ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Dr. Faisal Khan, the acting director of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, is resigning effective Sept. 2.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page's spokesman Doug Moore announced Khan's resignation in a Thursday release. It did not give a reason for his resignation.
Khan worked with the department from 2010-2018, as director of communicable disease control services and later as department director. He was CEO of the Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center in Kansas City before returning in February of 2021, when he was named acting health director by St. Louis County Executive Sam Page. In recent months, he was embroiled in controversy after a heated county council meeting and the ensuing investigation into his actions.
In December, the St. Louis County Council denied his confirmation for the full-time role by a 5-2 vote.
“We appreciate the passion and leadership of Dr. Khan and wish him well in his next chapter,” Page stated in the release announcing Khan's resignation. “Like health directors across the country, he faced intense criticism, including threats against his life, for following science and data in making decisions to keep our community safe from a deadly virus.”
An interim director will be named before his last day.
“I thank Dr. Page for his support and trust,” Dr. Khan said in the release. “It has been an honor and a privilege to have worked in public service with selflessly dedicated professionals who will continue their selfless commitment to the health and wellbeing of the residents of St. Louis County.”
In a July 2021 letter to Council Chairwoman Rita Heard Days, Khan said he was the target of "racist, xenophobic, and threatening behavior" during a council meeting days earlier while speaking in favor of a mask mandate. He also claimed that he was "shoulder-bumped and pushed" by people in the crowd.
In the letter, Khan also said he "expressed his displeasure by using his middle finger" toward someone he said physically threatened him and called him racist slurs.
The fallout from that incident and the ensuing investigation has lasted months. The council voted last month to keep sealed the records surrounding that investigation.
Last year, Khan was at the center of another controversy when an email he wrote sparked outrage.
“Please," he wrote, “ignore the lunatic fringe that exists in every society. They were there one hundred years ago and will likely be around 100 years in the future. They are irrelevant fools.”
Harder called on Page to fire Khan. At the time, Page said he had spoken to Khan about the email, but did not think it rose to the level of termination.
"He's probably doing what's best for himself and his family to move on at this particular point," Heard Days said Thursday. "I think this might be a good thing at this particular point knowing that he was not going to be confirmed by this council."
On social media, people began posting comments after learning of Khan's plans to step down.
"This couldn't come any sooner," one person wrote.
"I think we should do like other companies, thank you for your notice, your services will no longer be needed," another chimed in.
"You're a public servant as we are. We don't always agree with everybody. We don't agree with every constituent but we must always maintain that professional demeanor," Heard Days added.