Two Health Board Members Resign Alleging Select Board Conflicts

HARWICH – Two members of the board of health have resigned alleging potential conflicts with select board member Donald Howell.

Board of Health Chair Kevin DuPont submitted his resignation to the select board June 22, citing what he said was an effort underway by Howell seeking to remove him from the board. DuPont has served on the board for five years. 

Former health board chair Sharon Pfleger announced her resignation immediately after DuPont. She served on the board for seven years. 

 “I have approached the role with diligence, preparation and a genuine desire to serve the residents of Harwich,” DuPont told the select board. “It is difficult for me to ignore circumstances that have led to the current effort to remove me from the board.”

DuPont’s three-year appointment was scheduled to expire on June 30. He was asked to attend the select board interview committee meeting scheduled for June 23. The select board has made a number of reappointments through a single vote via a consent agenda, but allowed board members to withhold an appointment for additional discussion. Howell asked that DuPont’s name be withheld from the consent agenda. 

Pfleger said the move was “overreach, meddling and manipulation by someone on the select board in an attempt to control the composition of the board of health. lnterference with the activities of the board of health has caused me to reconsider my desire to be part of the board of health.”

 DuPont said he is particularly troubled by the involvement of Howell, whose wife Pamela is a member of the health board. He said she nearly resigned when DuPont was appointed chair a year ago. Dupont was just appointed chair for a second year.

 “I believe there is at minimum the appearance of a conflict that warrants consideration,” said DuPont.

Pfleger said that while she served as chair, Donald Howell called her trying to alter fertilizer policy language that was contrary to what town counsel was recommending. Howell wanted it called a fertilizer “regulation,” while counsel recommended “policy,” she said. Pfleger said Howell asked her not to tell his wife that he made the call. 

 “This would appear to be a direct conflict of interest on Don Howell's part as his wife is a member of the board of health,” Pfleger said. “As a result, I do not feel that I can continue as a member of the board of health with Mr. Howell's continued interference with a regulatory board.”

 Select board Chair Peter Piekarski said the board would talk about the process of how board members request that a reappointment be taken up by the interview committee. He said the discussion is not about DuPont, but about the process. 

 Select board member Jeffrey Handler said Howell requested removing someone from the volunteer committee appointment list but no name or information was provided to the board. Handler said last week that he got a call from DuPont asking why he was being referred to the interview committee. 

 According to the select board’s committee handbook, “Any concerns regarding a BCC (board, committee, commission) member’s ability to meet the responsibilities or conduct as outlined in the committee handbook will be referred to the IC (interview committee) for review. The results of this assessment will be reviewed with the member. The IC will then report to the BOS as appropriate.”

 “Mr Howell decided there was an issue with Mr. DuPont,” Handler said. “He cryptically removed him from the list without using his name. He did not inform this board who or why. He then independently directed the staff to call Mr. DuPont to bring him before the interview committee. I’ll speak for myself. I don’t know about the rest of the board, but I had no idea whatsoever.”

Added Handler, “We as board members do not act independently. So, Mr. Chair, my position is that our process is not flawed, but the way Mr. Howell decided to conduct board business on his own, independent of the board, I find that to be the issue.”

Howell responded that anybody on the board could remove someone from the master list of reappointments. He said the issue with DuPont was about “behavior” but did not elaborate further, saying it was inappropriate to discuss a behavioral issue at a full committee meeting. Howell said unbeknownst to Handler, he spoke with town counsel and it was determined the proper place for the discussion was in the interview committee.

 “In the five years I’ve served, not a single formal complaint has been brought against me regarding my conduct or performance,” DuPont told the select board.

 “My intent was we’d come out of this meeting tomorrow with a recommendation to approve his appointment,” said Howell, who was just appointed to the interview committee.

 “I don’t agree with your process…where you operated independently,” said Handler.

Piekarski said the board will use the process for addressing such issues as spelled out in the committee handbook.

 “I don’t think this is the last resignation from the board,” Pfleger said. “We have an issue, and it’s not Kevin DuPont.”