| Detroit Free Press
The Michigan Department of Health leader in charge of a leadership role in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic 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 government. It is an honor to serve alongside wonderful colleagues. I look forward to the next chapter,” tweeted Gordon.
In a long statement, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said that Gordon resigned and she accepted his decision. She did not cite the reason for leaving or thanked her for her service in the statement.
Whitmer said that Elizabeth Hertel, currently the senior deputy director of administration for the health department, will be the new director.
“Elizabeth Hertel has dedicated her career to protecting Michiganders’ public health and is uniquely prepared to lead the MDHHS as we continue to work together to end the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Whitmer.
“She has served in various administrations for both parties and knows how to bring people together to get things done. In her service to the state, she has repeatedly proved that she will do everything in her power to ensure the health and safety of Michigan families everywhere. Ending the COVID-19 pandemic will require a lot of work and partnership between the state government, companies and organizations across the state. “
The health department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement, Hertel said he was ready to fulfill his obligations.
“As we work to increase 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 Michiganders safe and healthy,” said Hertel.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the department at this time. Michigan is facing a crisis unlike any we’ve seen before, but our aggressive action against this virus is working. We will finish the job and end the COVID-19 pandemic once and for all. ”
Gordon was announced by supporters of Whitmer and by those who defended his state pandemic orders, but was routinely criticized by Republican lawmakers. 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 represented an exaggeration by the government.
Critics blamed Gordon in part for decisions about where residents of long-term care institutions infected with COVID-19 should live and whether schools should offer face-to-face classes. It has also essentially become the face of orders banning indoor dining; although Whitmer asked for and ultimately orchestrated those decisions, orders were issued on his behalf by the health department.
“A vaccine is coming and, in the spring, things will be better. Between now and then, the decisions we make, and in particular our willingness to avoid unmasked internal meetings, these decisions will determine whether thousands of Michiganders will survive,” Gordon told lawmakers. in December, one of several contentious meetings they 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, slow the pandemic, safeguard hospitals for everyone who needs them and protect heroic health professionals.”
During that meeting, Gordon spared state senator Kim LaSata of R-Bainbridge Township. After a heated argument in which LaSata said Gordon’s orders were threatening the lives of children, she said “if you’re leaving us, good luck”, seeming to suggest that Gordon had plans for a different job.
“Thank you, there are no plans to leave,” replied Gordon.
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Whitmer appointed Gordon to the position in January 2019, shortly after taking office. He previously worked for the College Board, a nonprofit that operates standardized testing, and held several high-level positions in the administration of former President Barack Obama. He was not a doctor, but graduated from Harvard Law School from Yale University, according to the biography available on the state health department’s website.
In November, then-elected President Joe Biden appointed Gordon as co-leader of a transition team that looks at the actions of the federal health department.
In December, protesters shouted outside his home in Lansing, urging him to “open up now”. In the same month, a Republican senator called on Gordon to resign, citing the state’s response to the pandemic.
“Director Gordon has issued mandates across the state shutting down small businesses without giving them the opportunity to operate safely – a move that has led these small entrepreneurs to bankrupt, through no fault of their own,” said Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton. In November .
After Michigan Supreme Court decisions overturned Whitmer’s executive orders in the fall, Gordon quickly issued a series of state health orders that essentially mirrored his directives. He pointed to a state law that offers broad authority to the director of the health department in times of emergency health to restrict meetings and issue other orders.
“We understand that people are confused and want clarity, which is why we issued orders that, as much as possible, are the same as the orders that were already in place, because there was an extremely disturbing court case and we are just trying to restore it,” said Gordon in season.
“Nothing would make us happier than being able to step back from the requirements here. Nobody is enjoying this. We are doing this because wearing masks and social detachment are our best tools to restrict COVID, save lives and get back to normal. ”
Lawmakers approved a measure that would require the health director to receive legislative approval for any emergency order that extends beyond 28 days, but Whitmer vetoed the bill.
Contact Dave Boucher at [email protected] or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @ Dave_Boucher1.