A health official in Michigan is taking her county to court over $4 million resignation offer

abcnews.go.com:

The top health official in one of Michigan’s largest counties is asking a judge to uphold a $4 million settlement in exchange for her resignation

LANSING, Mich. — The top health official in one of Michigan’s largest counties is asking a judge to uphold a $4 million settlement in exchange for her resignation, coming after months of conflict with local conservative leaders who were elected in response to COVID-19 restrictions.

Ottawa County leaders had attempted to fire Adeline Hambley in January after they took majority control of the county’s board of commissioners. Finding themselves unable to, the board opted to offer her $4 million — equivalent to a quarter of the health department’s 2024 budget — in return for her resignation. She also would have had to drop her lawsuit against the county.

The board backed off the offer, saying it was only a “tentative settlement agreement.” David Kallman, the county's legal counsel, told The Associated Press that “there has never been an agreement by the board to accept the $4 million. There were discussions.”

But Hambley's lawyer filed a motion Thursday to enforce the settlement, and it's scheduled to go in front of a judge on Nov. 27.

“The parties agreed to settle this matter on Nov. 6, 2023. Now, defendants have remorse and want out of the deal,” Hambley’s lawyer, Sarah Riley-Howard, wrote in the filing.

Public health officials and local health departments across the country became political targets during the pandemic due to lockdowns and restrictions.

Ottawa County's health department serves 300,000 residents in the western part of the state. Earlier this year, county commissioners voted to cut the department’s upcoming budget by nearly $4 million. The board had threatened