Since MetroHealth System’s board of trustees fired CEO Airica Steed last Friday, racial tensions have been flaring in the Cleveland community and the hospital itself. 

Steed, who holds a doctorate in educational leadership, was the first African-American woman to lead the public hospital, often viewed as the city’s safety net, though its expertise extends to many areas of public health and primary care. 

The board voted unanimously to dump her, citing its lack of confidence in her ability to lead the hospital in a troubled healthcare industry.  

Almost immediately after her firing, the Cleveland branch of the NAACP issued a statement describing the board’s actions as “a public corporate lynching.” 

“The public approach the Board of Trustees took is disgraceful and unacceptable,” the statement said. “The fact that Dr. Steed came to Cleveland to restore prominence to MetroHealth after their public scandal, only to be terminated without cause while on [medical leave], is an indictment on MetroHealth.” 

The statement stung the board, where five of the nine members are minorities. The board’s chair, Dr. E. Harry Walker, is a Black doctor who worked at MetroHealth for three decades. He led the recruiting of Steed. Inajo Davis Chappell is a Black lawyer and vocal board member who has a stellar reputation for her work on behalf of minorities. 

The board’s supporters were upset by the statement and called the local NAACP to complain. Steed’s supporters also called the branch to rally on her behalf. (Signal reached out to the NAACP for comment but has not heard back.) 

Steed, whose salary, including bonus, was $1.2 million, was an at-will employee. That means the board can fire her at any time, with or without a cause. That’s typical of high-profile positions. 

Steed’s contract also affords her a severance package typical of such positions. It guarantees that she receives her base salary of $900,000 for one year and allows for her to receive the salary for a second year under certain circumstances. The contract also leaves room for negotiations around the severance agreement, which typically involves a promise not to sue or disparage the employer. It’s unclear whether the two sides are talking right now. 

Steed’s firing came just weeks after she took a medical leave. She said she was shocked by her firing and learned about it through media reports. 

Public records show that disagreements between the board and Steed began well before that, including over her travel and expenses. The lawfulness of firing her while she was on medical leave could get litigated. The law leaves room for employers to replace critical employees who take a leave under certain circumstances, though that’s for the experts to sort out.

Since Steed’s firing, some reporters in town, including at Signal Cleveland, have received unsolicited internal documents – including some confidential reports that have been verified – that show Steed had complained about being the victim of “a hostile and toxic work environment fueled by racism and discrimination.” That complaint, dated July 16, 2024, was sent to MetroHealth’s legal and human resources department. The complaint was made at a time of heightened tension between the board and Steed and just before she took the medical leave. 

In recent days, some top minority executives hired by Steed received anonymous letters warning them that they will be fired next by the board. (Signal Cleveland received a copy of the letter sent to an employee.) 

MetroHealth said the letter is false and unfounded. 

“In meetings with senior staff over the past week, the board chair and other board members have reassured the leadership that it takes matters of discrimination seriously and that there is no purge in the works,” MetroHealth spokesman Joe Frolik told Signal Cleveland. “The board cares about performance, and it’s not about who hired you.”

Pay day for Cuyahoga County Democratic Party chair

Cuyahoga County Democratic Party members voted this week to begin paying the party chair an annual salary. For decades, the position has been a volunteer job, including under former chair and current U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown.

When David Brock, the current chair, campaigned for the position in 2022, he said the job should be paid to allow the chair to dedicate more time to party duties. The change, along with other bylaw tweaks and a new code of conduct, passed with the support of 76% of the central committee members present at the recent meeting. Brock told Signal Cleveland that he will leave his job at a nonprofit housing agency to work full time for the party. The position pays $80,000 per year.

Mayor Justin Bibb and other Clevelanders head to DNC

The Democratic National Convention begins Monday in Chicago and runs through Thursday, which leaves about 75 days for campaigning before Election Day. Bus loads of Clevelanders are attending. Mayor Justin Bibb is picking up the tab for one of the buses.

Bibb will be busy in Chicago. He’s addressing the Ohio delegation’s breakfast on Monday. He’ll be on a couple of panels sponsored by the Democratic Mayors Association, and he’ll be speaking at an event hosted by the Democratic Majority for Israel.

Bibb, who is on the DNC Platform Committee, is planning to have a little fun, too. He and Parma Mayor Tim DeGeeter are sponsoring a bar outing for the Ohio delegation.  

Of course, Bibb will not be the only Cleveland-area elected official making the rounds. Congresswoman Brown is hosting a breakfast for the area’s Black officials. Cleveland Council President Blaine Griffin and his leadership team will be among the featured speakers at the event.