Abigail Aiken[/caption]The Travis County Commissioners Court voted 3-1 Nov. 29 to recommend appointing Aiken to the board as its first choice and recommend local attorney Fred Lewis as its second choice. Commissioners did not approve a prior motion to approve Lewis, who has led efforts to call Central Health’s financial transparency into question, as their first choice.
The next entity that will weigh in on the appointment is the Health & Human Services Committee, which will interview candidates Monday.
Building a board
There is one open seat on the board. William “Kirk” Kuykendall, the joint appointee of the Commissioners Court and Austin City Council, has a term that will expire at the end of 2016. The deadline for applications was Sept. 30, after which a joint working group consisting of county commissioners Margaret Gómez and Brigid Shea as well as Austin City Council members Ora Houston and Kathie Tovo met to narrow down candidates. Four finalists are being considered for the appointment.
Aiken is an assistant professor of public affairs at the University of Texas. Originally from Northern Ireland, Aiken's credentials include an undergraduate degree in natural sciences from Cambridge University in England, an MD from Cambridge University Medical School and being a Frank Knox Fellow at Harvard University. She told the court she also worked at the Texas Capitol and has expertise in research and helping to guide evidence-based policy decisions.
Lewis has urged an independent audit of Central Health’s finances. His credentials include degrees from the University of Texas and University of Texas Law School as well as more than 30 years of involvement with government and administrative law. He told the court he was involved in changing policies of the insurance practices section of the Attorney General's Office as well as government structure changes including Austin's single-member redistricting process.
The other two candidates the court interviewed are attorney and CPA Rudy Colmenero, who is a partner with the law firm of Vacek, Kiecke, Currier & Colmenero, LLP; and business owner Marina Sifuentes, who serves as executive director of the Brookside Women's Medical Center.
If the committee’s decision differs from that of the joint working group, the working group members will meet again to discuss potential options.
The Commissioners Court and the Austin City Council jointly make one appointment to the board, which has nine members. Board members serve for four years and there are no term limits.
