The battle over public health services in Springfield isn’t new, but the fight
scheduled for Tuesday night’s City Council meeting looks like it may be one
of the most colorful bouts in this long-running debate.
A variety of organizations — ranging from the crimson-and-cream Delta Sigma Theta sorority sisters to the pin-striped Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce — have formed strong opinions and are likely to express them when the council considers a proposal to abolish the city’s public health department and allow it to be subsumed by the county.
The proposal, contained in an ordinance sponsored by Ward 1 Alderman Frank Edwards, has attracted the interest of former mayor Mike Houston, the editorial board of the State Journal-Register, prominent political leaders from the predominantly minority East Side, and the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
For those keeping score: Houston, through the Chamber, is asking the council to hold public hearings before making a decision. The SJ-R is actively pleading for a merger. And East Side leaders may come out in favor of the merger while the NAACP is said to oppose it.
The idea sounds simple, logical, and beneficial: Merge the Springfield Department of Public Health with the Sangamon County Health Department. No services would decrease, no clinics would close, no fees would increase, and no city health department employees would lose their jobs or even their union affiliation, according to letters issued by Andy Van Meter, chairman of the Sangamon County Board. In fact, services would be expanded, all at no cost to the city. And by letting the county take over, the city would save almost $1.5 million.
“It’s kind of a no-brainer,” Edwards says. “It’s a win-win-win situation for our community.”
But Mayor Tim Davlin says there’s no assurance these promises will come true.
“We have no guarantees,” Davlin says. “Andy’s word is as good as gold to me. I trust him. But he’s one person out of a 30-member board. And Andy and I aren’t going to be around forever.”
Both sides can cite studies and statistics supporting their views. Van Meter points to a 1997 “blue ribbon” study commissioned by then-Mayor Karen Hasara and a 2003 study by city and county officials, both endorsing the idea of a merger. Ray Cooke, director of Springfield Department of Public Health, points to a 1984 study commissioned by the county board that concluded the county should not establish a health department but rather strengthen the city health department to serve Sangamon County.
“If this is done, the cost per person can be reduced, programs can be strengthened, and the public’s health, both physical and fiscal, will be improved,” the study concludes.
But this issue is clouded by a history of bad blood (the city recently sued the county over health taxes) and such implications of politics and pride that no promise or study satisfies both sides. For one thing, such a merger would place what is probably the city’s oldest department, established in 1832, into the care of its upstart county counterpart, begun in 1985. For another, it would take a Democratic-controlled agency and hand it to one governed by Republicans. Not only is the county board heavily Republican, but the merged agency would be run by county health administrator Jim Stone.
Davlin suggests Van Meter should be open to putting a third party in charge.
“Ask Andy: Would you allow Ray Cooke or someone other than Jim Stone to run the department?” Davlin says.
And when asked, Van Meter says that in a merged agency, Cooke would be offered a position created just for him, called coordinator of bioterrorism operations — “if Ray wanted it,” Van Meter says.
(Ironically, both Cooke and Stone have donated to Republican candidates. According to the state campaign disclosure database, Stone has contributed approximately $1,000 to various Republicans, and Cooke has contributed about $2,000. Cooke, however, says he is independent.)
Edwards, a Republican, denies that his proposal was politically motivated. He says he’s been studying the idea ever since last year’s budget hearings, during which Cooke presented a wish list for extended clinic hours and more mobile services — dreams that the department couldn’t afford. Because some of those same needs had been discussed in 2002, when former mayor Hasara proposed merging the health departments as a way to balance the city’s budget, Edwards began researching the topic.
“I didn’t go into this thinking this is 60 jobs for the Republicans,” he says.
Van Meter points out that public health work requires education and training, not political connections.
“These are not political hack jobs,” he says. “You can’t just shove a campaign worker who licked stamps into a public health position.”
Davlin suggests that if a merger makes sense, it should happen the other way: the city should take over the county health department.
“Let’s propose an ordinance at the county board to disband their health department,” Davlin says. “Why not have a regional department run by the city of Springfield?”
Edwards says he investigated that idea, and found it wasn’t feasible.
“First of all, you have to look at state statutes, and I did, to see if it’s possible. And it’s not possible. Nowhere in there could I find that if Sangamon County health department were abolished that the city could pick it up,” Edwards says.
But Cooke points to other municipalities, like Peoria, that provide health services for the county they occupy, as well as counties like Bureau and Wayne, contracted to provide
services for other counties. “It’s not something that can’t be done. It can be done,” Cooke says.
In the midst of so many arguments, the chamber of commerce board earlier this week voted unanimously on a motion by Houston to take a firm stance asking for more discussion. This vote represents a bit of a side-step from the chamber’s 2002 stance, which was supportive of Hasara’s merger proposal as long as it wouldn’t result in a decrease in services or an increase in taxes or fees.
Mike Boer, outgoing president and CEO of the chamber, says the board’s current posture is officially neutral, a simple request for more information and discussion.
“This has been discussed for many, many years. But I think the sense of the board was let’s be sure that all interested parties know all the implications before a final decision is made,” Boer says.
Van Meter, though, says it has been discussed long enough. “We’ve talked about it for so long, and it’s been under discussion for such a long time,” he says, “I just would hope that we’d listen to the better angels of our nature and do what’s right for the whole community.”
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2004.
