Ottawa County wraps up termination hearing for Hambley

OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Following two days of testimony, Ottawa County’s Board of Commissioners on Wednesday concluded its termination hearing to determine whether to fire Health Officer Adeline Hambley.

The charges against her, originally submitted by Board Chair Joe Moss, allege incompetence and neglect of duty from Hambley for actions she took during the county budget process when she spoke to the press and the public about concerns she had over potential cuts to the Health Department budget.

After six hours and eight witnesses on Tuesday, Wednesday’s session featured hours of testimony from two witnesses: County Administrator John Gibbs and Health Officer Hambley herself.

Dozens of times, Gibbs responded to questions from Hambley’s attorney, Sarah Howard, by saying he didn’t remember or he didn’t recall.

The answers Gibbs did provide to Howard and the county’s legal counsel largely asserted what he believed to be truth behind the charges against Hambley and that he did not attempt to cut her out of the budget process as she claimed she had been.

“The budget is a process,” Gibbs said. “And, so, throughout that process, to be going to the media and saying things like ‘The Department of Public Health is going to be forced to shut its doors,’ I think is extremely, highly irresponsible.”

County counsel opted to not ask questions of Hambley, however, who said she did what she believed fell within her statutory duties as health officer in sharing her concerns with the public.

“I think the role matters,” Hambley said. “I think it matters to maintain integrity. It should not be a political position and it should have autonomy to do those things that need to be done in order to best protect the community and the public.”

In her closing statement, Howard fought in defense of her client. In it, she pointed to what she’s asserted is some commissioners’ predetermined aim to remove Hambley following their attempt on Jan. 3 to demote and replace her with Nathaniel Kelly.

“Today in this hearing, if you vote to remove [Hambley] on these charges, it will be contrary to just cause,” Howard said. “It will be contrary to what can be proven, it will be contrary to the real reason that you want her out and it will be contrary to what is significant evidence of the pretext and the real reason for this decision.”

In their closing statements, county legal counsel David Kallman spoke to what he believed as Hambley and Howard not taking time during the hearing to answer or refute the charges.

“[Hambley] spent the vast majority of her time attacking, smearing and maligning others, instead of addressing the actual charges against her,” Ottawa County legal counsel David Kallman said in his closing statement.

After commissioners ended their discussions, members of the public shared their thoughts following two long days of testimony.

“Ms. Hambley’s action is proof that Ms. Hambley was trying to politicize this entire process for political gain,” One public commenter said.

“I think it’s time for you guys to release Ms. Hambley from her position so she can find other employment,” the commenter said.

Others spoke in support of Hambley, including her second-in-command at the department.

“[Former Health Officer] Lisa Stefanowski did her duty during the pandemic and issued an order she believed that was the right thing to do – that her conscience could live with for the rest of her life,” Deputy Health Director Marcia Mansaray said. “And she did not involve the commissioners because it was not their purview, it was not their role, it was not their duty and she told them so because they would take the fall, they would be involved in the public hate and it was hers to take, not their’s.”

“Adeline Hambley did the same for you,” Mansaray said as she addressed commissioners. “She warned you repeatedly about what you were engaging in and how it could break the law and hurt this community. You are supposed to be public servants.”

The final vote on Hambley’s potential removal, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, was moved to Oct. 30 after some commissioners expressed their need for more time to consider all the evidence.

Hambley’s attorney, Sarah Howard, told reporters following Wednesday’s hearing she believed the move to delay the vote was “largely performative.”

“I don’t think there’s anybody on that board that doesn’t already know how they’re voting and I think to drag it out is really more of a disservice to the community,” Howard said. “But, that’s where we are at the moment.”

Oct. 30’s vote is scheduled for 8 a.m.

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