The WhidbeyHealth hospital board has two vacancies to fill due to resignations, but state law dictates that appointments are made one nominee at a time.

As a result, the three current members of the five-person board are seeking candidates for the open second seat, which was vacated by James Golder. Until Feb. 17, registered voters residing on Whidbey Island may submit candidate nominations to the board for appointment consideration.

At the most recent board meeting, the hospital commissioners nominated South Whidbey resident Henry Veldman for consideration, which is a necessary step outlined in RCW 42.12.080. Board President Marion Jouas emphasized that the decision to nominate Veldman, a retired health care administrator, does not give him an advantage over other candidates.

The board will reconvene on Feb. 17 to consider all candidates and make an appointment. After that appointment is made, the process will start over again to fill the other position, which was vacated by James Canby. The board will ask for nominations, with the newly appointed hospital commissioner participating in the vote.

Under state law, a person who is appointed shall serve until someone is elected in the next election, at which a member of the governing body normally would be elected. For the hospital commissioners, that would be until the 2027 election.

Board members are considered “at large,” which means they do not represent any specific area of the island. They are elected for six-year terms.

For more information, visit whidbeyhealth.org/board-of-commissioners. Nominations should be submitted to gleasj@whidbeyhealth.org.

Golder and Canby resigned from the board last month following a dramatic meeting at which they, along with board member Dr. Mark Borden, voted to fire CEO Nathan Staggs without explanation. They changed their decision after dozens of members of the medical staff came to the ongoing meeting in support of Staggs and harshly criticized the three board members.