Board of Health member will keep job for now

A Chickasaw County Board of Health member who was accused of “sexual harassment” and “unprofessionalism” will remain on the board, thanks to a 3-2 decision by the Board of Supervisors during a contentious meeting Monday morning.
Last month, the Board of Health voted 3-0 to ask Terry Johnson to resign from the board, giving him 10 days to do so. When he didn’t, the only way he could be removed is if, in effect, the Board of Supervisors fired him.
And the discussion leading up the vote was at times, intense, and dealt with a variety of issues. Johnson was appointed to the board in January 2019, and his tenure has been controversial at times. Former Chickasaw County Public Health Administrator Kathy Babcock filed a complaint over open meetings violation against him and Assistant County Attorney Mark Huegel, and both were cleared. Johnson also filed a complaint against the department that was also dismissed.
Aaron Murphy, an Osage attorney, representing Johnson said he was dumbfounded when it came to the reason Monday’s meeting was being held.
“I haven’t heard it articulated what any reason would be for removing Terry Johnson,” Murphy said. “I would think as the Board of Supervisors that would be a little odd if you were to vote to remove him when somebody doesn’t get any information why they want to be removed."
Murphy said he asked during a meeting in July for the reason the board wanted Johnson removed. Murphy said Jim Cook, the Board of Health chairman, was “evasive.”
“I think at one point he said Terry is a little slow to catch on,” Murphy told supervisors. “Terry may be a lot of things, he may be a little abrasive … but being slow to catch on is not one of them.”
Instead, Murphy said he felt other Board of Health members wanted Johnson off the board because of that abrasiveness and the amount of questions he asked about financial and personnel decisions.
New Hampton attorney Mike Kennedy agreed.
“You can’t devise a personality contest that Johnson can win. There’s no possible way in hell it can be done,” Kennedy told the supervisors. “[But] I also do know this: Johnson understands numbers. Johnson will look at a balance sheet and tell you something. … He knows the questions, and even better than knowing the questions, he knows the followup questions.”
AND THEN CAME, at least to some in the room, a bombshell.
“I will give the reasons why we are here today,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Jake Hackman said. “I have two letters here sent to myself … they are sexual harassment comments, sexual harassment issues.”
— For more on this story, see the Aug. 20 Reporter and Aug. 25 Tribune