By Whidbey News Group editorial board

Last week’s WhidbeyHealth hospital board meeting was a triumph of democracy and advocacy but also an example of governance gone awry.

Hospital Commissioners James Golder, James Canby and Dr. Mark Borden voted to fire CEO Nathan Staggs without explanation. While the meeting was ongoing, hospital medical staff quickly filled the room and loudly spoke out against the action and in support of Staggs, leading the board to backtrack and retract the vote.

In a 3-2 vote, the board also briefly appointed Golder as the president before also reversing that decision.

On Friday, Golder resigned. On Monday, Canby resigned.

This week, Borden was apologetic and said he was hoodwinked into taking the vote. Yet he was right about one thing during the meeting. He spoke about the board’s historic lack of transparency with the public and about the need for a change in that culture.

While the term “transparency” has become rather jargony in the world of local government, it is nonetheless vital to effective and fair governance.

Some of the problems over the years at WhidbeyHealth could have been avoided or at least mitigated by elected officials being open and honest with the Whidbey Island public — the people who own the hospital — instead of defaulting to obfuscation.

In fact, secrecy was an ingredient in the mixture of circumstances that led to the dramatic meeting. Gregory Richardson, the former hospital commissioner who now lives in Portugal, called into the meeting and apologetically admitted that the prior board “hid” from the public the “unending unethical” behavior of Golder. Yes, he repeatedly used the word “hid.”

Also, the commissioners obliquely spoke about tension between Staggs and the health care management company HealthTech, which played a role in the behind-the-scenes drama.

The board clearly discussed Golder’s conduct during an executive session late last year which, in classic board style, was held in violation of the state’s Open Public Meetings Act. Under the law, the board president was supposed to say which specific reason, outlined in law, that the board was excluding the public from hearing the discussion. But during that meeting, Staggs, who has no power to call executive sessions, merely said it was for “personnel” and “legal,” which are far too generic and does not comply with state law.

To be clear, it is up to the board members, not Staggs, to know how to run a meeting.

Even during the meeting last week, Golder, while he was briefly the president, called an executive session and said the reason was “personnel.” Really? The board agenda even included a copy of the RCWs that list the reasons an executive session can be held.

On Monday, Borden said he would have had a completely different take on Staggs if the board had been open with the public about the issues. Staggs blamed him in the meeting for not talking to him prior to the meeting, but that’s just another example of the secretive culture of the hospital. Borden or any member of the Whidbey community shouldn’t have to have a private meeting with the hospital CEO to know what’s really going on in a facility that Whidbey residents own.

It may feel uncomfortable to have certain discussions or give certain explanations in public, especially for those from a business or HIPAA-informed background, but it’s essential to good governance. A few years ago, for example, the Oak Harbor City Council had a very similar issue and discussed it in public. Last month, Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon spoke publicly and openly about her concerns about the behavior of fellow commissioners to explain why she didn’t want either to be the board president.

In a highly unusual violation of open government principles, a representative from HealthTech, a health care management firm that the hospital contracts with, called Golder and Canby into the hallway in the middle of Thursday’s meeting — while it was ongoing. The commissioners changed their votes immediately afterward.

The News-Times has called out the board many, many times over the years for violating the OPMA. In one case, an open government advocate read a News-Times story about a violation and filed a lawsuit against the hospital. In another case, the News-Times pointed to a violation — an actual secret ballot vote — that led the board to hold a special meeting to redo the vote. In another case, the News-Times pointed out the problem during a meeting and the board fixed the issue. In yet another case, a media attorney assisted the News-Times editor in writing a letter to the board members, explaining how they violated the OPMA and demanding that the board redo the meeting; the board refused.

Going forward, we hope there will be no reason for such finger wagging.

Importantly, Whidbey residents should keep in mind that the board’s dysfunction does not reflect on the quality of health care offered at WhidbeyHealth hospital and clinics. The fact so many doctors and nurses stood up for Staggs should reassure patients. The quality of care in the small, rural health care system is top quality and they don’t want that to change.