New job, new salary
Last week, we told you that Guilford County's longtime assistant public health chief, Merle Green, was promoted to health director.
Today, the board of health set her annual salary at $125,000, close to what former director Ramesh Krishnaraj earned. We'll have it in tomorrow's paper, but Scoop readers get the news first:
GREENSBORO - Guilford County's new health director will earn roughly the same salary as her predecessor.
Merle Green will take home an annual salary of $125,000 as Guilford's top public health official, the county's health board announced at a meeting Tuesday. Green did not attend.
Last week, the health board picked Green to lead the 450-employee health department, but board members didn't set a compensation package for her.
Green's new package does not include any type of employment contract, said Rick Gorham, the health board's chairman.
"She didn't ask for one," he said, "and we didn't offer one."
Green was assistant health director from 1997 to 2004 and became interim health chief late last year after Ramesh Krishnaraj resigned. Krishnaraj earned $126,000.
As interim director, Green had been earning $107,084, which included a $3,600 car allowance. As permanent director, she'll retain that allowance on top of her annual salary and get a performance review after six months.
The health board also wants Green, who lives in Alamance County, to move to Guilford County within six months. The county will pay for up to $2,500 in relocation expenses.
The new compensation package will take effect Monday.
Comments (3)
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Why does Ms. Green have to move to Guilford County? People commute to work all the time - all over the Piedmont. Now, if she wants to move that's fine - and she should get a relocation allowance just like any other professional. But why does she have to disrupt and uproot her home?
Where Ms. Green lives has nothing to do with the way she does her job. By all accounts this lady has proven her worth and dedication (and, despite her service & experience, is still getting paid $1000/year less than a man with an MD degree who embarrassed the Department of Health and the Board). So why make her move unless she really wants to do so?
The News & Record did a story a few months ago on the discrepancies in compensation between men and women in the "not-for-profit" sector". The decision of the Board of Health not to offer Ms. Green a formal contract falls into line with the reported "trend". "She didn't ask, so we didn't offer" is pretty lame. She's a professional and should be treated like one.
Posted on July 27, 2005 11:34 AM
Mary,
Thanks for your comments. Merle Green wants to move to Guilford County. She says if she's going to be leading a department and making policy, she should live where those policies apply. She said she's following a general precedent that's been followed across the state. Health board member Jean Douglas noted that other key department heads live in the county.
"Even if they had not required it, I would have done it anyway," Green said.
On the contract, Green said she didn't want one.
Hope that helps,
Nate
Posted on July 27, 2005 2:20 PM
Yes, thank you. I certainly understand why Ms. Green would not want a contract in this situation.
But it does not explain (MD or not) the difference in salary. By all published accounts, Ms. Green is a known and proven entity. If the Guilford County Board of Health thought enough of her to offer the position of Director, then it should offer the LADY at least the salary that it paid the MAN who previously held the position.
The point on living in the community you serve is well taken. I have distant bad experience with a healthcare Director who didn't bother - and a practice that did not require him to do so. The rest is history.
Good luck to Ms. Green.
Posted on July 27, 2005 7:51 PM