A Clinton City Council member Monday night blasted the practices and decisions of John Weninger, interim CEO of the Dr. John Warner Hospital.

Tom Edmunds has been outspoken in recent months about what is happening at the city owned hospital. In recent public forums, Edmunds called for the hospital board to seek out other opinions for hospital management firms, however, in the haste of the Board, no other options were sought, and an attempt to hire Alliant Management Services was rejected by the City Council.

It is Edmunds contention had the hospital Board sought other opinions, Alliant could be running the hospital at this time. Instead, it is now under the tutelage of Weninger, and Edmunds did not have positive remarks towards the interim director. He says Weninger's analysis of the hospital lab has not matched up with what the leader of the lab has come up with.

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Last week, Director of Business Development, Sandy Rice was released of her duties. Weninger allegedly said the Hospital could not afford business development, but according to Edmunds, Rice had to spend some of her final hours with the hospital explaining what all she did.

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Edmunds also questions the CEO's actions towards employees. According to Edmunds, Weninger will "play one employee against another" and "talk bad about employees, the Board, the City Council and the Mayor". In a meeting with Edmunds, he says Weninger even talked poorly of Mayor Carolyn Peters.

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It was several weeks ago, Weninger presented to the Council the financial condition of the hospital, and Edmunds says his analysis was flawed and left out many major details. Edmunds says contrary to what the CEO presented, the Hospital is actually in very good standing.

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Edmunds explains he's been approached on many occasions about what the City Council can do, and state statutes do not allow them much authority in dissolving the Hospital Board or removing Board members without first the action of the Mayor.

He's calling for a slow down in cuts and see how the current cuts play out.

He encourages the public to make their beliefs and opinions known to hospital board members and the Mayor.

Hear the full presentation from Tom Edmunds below:

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