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Hospital district supporters romp to an easy win

By Meg Olson

Voters gave strong endorsement in a mail-in election to the idea of a hospital district using tax dollars to provide basic medical care on the Point.

County auditor Shirley Forslof certified the election results February 18, making the new taxing district a reality and putting it in the hands of three new commissioners: Margery Biery, Barbara Bradstock and Victor Riley.

Proponents of the hospital district easily made the 260 minimum voters they needed to cast ballots to make the result count – more than that voted in favor of the measure. Of 775 registered voters, 371, almost half, returned their mail-in ballot. Of those 288 voted yes and a slim 74 voted against the formation of the district, giving the fledgling district a strong mandate with 80 percent voter support.

Of the five candidates running for commissioner of the new district, retired nurse and healthcare consultant Barbara Bradstock won the most votes, 192, earning her a three-year-term. With 170 votes Victor Riley came in second and Margery Biery was third with 162. Their terms are two and one years respectively, but once the three commissioner’s positions pass another general election they will have a term lengthened to six years.

Biery said the three commissioners would get together the last Thursday in February to set a meeting schedule, be sworn in and select officers. The biggest chore ahead will be learning their jobs. “We don’t even really know each other at all,” she said. “Now we’ll mostly be learning about things and go from there.”

Prior to the election, commissioners all committed themselves to heavy public involvement as they determine what taxation level the new district will set to meet the operating shortfall of the Aydon Wellness Clinic. A budget for the clinic for 2006 will need to be adopted by November 15 and may involve added debt service if the commissioners opt to take out a loan to cover some of this year’s expenses. The levy rate will be set at that time to generate the funds needed to close the gap between clinic revenues and expenses.

Two meetings are tentatively set for March 5 and 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the community center and Biery said they will work out who will tackle which of the long lists of tasks before them. Each commissioner will take charge of: drafting bylaws, funding and budget preparation, legal and contract issues. “We need to organize the district into action,” Biery said. “There’s kind of an outline for us to follow.” The new district will get help from other hospital districts and the Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts as it gets on its feet.