Wood County’s top health official resigned Thursday night after it became evident she turned down more
than $146,000 without asking the board of health.
Wood County Health Commissioner Pamela Butler unexpectedly offered her resignation to the board of health
during a lengthy executive session.
Immediately after the meeting, Dr. Fleming Fallon, president of the board, offered little explanation and
declined to comment on the specifics surrounding Butler’s resignation, citing the confidentiality of
executive session.
"It was her choice," Fallon said before pausing to consider further comments.
"Some information was made available in executive session. I’m not going to reveal that because of
the sanctity of the executive session. She was given the opportunity to resign if she wanted to. In
executive session, she tendered her resignation."
When asked if Butler submitted a letter of resignation, Fallon replied, "Not yet."
When reached for comment this morning, board member Frank McLaughlin confirmed that several months ago,
Butler turned down $146,000 from the District Advisory Council that would’ve gone toward the health
district’s 2015 budget, and she did so without consulting with the board. McLaughlin was not present
when that happened, but several other health board members were.
Butler’s motive for turning down the money was not apparent. She left the meeting before the board came
out of executive session to accept her resignation and did not return phone messages left seeking
comment.
"The fact that she turned this money down had come out" over the last few days, McLaughlin
said. "I think that was the precipitating factor.
"This was something that the board should’ve heard about and made a decision about. This wasn’t a
decision for the commissioner to make."
Such a sum of money "is hard to replace," board member DJ Mears said this morning, also echoing
McLaughlin’s comments.
"It was not her decision to make," Mears said.
Mears said the board was in agreement by the end of its executive session Thursday, and the group is
committed to being "more transparent" moving forward.
"There was no dissension," he said.
"I thought there would be more division, but there was not."
Performance evaluations of Butler – obtained before her rejection of the money became public – show some
board members were already displeased with her organizational and leadership abilities.
The board’s personnel committee met Wednesday in executive session to review those evaluations. Several
praised her abilities with perfect ratings, while others were sharply critical.
"The board was divided about the effectiveness of her performance," McLaughlin said.
Wood County Auditor Michael Sibbersen said when reached this morning that Butler indeed turned down money
from the DAC at a county budget commission meeting in April. The DAC is made up of the mayors of Wood
County’s cities and villages, the president of each township board of trustees, and the president of the
board of county commissioners.
"We were a little surprised, I think because that had been one of their sources of funding for many
years. Yes, we were surprised," Sibbersen said.
Additionally, McLaughlin said Butler told the board during the closed session that Fallon had her
resignation letter "in his pocket" since September.
Fallon "did not deny it," McLaughlin said.
In his comments after the meeting, Fallon said Butler’s resignation was unexpected.
After entering executive session with Butler and the health district’s labor specialist, the board voted
7-0 to accept the resignation, effective June 30. Dr. Nick Espinoza, vice president of the board, and
member Nilgun Sezginis were not present.
The board then adjourned without further comment.
Part-way into the closed session, the board also requested Ben Batey, CEO of the district’s community
health and wellness center, as well as Amy Jones, director of nursing, who was no longer at the meeting.

McLaughlin said Jones and Brad Espen, director of environmental health, who was not at the meeting, will
take on additional responsibilities "in the short term" as the position leading the health
district is posted as available.