SPOKANE, Wash. — On Tuesday, the Washington State Board of Health voted to move forward with a hearing into the conduct of Spokane Regional Health District Administrator Amelia Clark in her controversial ouster of former health officer Dr. Bob Lutz in the fall of 2020.
The controversy has had some serious twists and turns over the last year. It's easy to lose track of them. Here's a timeline of some of the key events.
Oct. 29, 2020
The situation started with a board meeting on Oct. 29. In a closed executive session, concerns about Dr. Lutz's performance were raised.
Dr. Lutz and Clark then had a meeting. Accounts of what happened in that meeting differ. Lutz says Clark in no uncertain terms fired him as health officer, taking his SRHD materials. Clark says she put him on administrative leave.
Oct, 30, 2020
At approximately 9 a.m., SRHD sent out a press release that shocked many, saying Lutz had been asked to resign.
It read in part, "Yesterday, the Spokane County Board of Health asked Spokane County Health Officer Dr. Bob Lutz to resign."
But it quickly became apparent that wasn't exactly what happened.
In a turbulent press conference that same day, district officials repeatedly evaded questions about whether Lutz had resigned or been fired. But when asked to clarify whether Lutz was considered an employee of SRHD, spokesperson Kelli Hawkins responded "as of today, no he is not."
Neither Hawkins, Clark, nor board chair Ben Wick were willing or able to clarify who exactly was fulfilling Lutz's duties as health officer at that time.
Spokane County recorded 152 new cases on this day, the second-highest number to that point.
Several board members began calling for a special meeting to hash out, publicly, whether or not Lutz was and would remain as health officer.
Oct, 31, 2020
On Saturday, Lutz broke his silence. He hired a lawyer and announced he was not resigning, and that his status within the district was unclear, even to him.
Protesters gathered outside the health district's offices to show their support for Lutz.
Nov. 2, 2020
Lutz, through his lawyer, released another statement. This one said Clark had definitively fired him on Oct. 29, and taken his SRHD laptop and other materials.
This would be illegal, as only the board can fire the health officer, and can only do so via a public vote.
We later learned as well that this was the day on which Clark actually asked human resources to put Lutz on administrative leave, retroactive to Oct. 29.
Nov. 4, 2020
A public records request revealed board member Breean Beggs had concerns about the actions taken by SRHD leaders over the course of the past few days.
In an email, Beggs noted that Clark should not have revealed anything that happened in executive session, that any decision on Lutz's employment would have to be made publicly, and that it was his understanding Clark would simply be presenting Lutz with a corrective action plan, not termination.
Nov. 5, 2020
The board held a special meeting to decide Lutz's fate.
Clark unveiled a litany of personal and professional misconduct allegations against Lutz.
"It is clear to me that Dr. Lutz is unwilling to make the necessary changes to be a successful part of the Spokane Regional Health District team moving forward," she said before calling for his termination.
Lutz and his lawyer argued the allegations were trivial compared to the importance of having a competent professional in the role of health officer during a pandemic.
"You will find that they in no way constitute a reasonable basis to fire me," Lutz said of the accusations in his opening statement.
The board disagreed, voting 8-4 in favor of his termination.
The same night, they unanimously approved a new interim health officer, Dr. Frank Velazquez. Most board members appeared to be unfamiliar with Velazquez.
Nov. 6, 2020
The day after Lutz was fired, Spokane County recorded a new all-time high in cases with 183, soaring past the previous record of 170 that had been recorded in August.
In the days after the meeting, several board members, as well as SRHD employees, expressed concern over the decision.
Nov. 7, 2020
The next day Spokane again shattered its single-day record, nearly doubling it with a whopping 347 new cases.
Nov. 9, 2020
On Monday, the Washington State Board of Health decided to investigate multiple complaints made by citizens against Clark, alleging violations of state law in the process of her forcing out Lutz.
Nov. 13, 2020
Dr. Velazquez had his first press conference as interim health officer.
December 3
The SRHD board formally approved Velazquez as interim health officer. He has continued to serve in this role since.
May 11
The preliminary investigation commissioned by the State Board of Health was released. It found evidence that Clark broke state law in forcing out Lutz. It said Lutz was in fact removed as health officer on October 29, without a public hearing and vote, and that the retroactive administrative leave did not change that fact.
SRHD Board Chair Mary Kuney released a statement defending Clark and repeating her claim that she only placed Lutz on leave, and did not fire him.
June 1
The State Board of Health held a special meeting to review the findings of the preliminary investigation. Board members voted unanimously to move forward with a hearing, in order to call witnesses under oath, hear directly from Clark, and potentially decide whether she broke the law and if so what to do about it.
The hearing date is to be determined.