Updated Action: Tell Ada commissioners to say NO to conspiracy theorist for Central District Health

You sent over 3,000 emails to Ada County commissioners over the past few weeks. While commissioners initially seemed to waver on their physician appointment to the Central District Health board, on Aug. 17, 2 of the 3 vote for extremist candidate Ryan Cole, widely known for peddling false information about COVID.

We are now appealing to county commissioners in Boise, Valley and Elmore counties to refuse to seat Cole. You can let them know how you feel by sending a new letter.

Idaho 97 supporters sent two round of emails to the county.

More than 1,400 of you wrote something like the following:

I am an Ada County resident and I am shocked that you are even considering Dr. Ryan Cole for the physician position on the Central District Health Board.

Cole is linked to one of the nation’s most prolific spreaders of COVID misinformation, according to Business Insider, spreads disinformation himself by calling the COVID vaccine “needle rape” and the “clot shot,” and has recommended the use of an unapproved treatment for COVID against the advice of the FDA, NIH, and WHO.

What is most disturbing about your consideration of Cole is that he is clearly being dishonest and, for whatever reason, willing to risk my life and the lives of other citizens of Ada County. Even though he encourages others to take dangerous and unproven actions in the face of a pandemic, he and his family ARE FULLY VACCINATED.

I simply cannot believe that none of you asked him questions about this dangerous, incorrect, and well documented information during his interview. I trusted you to do a job, thoroughly investigating the candidate’s qualification, yet here I am providing the information to you now.

Please don’t make the problem even worse by allowing Dr. Cole to have any input into my community’s health and safety.

I again urge you to select the only candidate that has experience with infectious diseases and community health, Dr. Sky Blue. But at the very least, protect the citizens of Ada county from Dr. Cole’s reckless, dangerous, and incorrect medical advice.

Thank you for your consideration of public health needs for the county, the region, the nation and the world during this difficult time.

And over 1,700 Idaho 97 supporters wrote to The Ada County Commission to urge that they appoint Dr. Sky Blue to the Central District Health Board from Friday, August 6-Monday August 9... As the Delta variant surged and our hospitals filled to capacity again, the Ada County Commissioners were interviewing candidates for the Central District Health Board. There was only one qualified candidate: Dr. Sky Blue, an epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist. He is the only candidate with the experience and expertise to effectively shepherd our community through this extremely dangerous time.

You wrote this to the commissioners:

I am writing to support the candidacy of Dr. Sky Blue for the physician position on the Central District Health Board. I understand you closed the public comment period on this appointment without warning, notice, and not in keeping with your prior business practices. However, as a citizen, I expect that you will seriously consider my testimony on this critical public health matter as you go into interviews and a vote next week.

Dr. Blue is not only the most qualified candidate, but clearly the only qualified candidate for the position. Dr. Blue is the only candidate who is an epidemiologist, infectious disease specialist, and who comes to you with extensive experience in community health.

Furthermore, unlike the other candidates, Dr. Blue has always maintained a neutral and professional demeanor when it comes to addressing COVID and has not allowed politics or party affiliation to color his judgment. This is in keeping with the desires of the people of Ada County – a professional physician guided by science and not by personal political beliefs.

Unlike Dr. Blue, Dr. Ryan Cole has consistently shown his unfitness for this position by putting personal politics ahead of science, aligning with unsavory political movements that are not only in the minority, but run counter to the values and expectations of the citizens of Ada County.

As a governing body, you showed us that you can come together and put the interests of the citizens of Ada County first with your excellent pick for Ada County Sheriff. I am asking that you do that again and lead by example.

Put our interests first and pick the most qualified candidate for this position, Dr. Sky Blue.

Thank you for your service to this county.