Sun Country is going to fork over $187,000 in severance to former CEO Cal Tant.
"It was a result of many months of negotiation with our legal counsel," says Bauche. "He started where he started, and we started where we started, and we finally reached what would be satisfactory for both of us."
Negotiations into Tant's severance began last September, after he was dismissed of his duties as CEO of Sun Country Health Region "without cause."
When Bauche relieved Tant from his position six months ago, she stated the board did not have a cause for terminating his position, but that there were many little issues which had developed over the previous months.
She commented that the board had lost confidence in his ability to lead the management team, and due to the complexity of the issues the region was dealing with at the time, felt they "needed a change in leadership to lead [them] through into the future."
Payout for Tant's severance will come from the region's global reserve budget.
"We might have other management positions that we've had trouble filling, so we'd have a [budget] surplus there," explains Bauche. "Our finance people will find the money."
Tant's salary was listed at $177,000 a year at the time his position was terminated.
Immediately after Tant's dismissal, vice-president of Primary and Integrated Health Marga Cugent agreed to step up as the region's Interim CEO. She has since been working to address accountability issues within the region's hiring practices, which were revealed in a third-party audit report prior to Tant's dismissal. The audit was ordered by the board after it was revealed that Tant hired Hal Schmidt, the vice-president of finance, even with the knowledge that Schmidt had previously lied about his credentials to gain employment with another health district.
"We needed someone immediately the day that Tant was terminated, so Marga [Cugnet] filled that Interim [CEO] position," Bauche explains. "She has brought a lot of background to the position, and she is doing a great job. Right now we're working with Marga."
But for how long?
"That's what we're waiting to see right now," says Bauche. "We haven't made that decision yet. We don't know if we're going to hire permanent right now, or leave her as the Interim."
