Grady CEO apologizes for "shine my shoes" remark

Grady Memorial Hospital CEO Michael Young had success in saving his facility from bankruptcy. Touting that success is another story.

Admitting he was wrong in using a racially sensitive remark while speaking to Buckhead business leaders, Young offered a formal apology in a statement on Wednesday while further explaining his actions in a Thursday interview.

At an Oct. 14 breakfast meeting, Young said the people of Fulton County "should want to shine my shoes. In 2007, Fulton County gave Grady $76 million. This year Fulton County is going to give $50 million. So I have reduced your tax exposure by $26 million."

An apology came nearly two weeks later, Young said, after a business associate questioned him about his speech and choice of words.

"I said ‘Oh man, that was not how I wanted to say that,'" Young told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "It was hurtful to folks and didn’t get the right message out; we’re about teamwork and building bridges."

Few people question Young's business acumen, foremost his saving the Atlanta hospital from bankruptcy after he was hired in 2008. However, civic leaders say Young's remarks expose insensitivity on his part.

“That’s a problem," said John Evans, DeKalb NAACP president and Grady Coalition member. "Even if you meant well, there some things that are [irritating], especially to black folks. No question about that."

State Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, also a Grady Coalition member, found Young's remarks arrogant and insensitive, saying, "For him to use that term in the South ... tells me he really doesn’t get it."

Buckhead Business Association president Heather Wright and incoming president Lolita Browning Jackson said they didn't receive any complaints about Young's speech. The Grady CEO was invited to speak to the group as part of its ongoing leadership series, which invites community and business leaders to share their insights.

Wright said she didn't believe the remarks were so much racially motivated as they were self-congratulatory.

“I think what happened is somebody stuck his foot in his mouth," Wright said. "I took it as ‘I personally saved the hospital.' ... I think he just misspoke and was kind of excited about the work he had done."

In his apology statement, Young acknowledged his words were insensitive to Fulton County taxpayers: "Please accept my heartfelt apology for this mistake and please keep in mind that it came from an innocent place. I often get excited about the changes we've made at Grady and the impact the health system is having on the community, and sometimes my words get ahead of my brain."