Whatcom official threatened after social media post about COVID vaccine effort
A Whatcom County Council member criticized the Health Department director on social media, exposing her to threats that required a Sheriff’s Office report and prompting criticism that an elected official acted inappropriately by interfering with an employee’s work.
Councilwoman Kathy Kershner posted to her Facebook account a July 14 email exchange with Health Director Erika Lautenbach about funding for a program that promotes COVID-19 vaccination among young adults.
That Facebook post originally included Lautenbach’s mobile phone number, but was removed and posted again without Lautenbach’s phone number and with less inflammatory wording, Kershner told The Bellingham Herald.
“I’m sorry that (Lautenbach) had to deal with that,” Kershner told The Herald. “I immediately took the post down and reworked it.”
Lautenbach told The Herald that she received calls that she viewed as a threat and that she notified the Sheriff’s Office.
“As a department head, I am a staff person and I’m trying my best to lead my team and make good evidence-based and science-based decisions,” Lautenbach said. “It seems as though it’s more of a philosophical difference rather than a policy difference.”
Lautenbach told The Herald that’s she’s also been receiving angry emails, including those that contain misinformation about COVID-19, the vaccines against it, and some that inaccurately link it to the Holocaust, where some 6 million Jews were murdered by Germany and its collaborators in World War II.
Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Deb Slater didn’t return an email from The Herald seeking comment.
“The Whatcom County Health Department has gotten too powerful and needs to be reined in,” Kershner’s original Facebook post said, according to a screenshot provided to The Herald.
“The council voted to discontinue funding for a social marketing campaign that ‘targets youth’ for the emergency use authorization vaccine and this is what our health director did as seen in the screenshot below.”
Lautenbach’s mobile phone number was included in the original post because it was part of her email signature.
In an interview, Kershner said she believes that “the spirit of the council vote is not being honored.”
In dispute is a June 29 request from the Health Department to increase funding by $106,000 for a marketing campaign that would encourage Whatcom County residents ages 18 to 26 to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
That program was paid for with $200,000 in pandemic relief money through the CARES Act.
But Lautenbach sought more money to continue the ad campaign, and a County Council vote was required because the $106,000 request was more than 10% of the original contract.
“There wasn’t much information in them except ‘Be cool and get your shot,’” Kershner said at the June 29 meeting. “I’m not going to support this. I haven’t made a secret that I am not a fan of the communications that are coming out about many things regarding COVID and one is the extreme censorship on any information that does not comport with everybody getting a vaccine.”
County County members rejected the measure on a 3-3-1 vote, with Councilmen Tyler Byrd and Ben Elenbaas joining Kershner in opposing the extra funds, and Councilman Rud Browne abstaining.
Lautenbach told The Herald that she discussed the marketing campaign with her staff and got permission from County Executive Satpal Sidhu’s office for the Health Department could use $20,000 — 10% of the original contract — to finish the ad campaign.
Sidhu told The Herald that Lautenbach was advised to notify all County Council members about her plan, in the interest of transparency since the council had rejected the extra funds.
Kershner took an image of the emails and uploaded them to Facebook.
“It’s unethical, it’s unprofessional and it lacks good judgment,” Sidhu said. “It’s giving the impression that a department head is out of control. (Kershner) is trying to make a political statement by blaming an employee. This really upsets me.”
