Residents and former staff urge Madison County to suspend nursing-home administrator amid bullying allegations

Cassie Marsh, a Madison County resident who spoke during public comment, told commissioners she recently learned a registered nurse at Tobacco Root Mountain Care Center resigned amid what Marsh called "turmoil" and "harassment" by administration. "You can't run a nursing home without staff," Marsh said, and asked whether the county had hired the consulting firm discussed previously. She urged the board to keep existing staff and said the county should consider placing the administrator on administrative leave until the consultant's anonymous survey is completed.

Lindsay Erickson, who identified herself as a former TRMCC social services director, described leaving the facility in September and said staff had labeled coworkers "toxic" when they questioned management. "Christie did bring some good changes to light. However, her style of leadership is not to be a leader. It's to be a bully," Erickson said, asking that the administrator be put on leave so employees would feel safe speaking to investigators.

Brian Lasotte, a former TRMCC employee, said his wife—who served as MDS nurse and director of nursing—left the facility because of the administrator's conduct and described a pattern he called "toxic" and harmful to staff morale. Multiple commenters asked commissioners for clarity on the consultant's timeline and whether the county would consider interim personnel actions while the review is completed.

County commissioners acknowledged the seriousness of the comments and said they are awaiting the consultant's anonymous employee survey and additional information before taking formal action. One commissioner noted they had also received letters describing positive staff experiences and urged the board to consider both sides before personnel decisions are made. County staff indicated the consulting firm would conduct an anonymous survey with current and past employees and that they would report results to the board when available.

The board did not take formal personnel action during the meeting; commissioners said they would wait for the consultant's findings and any legal or human-resources guidance before deciding on temporary personnel measures. The next procedural steps reported to the board were (a) the consultant's outreach to the facility administrator and HR to set up the anonymous survey, and (b) a follow-up report to commissioners once survey results and any recommended actions are available.