Corrected version
Snoqualmie Valley Hospital Commissioner Kevin Hauglie had just returned from a conference in Puerto Rico when he learned that Commissioner Gene Pollard, whose term doesn’t expire until 2017, was going to run against him in the November election.
Hauglie said Pollard’s move was a head scratcher, and he questioned his opponent’s motives.
If Pollard did win against Hauglie in November, then Pollard would have to resign from his current seat, and Hauglie said he would probably apply for appointment to Pollard’s old seat.
Pollard said in May that he didn’t want to run.
“I wanted someone to challenge him. I want him to be accountable, especially for conflicts of interest,” Pollard said.
When asked what conflicts of interests he was referring to, Pollard said he wasn’t ready to go public with that information yet, but would release a statement later.
When asked later if he was ready to release a statement about Hauglie’s conflict of interest, he said again that he would divulge that later.
Hauglie said this is the first time he’s ever ran a race against an opponent. He was appointed to the hospital commission position No. 4 in 2004 to fill the vacancy created when Carol Hoch left, and he was then elected in 2005, according to hospital executive assistant Valerie Huffman.
Since Hauglie, owner of Farmers Insurance branches in Duvall, Fall City and Snoqualmie, wasn’t available for an interview when Pollard made his announcement, the Star sent him a series of questions — some of which were answered completely, and many that weren’t.
Hauglie said he wanted to run for the hospital seat because of a desire to make a difference.
He said he wants to complete the new hospital project and “set in place decades of high quality medical delivery to those we serve.”
He was asked about the amount of debt the hospital district has generated over the years, and what plans he had to help reduce it.
The district’s current long-term debt stands at just over $41 million, according to Steve Daniel, the hospital’s CFO.
Hauglie did not know the current amount of long-term debt, and when asked how he planned to reduce it, he wrote, “I would be happy to provide specific information and will follow on that.”
The Star asked Hauglie two more times to expand on the questions, but did not receive a response.
Several people have attended the hospital board’s monthly meetings, asking that the hospital board do a better job of keeping the public informed about hospital issues and board business.
When asked if he had any specific plans for making meetings more accessible to the public, such as posting audio recordings of the meetings on the hospital’s website like the cities of North Bend and Snoqualmie do, Hauglie responded, “Recently we have upgraded the district’s website and will continue to improve for better information out and also input from our constituents.”
He did not respond to requests for specifics.
When asked about Pollard’s suggestion that he has a conflict of interest, Hauglie said, “Simply stated, there is no conflict. Last week, you received validation of that direct from Jay Rodne.”
Rodne serves as the hospital’s attorney and is a 5th District state representative.
Rodne wrote in the email to the Star that Hauglie owns a Fall City commercial property that the hospital leases for one of its clinics.
He cited state law that allows a hospital commissioner of a rural public hospital district to contract with a hospital district so long as money received by the commissioner does not exceed $24,000 per year.
He later sent an email that said the law allows for consumer price index increases, and for 2013, the new allowable figure is $27,591.10.
Rodne said the hospital pays $2,066 per month to Hauglie for the commercial space, and a signed copy of the lease confirms that the hospital pays Hauglie $2,066.25 per month, or $24,795 per year.
“We are fine. There is no conflict,” Rodne wrote.
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