⏩ Health commissioner’s private approach to public affairs raising concerns.

The state health commissioner’s decision to keep private a robust data set detailing schoolbyschool vaccination rates in Connecticut, along with her insistence that it’s not her job to weigh in on matters of public health, is concerning policy makers and provoking questions about her approach to a role that demands input and accessibility.

Commissioner Renée ColemanMitchell said that she would not release the latest round of schoollevel immunization data, even though she decided last spring to make public the same statistics from a previous year. She pointed to the national measles outbreak then as a reason for her earlier disclosure, but said the waning threat meant she could no longer justify disseminating the information.

Gov. Ned Lamont overruled her, calling on the department to release the figures as soon as they were vetted.

As that conflict played out, ColemanMitchell made another unusual declaration: She told reporters that it isn’t her duty to opine on pending legislation.

“I am not able, nor should I weigh in on anything that’s public legislation that comes about as a result of any of the work we do,” she said when asked about her reluctance to offer an opinion on vaccine exemptions. “That’s not in the purview of my role.”

Several lawmakers and the state’s previous health commissioner disagree.

“I certainly think the unwillingness to offer her professional expertise on these issues is of concern,” said Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, DNew Haven. “Prior commissioners have embraced their role as experts in offering information and guidance to the General Assembly, which is one of the things we expect of the public health commissioner.”

The governor hedged when asked if he agrees with the commissioner’s narrow view of her job, especially her refusal to advise lawmakers on publichealth legislation.

“I think I’ve got to talk to her,” he said. “I’m still getting to know her, getting to know the job a bit. But I need her leadership on public health issues.”

Looney is one of four Democratic leaders who in June sent ColemanMitchell a letter seeking her input on whether legislators should move to repeal Connecticut’s religious exemption from vaccines. Data show the number of students claiming the exemption rose by 25 percent between the 201718 and 201819 school years — the largest singleyear increase since the department began tracking the information a decade ago.

More than two months after their letter went out, the Democrats are still awaiting an answer.

Looney took issue with the amount of time that had elapsed. Asked if he considered the department to be responsive, he replied: “Well, obviously not.”

Raul Pino, who served as state health commissioner from 2016 to last April when ColemanMitchell took over, said it’s essential for the department head to be vocal on legislative issues linked to public health.

“The role is to advise,” he said. “She should have an opinion and be clear on matters of public health. The commissioner is the top authority. She has the top expertise and she can advise everyone on what is best for the state.”

ColemanMitchell insists she has and will continue to provide lawmakers with “the science and the facts” on health matters, but she brushed aside questions about whether she intends to offer an opinion on issues such as vaccine exemptions.

In a telephone interview with the CT Mirror, she also would not address the clash with Lamont. In a departure from her previous remarks, she now says she always intended to release the schoollevel data.

ColemanMitchell did say she is working on a health policy agenda that will be shared with the governor’s office and lawmakers early next year. But she declined to reveal any of her priorities.

“At this time, everything is under review so we don’t have anything ready for release,” she said.