Why are you running for this office and what 3 major goals do you want to be measured by if you are elected?

Most of my Air Force career was in the areas of Law Enforcement and Emergency Management, working closely with our medical personnel and EMS. As a business owner, I worked closely with my employees, ensuring that they had the tools and materials needed to acomplish their jobs, and had good communications with our customers. During my service on the MCHD Board of Directors, I believe I put my past experience into practice. After having a two year absence from that position, I feel my position on the Board again could make a difference not only to MCHD, but the taxpayers as well.

My Goals:

1.  While MCHD has a great name throughout our state for their assistance in indigent care and 9-1-1 EMS service, there are many in our community that still believe that the County has a hospital, and that the many ambulance companies in our county are Advanced Life Services (ALS) allowed to make   9-1-1 calls. I would like to see more involvement, getting the public informed.

2. I believe MCHD is one of the best taxing entities in our county, with great transparency of their finances. For many years the Board has lowered MCHD's tax rates in our county; however, they continue to raise the overall tax amount higher than the cost of living. Most business, especially small ones,  cannot afford to raise their revenue to cover the higher costs, nor pay their employees a cost of living raise yearly. I would like to see all government entities review their taxing policies and operate as a business.

3.  As our county continues to grow, the services of MCHD must also. That growth means more personnel, more facilities to house the ambulances, and crews,and more equipment, to include vehicles. I want to be able to assure the taxpayers in our county that every effort was made to keep the costs of this growth minimal, while continuing to provide the best possible service.

Do you have any experience with EMS or medicine?

As stated above, I worked alongside of medical staff and EMS while in the Air Force. While serving on this Board previously, I spent quite a bit of time with the employees, responding to medical calls, observing their care for patients, and ensuring that they had equipment needed to preform the care needed.

Should Disrtict employees take home District vehicles and if so for what purpose?

I believe that there are cases where employees need to have a District vehicle to take home. I believe this should be kept to a minimum though. 

Should the Medical Director answer to the Board?

Yes. The enabling legislation that created MCHD seems very clear to me that the Medical Director is under the supervision of the Board.

Is it the responsibility of the Board to monitor the spending of the District and verify expenses?

Absolutely. The Board is responsible for setting the tax rate, tax amount, reviewing and approing the annual budget, and must monitor and verify, the spending of the District

Should Board members have complete access to all areas of the District?  Why or why not?

Yes. There are cases when a Board member may have to get approval to enter an area, but for the most part, if the custodial service has access to an area, so should the Board. The Board is responsible for insuring that the taxpayers investment is being well cared for.

Should Health Care Assistance Patients be required to have drug testing in order to receive assistance?

Yes. A large part of HCAP is providing medications for patients. There are a lot of patients suffering from pain and these medications are easily abused in our community. For the health of the patients drug testing  is required in most medical practices.

Do you believe Board members should be allowed to ride along with EMS crews and spend time with Alarm and other departments?

Yes. I feel that the crews and all employees should be visited by Board members and feel free to talk with them. What better way for a Board member to know the pulse of the District than to have open communications, and being able to observe the employees working with the community?

The Board is to set Policy, should it have any say in procedures?

That may depend upon the procedures. Procedures that go against Policy or the law cannot be allowed, nor procedures that are baseless. The Plandemic comes to mind.

Should Board members attend the MCHD Budget workshops and hearings?

Absolutely! One of the main responsibilities as a Board member to the taxpayer, is to ensure their money is used properly. If a Board member only reviews the budget as submitted, but fails to attend the workshops where the budget is formed, they have failed to fulfill their fiduciary obligation.

Should salaried employees be paid overtime?

No. Salaries are given for a reason. Work hours may vary for those on a salary, depending upon their workload at the time. Those hours may vary from 30 to 60 hours in a week, without additional compensation. Many companies proide compensation time for hours worked over the normal 40 to 60 in a week. Compensation time is usually used as time off, with pay.

The Board is not supposed to micro-manage, but should they trust and verify?

Always. There are times when a budgeted item ends up costing more than approved. Those additional costs may have to come from a different funding source and need to be approved by the Board.

Is there anything in your background of an embarrassing nature that should be explained before your election? Arrests/Convictions? Bankruptcies?

No arrests or convictions. I did have a business bankruptcy in the 80s when the housing market hit rock bottom. I was able to pay all of my business debt, except a bank loan. After a divorce, which caused a huge decrease in family income, and the failure to be able to refinance our home, I was forced to have it foreclosed upon.

Should District employees have open lines of communications with Board members, without fear of reprisal?  Why or why not?

Absollutely! All employees should feel free to talk to any Board member. Without open lines of communication, fear and distrust has a way of emerging.

Should any first responder injured in the line of duty have their ambulance charges absorbed by the District?

Yes, if possible. Law Enforcement Officers have told me that they were injured in the line of duty and were required to pay for their transport to a medical facility. The District should find a way to absorb those costs out of professional courtesy.

Do you believe the Board should have access to all MCHD reports and records, excluding patient records?

Yes. Board members should be able to review all reports and records, as part of a trust but verify policy.

Is it better to build stand alone EMS facilities, co-locate with fire departments, or purchase existing facilities and modify them?

In order to look out for the taxpayers money, the Board should always weigh the pros and cons when determining the facility needed for the best response for the needs of the public.

Do you believe Board members should be allowed to ride along with EMS crews and spend time with Alarm and other departments? Explain your rationale.

Duplicate question. See General questions.

Should the Medical Director be an employee or a contractor?

I believe that the Medical Director should be a contractor.

Should Board members have open lines of communications with all employees of the District?

Absolutely!

Should District employees living out of the county take home emergency vehicles?

No. An emergency vehicle, when running with lights and siren are just as likely to be involved in an accident as a non emergency vehicle. Some would say even more prone to an accident. I see no reason for an emergency vehicle to respond from outside of our county.

What is your opinion about Merit Pay versus COLA pay raises?

This is a tough question.

The COLA pay raise is to increase everyone's pay to meet the cost of living. That means everyone, even those with poor work history.

The Merit pay raise, is supposed to reward those who perform above the others. While the others still get a raise, it is not necessarily equivilant with the COLA. Often the Merit raise becomes a reward to the chosen few in organizations.