After the Ottawa Board of Commissioners voted to terminate the county’s top health officer, a judge has filed a temporary restraining order.
The restraining order blocks the firing of Ottawa County Health Officer Adeline Hambley, who had been terminated without warning when the newly elected board met for the first time back in January.
On Thursday, Judge Jenny McNeill ruled that commissioners were prohibited from any further action against Hambley until the court held a hearing on the matter.
The outsted public health officer has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against certain board of commissioners, alleging that her removal was political payback by far-right-leaning members who are angry over pandemic protocols such as vaccine mandates and mask requirements.
On Tuesday, the board then voted to revise a resolution that voided her employment on a clerical error, however Commissioner Jacob Bonnema questioned whether the group had the legal right to do so.
“What are we doing here,” Bonnema said. “This is a legal document.”
The temporary restraining order is set to expire on March 13, and a court will be set to hear arguments from both sides before then.
