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| Detroit Free Press
The Michigan Department of Health chief responsible for playing a leading role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has resigned.
Robert Gordon, head of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, announced the decision on Friday afternoon on Twitter.
“Today I am resigning from the Whitmer administration. It has been an honor to serve alongside wonderful colleagues. I look forward to the next chapter,” Gordon tweeted.
In a lengthy statement, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said Gordon had resigned and accepted his decision. She did not cite a reason for leaving or thank him for his service in the statement.
Whitmer said Elizabeth Hertel, currently deputy director general of administration in the health department, would be the new director.
“Elizabeth Hertel has dedicated her career to protecting the public health of the Michiganders, and she is uniquely prepared to lead the MDHHS as we continue to work together to end the COVID-19 pandemic,” Whitmer said.
“She has served in several administrations on both sides and knows how to bring people together to get things done. In service to the state, she has proven time and time again that she will do anything in her power to ensure the health and safety of Michigan families everywhere. Ending the COVID-19 pandemic will take hard work and partnership between state government, businesses and organizations across the state. “
The health department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement, Hertel said she was ready to take up her duties.
“As we work to accelerate the distribution of the safe and effective COVID vaccine and end the pandemic, I look forward to working with Governor Whitmer and her administration to keep the Michiganders safe and healthy,” Hertel said. .
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to lead the department at this time. Michigan is facing a crisis like we have never seen before, but our aggressive action against this virus is working. Let’s finish the job and end the COVID-19 pandemic once and for all. ”
Gordon has been praised by supporters of Whitmer and those who have championed his state pandemic orders, but has been regularly criticized by legislative Republicans. While he and the governor defended the orders as legitimate tools that saved people’s lives, opponents argued that the orders were too broad and overbroad the government.
Critics blamed Gordon in part for the decisions about where residents of long-term care facilities infected with COVID-19 should live and whether schools should offer in-person classes. It has also essentially become the face of ordinances prohibiting indoor dining; although Whitmer claimed and ultimately orchestrated these decisions, the orders were issued on his behalf by the Department of Health.
“A vaccine is coming and by the spring things will be better. Until then, the decisions we make, and in particular our willingness to avoid unmasked indoor gatherings, those decisions will determine whether thousands of Michiganders survive. Gordon told lawmakers. December, one of the many controversial meetings they’ve had with him.
“Today I ask that we put politics aside, focus on science, facts and our personal responsibilities regardless of the party, to be smart, to slow the pandemic, to protect hospitals for all who need it and protect the heroic health workers.
During this meeting, Gordon spared with State Senator Kim LaSata, Township of R-Bainbridge. After a heated exchange where LaSata said Gordon’s orders threatened the children’s lives, she said “if you leave us, good luck”, appearing to imply that Gordon has plans for another job.
“Thanks, not planning on leaving,” Gordon replied.
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Whitmer appointed Gordon to the post in January 2019 shortly after taking office. He previously worked for the College Board, a non-profit entity that manages standardized tests, and held several senior positions in the administration of former President Barack Obama. He was not a doctor, but a Harvard University graduate with a law degree from Yale University, according to the biography available on the state health department’s website.
In November, then-president-elect Joe Biden appointed Gordon as the co-leader of a transition team reviewing the actions of the federal Department of Health.
In December, protesters shouted outside his home in Lansing, calling on him to “open now”. That same month, a Republican senator called for Gordon’s resignation, citing the state’s response to the pandemic.
“Director Gordon has issued statewide warrants to shut down small businesses without giving them the ability to operate safely – a move that has pushed these hardworking small business owners out of business without ever having to worry. their fault, ”said Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton. in November.
After Michigan Supreme Court rulings overturned Whitmer’s decrees in the fall, Gordon quickly issued a series of state health orders that essentially mirrored his guidelines. He referred to a state law that grants broad authority to the director of the health department in a health emergency to restrict gatherings and issue other warrants.
“We understand that people are confused and want clarity, and that’s why we issued orders which, to the extent possible, are the same as the orders that were already in place, because there was this case. extremely disruptive court and we’re trying to just reinstate, ”Gordon said at the time.
“Nothing would make us happier than being able to reverse the requirements here. No one appreciates it. We do this because wearing masks and social distancing are our best tools for coercing COVID, saving lives, and getting back to normal. ”
Lawmakers passed a measure that would have required the director of health to receive legislative approval for any emergency orders that extended beyond 28 days, but Whitmer vetoed the bill.
Contact Dave Boucher at [email protected] or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @ Dave_Boucher1.
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