epcounty.com - Commissioner Precinct 2

El Paso County Commissioner Pct. 2
Veronica Escobar

County prepares for new faces on Thomason board
By Erica Molina Johnson / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 02/12/2007 12:00:00 AM MST
The seven-member board of managers that oversees Thomason Hospital could get a major facelift this spring as county commissioners appoint El Pasoans to fill four terms that are expiring.
Ending terms on the El Paso County Hospital District board of managers are chairwoman Rosemary Castillo, vice chairman Sam Legate and members Dr. Jesus Arturo Castro-Sandoval and James Stephen DeGroat.
"We have a two-year term, and because every two years you have the potential of either four of the seven or three of the seven coming off the board, you automatically lose a lot of the institutional knowledge," Castillo said. "At the end of March we could be losing the equivalent of 21 years of institutional knowledge and experience."
Commissioner Veronica Escobar said she intends to appoint Castillo to the seat she has coming open, currently occupied by Castro-Sandoval. Each member of the court gets one appointment, but the county judge and commissioner of Precinct 2, where Thomason Hospital is located, each have a second appointment.
"The majority is stepping off," Escobar said. "Rosemary Castillo has been on the board through two CEOs, through all of the planning for the expansion, through all the collaboration on the medical school ... We need experience and someone who has been there through the good times and bad times of Thomason."
She said although she knows of others she would like to appoint, Escobar wanted to keep Castillo on to provide some stability.
"I think any of the current board members would be privileged to continue serving," said Castillo, who has been chairwoman for three years.
Thomason Hospital CEO Jim Valenti, Castillo and other members of the board of managers have been trying to come up with a way to keep the situation of a board majority expiring from happening again, as well as change the way appointments to the board, positions that don't pay, are made.
"Overall, what we're trying to do is adopt best practices in governance," Valenti said. "Our assets are a $400 million company. It's critical for the community to adopt best practices."
Bylaw changes
Among the ideas Valenti, Castillo and board members are hoping for are establishing longer board terms, limiting the number of terms a board member can serve to two, enacting guidelines for basic qualifications, establishing attendance requirements and coming up with a new system for nominating appointees.
Valenti said changes to state statute would need to take place before some of the proposals could happen.
"Our intention is to carve out El Paso with the statute change," he said, adding that if it is approved locally, help from the Legislature could begin happening as soon as this session.
County Judge Anthony Cobos said he agrees with some of the proposed changes, but is far from having a made-up mind on the matter and is leery of asking for a change in statute.
Valenti said he spoke with Cobos about establishing a committee to look into the issue.
"We're looking at this blue ribbon committee, but before we establish a blue ribbon committee we're going to look at other bylaws from other districts, and if where we're at is consistent with other districts, we will try to mirror other successful districts," Cobos said.
He said the bylaws are being reviewed now and a committee would be established by the end of this month.
Thomason watchdog Mike Rooney said extending term limits would be an important step to take.
"You have the dilemma (now) that you're losing so many people," he said.
Term lengths
Valenti said one of the urgent matters is addressing these term lengths and limits
With a nearly $140 million expansion and renovation just starting, Valenti said it is important to keep some continuity with the board.
"No $400 million company would have this type of governance model," he said. "This lack of continuity negatively affects district performance. We are embarking on the biggest expansion of Thomason in 90 years."
He said the complex nature of the board members' job means it's often more than a year before they are knowledgeable and able to make significant contributions to the board. He said two-year terms are not enough time to learn the way the district operates, and potentially losing either three or four board members each year puts the district at a disadvantage.
"When you have, at any one time, 60 percent of the board rotating off, that cripples the governance body," Valenti said. "The longer term is important so the board member learns the district, becomes oriented to the district and can begin contributing as a board member."
Castillo agreed.
"Each and every action taken by this board is so significant that we can't afford to lose such a high percentage of board members each and every year," Castillo said.
Cobos said he is fine with either two- or three-year terms, but would favor that they be staggered -- with fewer up for reappointment each year or, if the two-year terms stand, having the appointments take effect at different times during the year.
Appointments
He said his primary concern is a proposed change in the way candidates for appointment are determined.
"What we're hoping for is to somehow extricate the whole process from it being a political appointment," Castillo said. "There would be an initial screening and anyone from Commissioners Court could recommend people contingent on how many slots you were filling, and Commissioners Court as a whole would be voting on who they consider to be the best candidate."
Cobos said the proposed nominating committee that was presented to him would include Valenti, the immediate past board chair, two board members, a member of the medical society, and two others.
"It appears the nominating committee is trying to nominate themselves," Cobos said. "I would be in favor of a nominating committee, but right now I would favor something like the PSB (Public Service Board)."
He said that process allows the mayor to put out three names, with the City Council making the decision.
Qualifications
Hospital district board members have also been pushing to establish a profile of qualifications board members should have. Currently, there are no requirements of board members.
These possible requirements could include prior experience on a board, a bachelor's degree (master's degree preferred), residency in El Paso County, diversity and demonstrated expertise in areas such as health care, engineering, law, insurance, human resources or real estate.
"We have very talented citizens in this community that may not meet these qualifications and they are not excluded from ability to serve on the board," Valenti said, adding that the qualifications could be flexible.
Possible disqualifiers could include unpaid property taxes, delinquent child support, defaulting on student loans, conviction of a crime, a substantial conflict of interest and the revocation of a professional license.
Cobos said qualified board members are important, but the issue of conflict of interest is paramount for him. He said architects, engineers, physicians, personal injury lawyers and CEOs of nonprofits that could do business with Thomason Hospital may be inappropriate for board appointment.
"Where we have gotten in trouble in the past is we have not potentially screened conflicts of interest," he said. "That is more important than making sure everyone has a bachelor's degree."
Selecting candidates
Castillo said she would like to see a change from the current process of appointments. She said that now, commissioners simply nominate a person who then gets easy approval from the court because the other members don't want their appointments questioned.
Cobos said the situation she describes should not be happening, and pointed to the recent appointment of Arturo Duran to the board, an appointment that was met with great discussion and contention from Commissioners Court.
"I don't think any commissioner should act as a rubber stamp," Cobos said. "The appointments are by the court, not by an individual ... They deserve to be scrutinized."
Cobos will be nominating someone to Castillo's seat this March, and he said he may break the trend of recent years. He said he has been approached by several people interested in serving on the board, but has not committed to anyone. Instead, he plans to announce a public request for applicants.
"I might put three names up out of qualified individuals and let the commissioners select," he said. "I think that's the way we need to do it. We need change, and I hope to set a new trend."
His nominee would fill the spot now occupied by Castillo, CEO of Bienvivir Senior Health Services.
Commissioner Miguel Terán said he has not decided whether to reappoint Legate to the board or choose someone else.
"I have no idea yet," he said. "I'm not going to be making decisions until we get closer to the day. There's no sense in jumping ahead of myself."
At the Jan. 29 Commissioners Court meeting, Commissioner Luis Sariñana recognized Charlie Garcia as someone he may appoint to the Thomason board in DeGroat's seat.
Garcia is the vice president for the Socorro Independent School District Board of Trustees and a corporate marketer for the Peak Psychiatric Hospital in Santa Teresa.
Sariñana said he has asked for an attorney general opinion about whether Garcia can serve.
"He was one of my first choices and he remains one of my first choices," Sariñana said. "I feel I need to bring in someone I can communicate with and someone I can depend on and lean towards in terms of getting some information and doing some good things in this community."
Garcia said he would be ready to jump in and start working if there are no conflicts of interest.
"I would love to serve on the Thomason board," he said.
He said if he's appointed, he would immediately begin working to help change the system so that four members are never replaced at once.
Erica Molina Johnson may be reached at emolina@elpasotimes.com; 546-6132.
Thomason board
Rosemary Castillo: The board's chair, her seat will be up for appointment this spring by County Judge Anthony Cobos.
Sam J. Legate: The board's vice chair, his seat will be up for appointment this spring by Commissioner Miguel Terán.
Dr. Jesus Arturo Castro-Sandoval:"His seat will be up for appointment this spring by Commissioner"Veronica Escobar.
James Stephen DeGroat:"His seat will be up for appointment this spring by Commissioner Luis Sariñana.
Dr. Carlos Gutierrez:"The board's secretary, his seat will be up for appointment in 2008 by Commissioner Dan Haggerty.
Ron Acton:"His seat will be up for appointment in 2008 by Cobos.
Arturo Duran: His seat will be up for appointment in 2008 by Escobar.
Escobar plans to appoint current board chairwoman Rosemary Castillo.
Sariñana said he may appoint Charlie Garcia, a member of the Socorro Independent School District Board of Trustees.
Cobos said he may solicit applications for his appointment and submit a few choices to the court for their approval.
Terán said he has not yet made up his mind about who he will appoint.