Our local NAACP has been embroiled in several battles with Dr Michael Busman since 2001. He was named in the lawsuit filed by Dr John Marshall, family physician, against Sumter Regional Hospital and others. He didn't stop with that lawsuit; he was named later that year in another federal lawsuit filed by Dr Mila Keh, a psychiatrist, who also sued executive board members and the administration of Sumter Regional Hospital. He was subject to sustained protest when he led the ouster of the first Black school superintendent in Sumter County, Dr Franklin Perry. And he was under investigation by the Composite State Board of Medical Examiners for alleged heavy cocaine usage but the informants would never tell the board of Busman's alleged drug usage. The board's investigation was closed.
A major protest was led by the local NAACP against Dr Busman when he was
school board chairman. He and the White school board members did not renew
the first African American School Superintendent of Sumter County System, Dr
Franklin Perry. The decision was made along racial lines as all of the Black
board members voted to retain Dr Perry, while all of the White school board
members voted to not renew his contract.
Our newspaper asked one White board member why did she vote to remove Dr
Perry and she stated, "We wanted a change." Under Perry, they made AYP in
more schools than any other superintendent. The system is over 70% Black and
Dr Perry was able to improve PTA attendance, decreased the drop out rate,
and the large number of African American students could identify with the
Perry administration. Five Black men with doctorates have left the system
since Busman became board chairman.
Busman has changed the school administration to almost totally White even
though the students are predominantly Black. He managed to recruit an
elderly White school superintendent by the name of Dr Dennis McMahon of
South Carolina. We spoke with a white citizen in South Carolina who was on
the school board where McMahon was superintendent. She informed us that
McMahon is a friend of Dr Busman's mother in South Carolina and that McMahon
will ruin the Sumter County system just as he did there schools.
The members of the hospital governing board are made up of citizens from
Dougherty and Sumter Counties. We are very familiar with Dr Robbie S
Latimore, a Vice President of Academic Affairs at South Georgia Technical
College; she will serve our citizens quite well. On the other hand, having
the newly formed board that is tainted with the likes of Busman is very
insulting to Black citizens who have had to fight his racist attacks on
several Black professionals.
The new board members are Connie Blanchard, Ph.D.; Michael Shane Busman,
M.D.; Lara Pennington Gill; Brad Lafevers; Robbie S. Latimore, Ed.D.;
Frederick McLaughlin, Ed.D.; Frank Faison Middleton III, M.D.; Kerry
Loudermilk; and Joel Wernick.
The community wants the new Phoebe Sumter Hospital Board Chairman, Joel
Wernick, to know its displeasure in selecting Dr. Busman to his board for
all the reasons stated. A person of Dr. Busman's past racial actions and
alleged drug abuse should not be on a public board of this importance.