Driskell resigns from GRH board

After 30 years of service to the Greater Regional Health board, member Dave Driskell announced his resignation during Monday’s board meeting. The resignation is effective Dec. 31.

In a statement, he read, ”I am grateful for the opportunity to have served on the board and contributed to Greater Regional’s mission over the past 30 years. I’m stepping down for the board to move to a five-member board and take some time to travel and spend with my family,” he said.

Having been involved with the facility’s growth during his time of service, Driskell said he sees that continue in the future.

“I’m confident in the board’s ability to make active, positive decisions with this organization with Greater Regional’s continued future success.”

Driskell is chairman of the board. Greater Regional Chief Executive Officer Monte Neitzel said board officer positions will be addressed in January.

“There is a lot of emotion. He was instrumental in bringing me here,” Neitzel said about Driskell.

Neitzel said a reception in Driskell’s honor is likely after the holidays.

Driskell’s resignation shifts the board to five members, what has become a two-year issue. In December 2022, when the board was seven members, Tom Dunphy resigned, a month after being re-elected to another four-year term. No one was appointed to fill the vacancy. The board had six active seats until this summer.

In July, the board approved to transition from a seven-member board to a five-member with each member serving four years. At that time, board member Sherry McKie was not planning on running for another term. McKie and member Julie Lanning each had terms expire this year. Lanning ran again and won Nov. 5, uncontested.

Neitzel said the switch, and state legislation altering terms of public service, does change the format for board member terms. He said the other four members would be on the ballot in 2026; Driskell, Jack Davis, Tom Lesan and Ken Stults. As a seven-member board, member terms were staggered. Two members were on one ballot, three members’ terms were two years later and the remaining two members’ terms were two years after that.

“We expressed our concern about that to the state,” Neitzel said earlier this year about the change to five and timings of terms. “So noted,” he added about the state’s response.

Greater Regional Board did not want to have four of five seats on one ballot. McKie chose to run for re-election and won uncontested. Neitzel said in August, McKie continuing gave Greater Regional more flexibility in the board format.

“This is a community service board, but still a business. People who serve on this board have to have an appetite for business and the understanding. In this world, if you don’t make money, you don’t survive. If you don’t serve people, you don’t make money. It’s been a wonderful 30 years for me,” Driskell said.

In other board related news, Lanning was sworn in for another term. McKie was not in attendance.