Tracy Shelton jumped the gun Tuesday in her attempt to elect a new chairman to the Greenwood Leflore Hospital Board.
She will have to wait at least five more months to try to effect that shakeup in the board’s leadership.
Shelton, the newest of the board members, has raised concerns in recent months over the publicly owned hospital’s declining reserves. She asked to amend the agenda at the start of Tuesday’s meeting to vote on the board’s chairman, vice chairman and secretary.
Currently, those positions are held by Harris Powers Jr., Marcus Banks and Emma Bell.
Shelton said she understood the leadership positions were to be voted on each January. She objected to Powers’ suggestion that the matter be tabled until the board’s meeting in February.
“Let’s kick this can until next month,” Powers said.
“No, you can’t just kick a can,” Shelton responded.
Powers then asked a hospital staffer to retrieve a copy of the board’s bylaws. While he was looking them over, Shelton made a motion to nominate Banks as the chairman. Before she could state whom she wanted to see in the other two positions, Powers read aloud from the bylaws that board officers serve three-year terms unless a shorter period is specified at the time of their election.
He was elected to the chairmanship in June 2019.
Shelton then moved to remove the issue from the board’s agenda, and there was no further discussion on the matter.
-Contact Tim Kalich at 662-581-7243 or tkalich@gwcommonwealth.com.
