South Snohomish County voters who recently approved expanding the Stevens Hospital board from three to five members won’t have to wait long for the changes to be made.
Two new members will be appointed within the next 90 days. They will serve until the November 2006 general election.
Voters approved the change by a 61 percent majority. “Obviously the public is behind the idea of expanding the board,” said Fred Langer, board president.
Current board members, who will make the selections, hope to get applications from throughout the hospital’s taxing district, Langer said. It includes Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Brier, Woodway and surrounding unincorporated areas.
A background in business and finance are some of the skills that board members are looking for in applicants for the interim board posts.
“We’re hoping to find someone who has perhaps been the chief executive officer of a medium-sized corporation,” Langer said.
Board member Deana Knutsen said she would like to have geographic diversity, applications from people living throughout the district, not just Edmonds.
“If we have candidates equally qualified, we’re going to look at where they come from … so we more accurately reflect the whole district,” she said.
John Kim, who lives in Edmonds, asked the board during a meeting on Wednesday if they would seek cultural diversity as well.
“You mean the very whiteness of us all?” Langer asked, referring to himself and the two other current board members, Knutsen and Jack Tawney.
“There’s a clear disconnect between what we look like and who we serve,” who include Hispanics, Asians and Russians.
“Look at us,” he added. “We’re not that. That’s something we’ll take into consideration.”
State law requires that the new board members be appointed sequentially, not simultaneously, said Brad Berg, an attorney who represents the hospital. Both positions must be filled 90 days after the election has been certified, he said.
Of the two new positions, the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes in the November 2005 election will serve for a six-year term. The other board member will serve for four years, Berg said.
Anyone interested in being considered for the job must be a registered voter and live within the hospital district boundaries.
For more information, check the hospital’s Web site at www.stevenshealthcare.org or call the hospital administration office at 425-640-4002. Application information should be posted on the hospital Web site in the next few days, Langer said.
Information on the board openings will also be available at area libraries.
No firm deadline has yet been set but they probably will be due around the end of the year, he said.
The hospital also announced:
* A net loss of $428,000 for October, with losses for the year estimated at between $1 million and $1.5 million.
* It is recruiting a second obstetrics doctor for the Mill Creek area. Dr. Orly Steinberg was hired for its new Mill Creek obstetrics and gynecology clinic in June.
Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@ heraldnet.com.
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