CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Several Democratic Mecklenburg County commissioners are concerned about a lack of diversity in two external groups investigating the county Health Department.
Mecklenburg County is paying more than $200,000 to Navigant Consulting and Praxis Partners to conduct third-party reviews of county Health Department operations.
The reviews are in response to 185 women who weren’t notified by the department about abnormal Pap smear results and patient information for 2,000 people was mistakenly sent to Channel 9.
At an audit review committee meeting, directors with Navigant and Praxis Partners revealed no African-Americans are on their lead investigative teams.
“This does not mirror the community it serves,” said Commissioner Vilma Leake, a Democrat representing District 2.
Leake said a majority of the people using county health services are African-American and from west Charlotte.
Leake, who voted in favor of hiring both groups last month, said the county would have been better off bringing in groups from diverse cities.
“I’m upset about the team,” Leake said. “Why didn't they try to bring someone in from Atlanta with experience in dealing with black communities and minorities?”
Leake is not a member of the audit review committee, but attended Tuesday’s meeting to receive an update on the county’s response to recent controversies.
Leake found herself in a contentious exchange with the committee’s leader Bill James, a Republican commissioner who represents District 2.
Leake accused James of not caring about the diversity of the external groups because the scandals involve people from west Charlotte and not Ballantyne
“I have some problems with him,” Leake said. “He is a white man disrespecting a black woman.”
James said he doesn’t feel he disrespected Leake and that Leake was being disruptive and preventing the meeting from progressing.
“Race is the primary thing she focuses on and I am OK with that except in this particular case we were here to talk about how the public health reports were mismanaged,” James said. “We weren't there to talk about Selma or civil rights issues or anything else, and she tends to take whatever issue we are talking about and then twist it back to that 50 years ago.”
James said he doesn’t believe the investigations into the county Health Department will be impacted because of a lack of diversity in the groups’ members.
James criticized Leake for not raising these concerns before the groups were hired.
The groups were recommended by county manager Dena Diorio and county staff members.
Commissioners unanimously voted to hire both groups.
“I think you hire people to be the best. I think you hire the best by picking the best there is,” James said. “You shouldn't hire anybody by saying ‘we're going to hire the best guy who is black or the best guy who is a Puerto Rican woman.’”
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