director Emily Tokheim said both applicants were qualified for the position, citing Salow’s experience in a health field and Reisen’s interagency understanding of the county’s Public Health and Environmental Health departments.

The selection process for board of health members is somewhat uncharted water for the county. For most of its history, the board drew little public attention. New members were recommended by a vote of the previous one, after private discussions with community members they sought out personally. Those recommendations typically assured approval from supervisors.

That has changed in the last few years. Late 2022 saw five candidates vying for a place at the table. While this year’s cycle has fewer names in the hat, it’s still potentially more than the number of seats up for grabs.

“In the 11 years that I’ve been on, the Board of Health has found someone and recommended them to the Board of Supervisors, because there were no volunteers,” Seward said. “There was never a formal application period, we tried to get the word out with Washington County fills one board of health seat, other undecided … the issue all started, of more people becoming more interested, when COVID hit.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com