Amid all of the problems that have come to light regarding the Mental Health Association – unpaid taxes, temporarily unpaid wages, questionably high payments to executives and consultants, and now a loss of accreditation, one of the most troubling comments was from John S. McKee III, chairman of MHA’s board. McKee told the News and Observer, “I’m on the board because I’m a friend of John [Tote]’s. That’s how all of us got on there.” John Tote is the former executive director of MHA. Days after Tote was tapped to take over the state’s mental health system, news stories revealed that MHA owed the IRS $1.5 million.
An active board would have and should have known. This is actually an argument for more privatization of the mental health system, given the General Assembly’s record of oversight is even worse than the MHA board’s.
