Ballots for the first Aspen Valley Hospital board of directors election since 2004 are due back at the hospital by 7 p.m. tomorrow. And while the campaign season has been a quiet one so far, the seven candidates running for two open seats reflect a fair diversity of backgrounds.
Ballots were mailed to district residents on April 11 and can be hand-delivered to the hospital’s administration office until the deadline. The office will open at 7 a.m. Tuesday. If mailed, ballots must be received — not postmarked — by Tuesday.
Turnout for the election could be light, as the hospital is generally perceived to be on a more solid financial footing than in recent elections. In 2004, 1,154 ballots were cast for hospital candidates. In 2002, when three incumbents were swept out of office, turnout was higher, with 1,710 ballots cast.
An April 3 election forum was lightly attended and provided no sharp contrast among the opinions of the candidates about the direction of the hospital. In fact, the biggest difference among the candidates might be their backgrounds.
Of the seven, three have medical backgrounds: One is a paramedic and businesswoman; one is an obstetrician-gynecologist; and one is a doctor of internal medicine. The other four candidates are either attorneys, developers, businessmen or some combination thereof. One is a real estate broker, developer and businessman; one is an attorney and developer; one is an attorney and businessman and one is an attorney and law professor.
Dr. Barry Mink is the only incumbent running for reelection for another four-year term. Mink, who has practiced medicine in Aspen since the mid-1970s, said at the candidates’ forum that it is important to have medical representation on the board to improve communication among the board, administrators and staff. And he feels good about the turnaround he’s seen at the hospital.
“I’ve been proud of this hospital,” Mink said. “I think it’s the best little hospital in the world, frankly.”
Dr. Mindy Nagle, who has been practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Aspen for seven years, said she too would like to maintain the doctor balance on the five-person board in the wake of Dr. Greg Balko’s departure. (Balko is not seeking re-election to the hospital board after serving one term.)
“I thought it would be nice to keep the physician balance on the board,” Nagle said.
So does paramedic Deborah Hutchinson, who also runs a pet care service. She said she wants to represent the voice of medical caregivers on the board. If elected, Hutchinson would have to quit her paramedic job because hospital employees may not serve on the board — paramedics, unlike doctors, are considered employees of the hospital.
Hutchinson said she was approached to run because of her medical experience, but she said her role as a businesswoman would also help.
“I think a more varied board would be an asset for the community,” she said.
So does Mark Rothman, one of the attorneys running for a seat on the board, who has prior hospital board experience in Maryland.
While saying it is important to have a doctor’s perspective on the board, he thinks two doctors might be too many on a five-person board. He argued that the number of board members should be increased to provide better representation.
“If you have two doctors on a five-person board, 40 percent of the board is physicians,” said Rothman, who recently retired to Aspen after a career in corporate tax law. “It would be highly unusual to have 40 percent of the board of any community hospital to be made up of physicians.”
Attorney David Missner, who is retired from his bankruptcy practice, is now a business partner with current board member John Jellinek in Aspen Earthmoving, a local trucking and heavy-equipment provider, and Aspen LaborSource, a temporary labor company. Like the rest of the candidates, Missner supports a recent expansion plan proposed by the hospital that could nearly triple the size of the hospital and cost at least $100 million.
“The bottom line is, you don’t have a choice,” Missner said about the hospital’s proposal. “You have to build a new hospital because this (facility) is 30 years old and it’s time to go.”
Chuck Frias, head of Frias Properties of Aspen, is a property manager, developer and real estate broker who has been active on many local non-profit boards.
During the candidates’ forum, he acknowledged that finding affordable housing for hospital employees will be a key challenge in the years ahead and recommended that the hospital join with other employers, like the school district, city and county, to create employee housing.
Albert Slap was not at the candidates’ forum due to a family medical emergency that had called him out of town. He is an environmental attorney and law professor.
“You don’t have any unqualified candidates, which I think is good for the community,” said candidate David Missner.
Interest in the two open seats might have been higher this year because there was no election in 2006. Elections are typically held every two years in the hospital district, but only three candidates expressed interest in filling the three seats open in 2006, so voters did not cast any ballots and the candidates simply took the vacant seats at the table.
As a result, John Sarpa and Jellinek retained their spots on the board for their second four-year terms. Sarpa, a developer, and Jellinek, a businessman and venture capitalist, have been credited with helping to turn around the hospital’s financial situation, and for hiring current AVH CEO Dave Ressler in 2004.
Attorney Lee Schumacher also took a four-year board seat in 2006 after being appointed to fill a vacancy in 2005. As Schumacher’s appointment was followed by a non-election, voters in the district have not yet had an opportunity to cast votes for him.
bgs@aspendailynews.com