Allen County Commissioners selected David Lee to serve as the newest board member on the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center (SEKMHC) board. Lee replaces Commissioner Jerry Daniels, who is the outgoing commission chair.
Daniels had served on the SEKMHC board since June, filling a vacancy after the commission removed board chair Ken McWhirter and board member Walt Regehr from their positions. Their removals stemmed from what the commission described as “numerous complaints” about the salaries of the nonprofit’s top executives.
Commissioner John Brocker noted in a June interview with the Register that the decision to remove Regehr was also done “to protect him from what the public has perceived he has done.” Regehr’s son-in-law is Job Springer, chief financial officer for the mental health center.
“That’s a conflict of interest,” Brocker said at the time. “He should have stepped down from the board the minute Job took the position. I certainly would have.”
Lee also has a relative who works for SEKMHC. His brother, Dr. Bruce Lee, is on staff at Ashley Clinic, which was purchased by SEKMHC in July 2023.
Attempts to reach Commissioner Lee after Tuesday’s meeting to ask if he viewed his position on the SEKMHC board as a conflict of interest were unsuccessful. After the board shakeup earlier this year, commissioners decided that commission chairs would sit on the SEKMHC board. Lee becomes commission chair at the beginning of the new year.
Tuesday afternoon, Brocker said the commissioners did not discuss the potential conflict for Lee, “but I could see how it does appear to be a conflict of interest.”
“I would have a tough time accepting the position if I were in his position,” Brocker said.
Efforts to reach Commissioner Daniels were also unsuccessful.
Lee, confirmed unanimously, will join the county’s other board appointee, Richard Zahn, effective immediately.
SEKMHC serves six counties — Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Linn, Neosho, and Woodson — with each participating county entitled to two appointments to the board.
IN OTHER NEWS, a high-wind advisory issued Saturday morning prompted an unexpected shutdown at the Allen County Landfill. Public Works Director Mitch Garner told commissioners he acted as soon as the alert came through.
Because the advisory wasn’t issued until that same morning, the county had little lead time. Garner said he contacted County Clerk Shannon Patterson for assistance. “She put it on the county website and emailed the radio station for me,” said Garner. A posted sign at the landfill also helped keep confusion down, he explained. “We had a few phone calls, but not too many,” he said.
Garner also gave an update on construction at the Allen County Airport, where a taxi lane will be removed to make way for a new 80-by-80 hangar. “The contractor said they want to start Jan. 19, and they should have it poured by Jan. 26, if the weather is good,” he said, estimating a one-week downtime followed by a seven-day cure period.
JEREMY HOPKINS, Road & Bridge Director, reported that crews were out early clearing roads after the recent winter weather. “Everything’s pretty much clear,” he said.
Hopkins presented a lone bid of $31,929 from Cillessen & Son’s Inc. of Kechi, Kan., for striping on the old highway and a portion of 1600 and Delaware roads. He noted that he had only received the one bid because most striping companies have already put equipment away for the winter. Commissioners agreed that waiting until spring would likely produce more bids and better pricing. In the meantime, Hopkins said they would put up flex markers.
