The Llano Ledger


Newsletter Text V14

This Website Is Full. Starting With The December 25, 2000 Newsletter, All Future Editions Will Be Posted In The Llano Ledger 2, Found By Clicking http://maxpages.com/llanoledger2.

****************************October 18, 1999*****************************

As reported earlier, an informal inquiry regarding the feasibility study of a proposed acute healthcare facility in Marble Falls was e-mailed to Llano Memorial Healthcare System (LMHS) Administrator Ernie Parisi on October 1. When Mr. Parisi failed to respond in a timely fashion, a formal request under the Texas Open Records Act was then sent on October 9. ... Readers should understand government bureaucracy nearly never provides information freely, willingly, or in a timely fashion.

As also mentioned at the end of last week's edition, the Administrator finally chose to respond to the earlier informal inquiry, -- after receiving the formal request. Since his response turned out to be at the very least disingenuous, I have decided to publish the October 1 inquiry message as well as Mr. Parisi's response. Following both, I'll then fully report the results of a meeting I had with the Administrator and his colleague on Wednesday afternoon October 13.

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(Sent 10-1-99)
Llano Memorial Healthcare System
Ernie Parisi, Administrator
Llano, Tx. 78643

Dear Mr. Parisi:

As publisher of _The Llano Ledger my publication first addressed LMHS plans to expand to the Marble Falls area in the August 9, 1999 edition of the newsletter. Would you kindly provide the name of the independent consultant, as well as a copy of his study, or at least access to it, please?

To save time, effort, and postage, I could pick it up at your office. My readers and the citizens of Llano County need to be fully informed. Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
http://maxpages.com/llanoledger
Rt 2 Box 464A
Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609

***************************************************************************
(Received 10-11-99)
Mr. Tim Chorney
Llano Ledger

This is the first day that I have opened my mail box since last week, so I have not been able to respond to your request sooner.

If you wish to review the data concerning the feasibility study you may do so by calling my secretary and scheduling an appointment between the hours of 9:00AM and 4:00PM, Monday thru Friday. I will be happy to go over the information that it contains.

You may contact my secretary, Karen Kinard at 247-7824.

Thank you for your interest.

Ernie Parisi
Administrator/CEO

*******************************************************************************

Early in the meeting, Mr. Parisi reneged on his offer to allow review of the study data, citing Section 551.085 of the 1998 Texas Open Meetings Act Handbook as a defense. Readers should understand my request was made under the Texas Open Records Act, -- not the Texas Open Meetings Act. Furthermore, Mr. Parisi has asserted all LMHS proceedings regarding the proposed Marble Falls facility have been conducted in executive session to protect what he alleges are "trade secrets". At this time, he is willing to make none of this material available for public inspection. More pointedly, how can demographics be considered "trade secrets"?

If this defense is allowed to stand, LMHS will have effectively used the Texas Open Meetings Act to circumvent the Texas Open Records Act. Brilliant, no? ... This strategy must have come from an attorney. LMHS has apparently forgotten it is indeed a public, not private entity. The people have a right to know how it conducts its business.

Sadly, Mr. Parisi wasted a considerable amount of time stressing the integrity and stature of the attorneys involved as well as that of LMHS Board members. His attitude was essentially I need to trust them. Interesting, no? Arrogant? Certainly.

Very little substantive information has been made available to the public regarding this issue. Other media sources have apparently been satisfied with what has been provided. Not so at this publication. While I'm no healthcare business expert, I intend to get up to speed as quickly as possible. As I readily and candidly admitted to Mr. Parisi, I'm certainly learning as I go along.

Although only a writer and not an attorney, I indeed have a number of questions regarding the legality of the LMHS Board conducting all its business regarding the proposed facility in executive session. Protection of alleged "trade secrets", in my not-so-humble view, is a sham to justify conducting hospital business in private. If LMHS is allowed to use such tactics, they will have indeed successfully circumvented both the Texas Open Records Act as well as the Texas Open Meetings Act. Clever, no? Again, these tactics must have originated with legal counsel. ... More pointedly, what about the people's right to know?

As might be expected, I quickly contacted the Attorney General's office. An investigator, who had earlier handled a complaint I had filed against the Sheriff, advised me to snail-mail the request to the Administrator immediately. It seems there have been purposefully and conveniently generated legal problems with e-mail requests. Attorneys for targeted bureaucratic officials have used tactics similar to those employed by the President of the United States during his interrogation under oath. Readers will remember Clinton's clever dancing and dodging over the definition of the word "is". Apparently, a snail-mail request facilitates matters for the AG's office and sets the 10 day clock more definitively in motion. The following is a copy of the request:

************************************************************************************

Llano Memorial Healthcare System
Ernie Parisi, Administrator
103 West Lampasas St.
Llano, Tx. 78643

Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger
http://maxpages.com/llanoledger
Rt 2 Box 464A
Buchanan Dam, Tx. 78609

October 14, 1999

Dear Mr. Parisi:

Under the Texas Open Records Act, copies of the following documents are respectfully requested:

1. Feasibility study for the proposed Marble Falls acute healthcare facility.

2. Verification documentation from the outside auditing firm.

Sincerely,
Tim Chorney, Publisher
The Llano Ledger

cc: File

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Furthermore, the investigator in the Open Records Division has informed me attorneys for targeted bureaucrats are quite clever in their use of obfuscation and delaying tactics. I intend to promptly and fully report all. After all, the public has the right to know the foibles as well as the character of its officials and "hired guns". The only way to peacefully force badly needed change is to expose the abuses to the light of day. There are indeed Open Records as well as Open Meetings questions raised by LMHS tactics that will have to be resolved by the Attorney General's office.

To his credit, Mr. Parisi answered some of the questions posed in last week's edition. Apparently, the taxpayers will not be left holding the bag should the proposed facility go belly-up. It will be set up as a separate 501(C)(3) with 100% financing anticipated. This will apparently protect the taxpayers against insolvency. My apology to the readers for taking a week to notice a typographical error in last week's edition. The cost estimate for the proposed Marble Falls facility should have read $13.5 million, -- not $12.5 million. I've finally made the correction in the earlier edition.

Sixty percent of future LMHS revenues are anticipated from the Marble Falls facility. The Administrator asserts expansion of LMHS is absolutely necessary for its survival in view of extensive government cutbacks in funding. As Mr. Parisi correctly asserted, healthcare has turned into a business.

According to LMHS, expansion to Burnet County will provide support to the facilities here in Llano County. Instead of traveling to Austin or Fredericksburg, patients will only have to travel to Marble Falls. Furthermore, the Administrator asserts construction of new operating room facilities in Marble Falls is preferable to an expensive retro-fitting of Llano Memorial Hospital operating suites. In addition, there will be a reduction in expenses through the sharing of staff between both facilities. Mr. Parisi further asserted the physician pool in the area will be increased by the expansion.

The Administrator and his staff are not stupid people. Neither is the LMHS Board. The expansion may indeed be a brilliant business move. Since this investigation is only beginning, there is a lot more digging to do. The refusal of LMHS to share information and to conduct expansion-related business only in executive session, however, are clearly a red flag. Instead of wasting my time on a nearly pointless meeting, the Administrator should have e-mailed a second time indicating his change of mind and subsequent reneging of the earlier offer. ... He was clearly uncomfortable at the meeting. His colleague offered little and couldn't have been less interested.

As with the Sheriff's Department and jail, readers should understand this is only the beginning of another long hard fight. LMHS will indeed be very carefully scrutinized. More pointedly, when will government finally understand it is in its best interest to operate openly? Just as pointedly, should government be in business?

On a totally unrelated matter, I have spent six hours to date studying the jail booking records. I'm up to May 29, 1999. A female jailer was on duty this past visit. While I don't yet know the identity of all the jailers, I believe she is Jackie Dahl. Readers should understand I have been allowed 2 hrs. access every Thursday morning between 9:00 to 11:00AM. Considering the painstaking nature of the task, two hours each week is enough.

I arrive at the jail shortly before 9:00AM and am immediately escorted to the visitor's room. Prior to this visit, I have not been locked in. This past week turned out to be different. The nature and magnitude of the task require working quickly and intensely concentrating. I noticed the jailer kept returning to the room more frequently than in past visits to ask how I was doing, or whether I needed to use the rest room, etc..

Finally, she informed me she was asking since I had indeed been locked in. Quite frankly, I could have cared less. As long as I'm allowed to complete the task, that's all that's required. If they feel the need to lock the door for security reasons, so be it. I fully understand I'm free to leave the jail at any time.

Interestingly, the facility was quieter than usual and I saw no trustys during this visit. Apparently, Ms. Dahl either "runs a tight ship", or there's been a change in security measures. Either way, I was impressed. At 11:00AM, I informed her the Chief Jailer usually allows me to work only until that time, but that I would be more than willing to continue. About 15 minutes later, he ordered her to give me the boot, -- so to speak. All joking aside, I'll return again later this week to continue the task.

... What I originally thought would only take several hours, has already taken six, -- and I'm only half done. The sheer number of prisoners is far greater than I had anticipated. Interestingly, the drop in inmates housed at Kerrville over the last several months continued in September. The daily average was 2. The September Kerrville prisoner boarding expense was $1890.00, increasing the year to date expense to $36,820.00. -- This figure apparently includes $350.00 for October.

Finally, Packsaddle Elementary School construction is egregiously behind schedule. As usual, our illustrious new Superintendent Jack Patton continues to pass the buck and make excuses. Had he spent more time attending to school business rather than appointing long-time cronies such as Maintenance Manager Sid Schmidt to high executive positions, the taxpayers and students would certainly have been better served.

More pointedly, has he finally gotten the buses and his Transportation Manager under control? ... Life is certainly never dull or boring in Llano County. Aren't we lucky? Curiously, our officials graciously insist on providing endless fodder for this publication. ... I'm deeply grateful. All joking aside, we're far from having truly open, accessible, reasonable government. Sad, isn't it? Indeed.

Tim Chorney, Publisher



Tim Chorney, Publisher
P.O. Box 997
Buchanan Dam Tx. 78609

llanoledger@mailcity.com

Page Updated Tue Oct 9, 2001 1:34pm EDT