Betty Culbreath is renowned for her profane tirades. Dallas Observer staff writer Rose Farley captured these verbatim excerpts of some choice Culbreath rants:
Culbreath on the reorganization of the department:
"I'm not going to keep on talking about this when this is February and this reorganization took place in October. If these doctors and everybody was so concerned about it, Dr. Farris would have stayed here and so would Dr. Haley. Ain't nobody not being served. Everything that was goin' on when Haley and Farris was here is going on today. The only difference is Dr. Farris got a promotion. Dr. Haley got a promotion. Fran Knott went to her house, and Charla Edwards went to Parkland. That's the only thing that happened. If all four of them had been on a plane together and it crashed in New Mexico and they all died, the same thing that's going on now would still be going on. Did they make the whole health department? Are you telling me that four people made the Dallas County Health Department? If that's the case, we were in a poor piss position, weren't we? Because anytime that the four of them had decided to just get up and leave and go home we would have been up shit creek."
Culbreath explaining the improvements she has made in the department:
"It's even going on better, 'cause at least we got some nurses and some doctors working. At least we got some floors and some walls clean and the walls painted. At least we know where the money is. At least we offer services to the people they're supposed to be offered to."
Culbreath responding to doctors' concerns about the department's future:
"It doesn't matter what his [Dr. Ron Anderson's] concerns are or anybody's concerns. If I'm fixing to be chopped up and cut into little bitty pieces by some bullshit, then whatever my foresight is, whatever my plan is, whatever is in writing that's going to work, as long as I am hit over the head or clobbered by people like you and these people in this community, then my plan ain't going to work regardless of what it is."
Culbreath on why she was named director of the health department:
"All this bullshit started because one person thought they owned a department. I don't take all the shit that this department--this department belongs to the public. It belongs to the taxpayers. It belongs to the people that we serve. It don't belong to me. If I leave here tomorrow, this is a public service. It does not belong to me. If the commissioners fire me tomorrow, do you think I'm going to run to you with some tainted-ass story?"
Culbreath on whether she will hire a doctor to replace Charles Haley:
"Read my lips. The medical director of the health department is a full-time job. The health authority, who is the same person, is not full-time. So any physician that we hire to be the medical director will serve as both the medical director and the health authority, which they've done ever since time had beginnin'. Now you got that? The medical director and the health authority is the same person. The medical director title is a full-time job. The role and duties of a health authority is you only act when you need to act. So therefore you don't need a physician for a medical director and a physician for a health authority. You need one physician. That person serves in both capacities."
Culbreath on why she's qualified for the job:
"I worked for mine. I didn't fly all over the fucking country building Betty Culbreath. I stayed in this building and worked for mine. I worked for mine. I took on 400-some odd employees. I worked for mine. I didn't fly at the county's expense all over the world promotin' myself."
Culbreath on getting a $22,000 raise:
"Whoop de do. Whoop de do.
