State health director stepping down

Official departmental appointments may be two weeks away, but the transition in the governor's office continued Wednesday with the departure of state Department of Health Director Dr. Scott Williams.

In a surprise announcement, Williams, 52, said he will step down at the end of December — 14 months after becoming the state's top public health administrator under Gov. Olene Walker.

"I just received reliable information that they were going to go in a different direction," Williams said. Gov.-elect Jon Huntsman has "someone else in mind."

Huntsman's chief of staff, Jason Chaffetz, said no one has been told yet they won't be asked to serve in the new administration. "We haven't let anyone know yet that they're not going to be staying," Chaffetz said.

"We're still in the process of evaluating personnel. Some will be asked to stay, I'm sure, and others will not," he said, adding that some department heads have been told that Huntsman would like them to remain in their positions.

Robin Arnold-Williams, head of the Department of Human Services for almost nine years, said last week she is planning to move on as well.

Health department staff members said they were surprised by Williams' announcement.

Bob Huefner, a University of Utah political science professor and member of the state's health advisory committee, called the move "purely political."

"It's just the nature of the game," he said. "This is a surprise in the sense that he's done an extra good job, but you never know what's going to happen in a gubernatorial transition, and this is a very visible spot."

George White, the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the U., said Williams' resignation was a great loss.

"I kept hoping that maybe Gov. Huntsman would leave things until he understood the lay of the land," he said. "Frankly, I don't think you could find a better person to head the state health department."

Before becoming director, Williams worked for nearly 12 years with the health department, including stints with the Division of Community and Family Health Services.

He helped oversee health-related preparations for the 2002 Olympics and implemented statewide bioterrorism monitoring. Williams also helped implement a statewide focus on disease prevention and health promotion in light of rising health care costs.