St. Clair County defers decision on investigating health director facing workplace complaints

PORT HURON — A St. Clair County Board of Commissioners committee decided on Thursday night to table a decision to launch an independent investigation into the county medical director, Dr. Remington Nevin — an investigation that public health nurses in the county have been requesting  for months.

Nevin is facing complaints of a toxic workplace, including reports of unfair labor practices like retaliation as well as sexual harassment allegations, from nurses since he took over leadership of the department in 2024. 

A December 2024 report from the county’s Hotline Review Committee detailing anonymous complaints submitted through the county’s Human Resources hotline included many of those concerns, which members of the local nurses union say have only escalated in the nearly two years since.

“After speaking at length with the staff, the constant bombardment of demeaning and condescending behavior; the arrogant presentation of himself to colleagues from state and county government; the disregard for the safety of staff and patients; and the disdain and prejudice toward the community he was hired to serve is untenable long term,” the report states.

Nurses working for the county are calling for an independent investigation, as opposed to an internal investigation done within the county, so that the investigation can be unbiased and neutral, said Jessica Baker, the president of the local nurses union.

“We deserve respect and a fair working environment without harassment, without retaliation. There are years worth of complaints regarding the medical director’s conduct, and we believe that deserves a fair investigation,” she said. “We’re not asking for punishment. We’re asking for the board to be accountable to the way that their employees are treated.”

Nurses from around the county, as well as other concerned citizens, spoke at the meeting, many a part of the local Michigan Nurses Association chapter, in opposition to Nevin’s continued leadership of the health department. 

Nevin did not respond to a request for comment from the Michigan Advance on Thursday’s meeting or on the calls for an investigation into his conduct. This story will be updated when a response is received.

Nevin, who some have called “Michigan’s RFK Jr.” — a parallel that he is proud of — has been an advocate against vaccines, medical masks, fluoridated water and solar panels throughout his time leading the county’s health department.

The St. Clair County Board of Commissioners is entirely made up of Republican members, and some speakers accused the board of choosing to promote their own political agenda by keeping Nevin in his role, instead of exerting proper oversight over a county official. 

St. Clair County Human Services Committee Chair and Commissioner Lisa Beedon, who initiated a motion to launch an investigation into Nevin, said that she believes that the current system has failed the county’s employees.

“We did not act. I think there’s a failure there. So our current system is not working, and I think an investigation is warranted because of the totality of the complaints,” she said. “If we do not address this and just clear the air altogether, it’s going to continue to work against our goals of having that department be cohesive and work together.”

Commissioner Dave Vandenbossche was the sole other member of the board to throw his support behind the motion at Thursday’s meeting. 

“We need to do this investigation,” he said. “We can’t keep kicking this can down the road, we need to do something.”

However, most of Beedon’s colleagues seemed to disagree — including Commissioner Steven Simasko, the chair of the county’s board.

“I do not believe that what is requested would be helpful to move the department forward in a positive manner. It would only serve to create further drama and friction within the department,” Simasko said. “I think our time is better spent following the leadership, working within the system we have, and trying to work together to make it better and and apply our resources and our time in that fashion, rather than an investigation that we can’t even agree on the the depth or nature of in a matters that I think would just detract from improvement.”

Gary Fletcher, the county’s corporation counsel, was asked throughout the meeting by board members about the logistics of such an investigation, including how much it would cost and how long it might take to get started. 

He indicated to board members that all his team would need is specific details on the allegations against Nevin to make a decision, details that Beedon said she passed along to him during the meeting. He noted that, based on what he heard at the meeting, that the recommendation would probably be to bring in an outside investigator.

Commissioner David Rushing argued throughout the meeting proper procedure has not been followed to file a complaint — something that Baker and other nurses pushed back on, arguing that they had used the county’s own reporting system. 

“It is a little disappointing overall to hear that they don’t have any specifics when they very well do,” Baker said. “I think the very real threat of retaliation, considering there is an unfair labor practice, that’s why nurses don’t want to come forward.”

Beedon similarly criticized the argument from Rushing, saying, “We’re asking employees to report anonymously, and then we don’t investigate because it was reported anonymously.”

While the majority of the public comment was against Nevin, three individuals did speak in his defense, largely citing his stances in favor of “vaccine choice.”

Katie Pringle, one of the nurses in attendance, urged board members to “do the right thing” in her public comment. 

“We have lost hardworking, knowledgeable employees because of the hostile work environment and uncertainty that has continued to surround this department,” she said. “It is not easy to stand here today. I don’t enjoy sitting in this room feeling unheard, watching this behavior continue while employees are left to carry the weight of it. I want to be very clear about something. This is not about politics. It’s not about political parties. It’s about accountability.”

Baker said she remains hopeful that the board will eventually vote to launch an investigation, a motion which is now set to be considered at next month’s Human Services committee. The county website does not list a date for the October meeting.