Remarks to Dallas County Commissioners’ Court

May 4, 2004

 

Judge Keliher, County Commissioners:

 

My name is Sandy Stuart, and I live at ...  I am here today as co-chair of the Health Care Committee of Dallas Area Interfaith.  Again, we come before you to raise our concern of our county hospital system.  As you draw nearer to selecting four new members of the Parkland Board of Managers, I urge you to remember what we have said before:

 

  1. The citizens of this county and the principles of democracy demand that the public’s business be done in public.  Appoint board members who understand and value this most basic tenet of public service.

 

  1. Appoint board members who value the mission and vision of the Parkland System.  This means individuals who are willing to support a budget which will restore and grow the services of our hospital district, and who will put quality first.

 

  1. Appoint board members with the courage to present to this body an adequate budget, even if it requires an increase in the Dallas County Hospital District tax rate.

 

We welcome the opportunity to work with the new Board members, and will schedule meetings with each of them within the first 30 days of their tenure.  Dallas Area Interfaith will continue to support a healthcare system that meets the needs of the public it serves. 

 

We urge you to do the same.