Dear Rock County Board Members,
As a local taxpayer and voter, I have become aware of and vigorously Oppose the Covid-19 vaccine mandate for the staff working at our taxpayer-funded county nursing home, Rock Haven.
Specifically, I ask You to:
1) Fully Repeal this Extreme Vaccine Mandate which has not been instituted in any of the other public or private healthcare entities in the stateline nor any other County-run department.
2) Reinstate the Rock Haven Staff Members who were fired for refusing to take a rushed vaccine that has not been approved by the FDA. Make these employees whole by providing them with backpay, compensation for any injuries they have sustained as a result of this vaccine they received under duress, and wipe their work records clean.
3) Immediately Terminate the Employment of Rock County Administrator Josh Smith (annual salary: $142,168) and Rock Haven Interim Administrator Sara Beran (annual salary: $109,768) for their direct role in pushing this extremist policy in violation of:
a) Administrative Compliance Policy 1.02
b) Contract Review Policy 2.01, and
c) Rock County Ordinance 18.613(d) – The appointing authority may lay off an employee when an employee can no longer perform the essential functions of the job.”
d) Their willful and disrespectful conduct in failing to keep the Rock County Board, the elected representatives of taxpayers, fully informed regarding their extreme policy mandate as it relates to the care of Rock County’s most vulnerable population.
e) Their creation of a hostile work environment by placing employees under duress leading to many staff members quitting, taking lay off, and ultimately creating a local nursing shortage.
f) Their willful and disrespectful conduct which has led to forcing taxpayers to provide Unemployment Compensation to affected workers. These workers received notice of this Extreme Mandate on Christmas Eve and only had a limited time to decide between their employment or their health and right to personal autonomy.
g) Their willful and disrespectful conduct which has led to forcing taxpayers to pay for unnecessary overtime expenses related to staff mandation.
h) Their willful and disrespectful conduct which has led to forcing taxpayers to pay the price of hiring expensive outside contract nurses from 6 agencies as referenced in a recent Janesville Gazette article.
i) Finally, their willful and disrespectful conduct which has attracted the attention of expensive litigation—the cost such lawsuits will likely again be borne by the hard-working taxpayers of Rock County.
