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Friday, March 11, 2016
Hospital board buys out superintendent’s contract By Dylan Chaffin dchaffin@snovalleystar.com An emotional evening for the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District Board of Commissioners ended with a vote to move ahead with a full buyout of Superintendent Rodger McCollum’s contract, which runs through early December.
Passing by a vote of 4-1, the agreement includes a 14-day “transition period” from the March 3 meeting for McCollum to sign the deal, write a resignation letter or move ahead with a lawsuit against the hospital district for unlawful termination. Under law, however, McCollum has 21 days to provide a response to the board.
Commissioner Gene Pollard was the only vote against the resolution. “I feel that both parties were at serious fault,” he told the other commissioners. He proposed a middle ground of mediation or arbitration to provide a better solution to what members of the community called “petty grievances” during public
comment. But Commissioner Emma Herron disagreed. “Any mediation or arbitration will only hurt the hospital,” she said. “If we wait another 10 or 12 months to replace that leadership position, who knows what will happen?” She later likened the hospital to a victim of kidnapping,
“now forced to pay the ransom.” In an opening statement, Commissioner David Speikers urged the public to understand that the board felt the decision to remove McCollum was best for the hospital district to continue to improve. “I would like to thank the See CONTRACT, Page 7
Officer suspended in sexting affair By Mike Carter The Seattle Times
By Greg Farrar / gfarrar@snovalleystar.com
Snoqualmie Valley Eyecare Associates director and optometrist Dr. Brian Duvall poses under a giant eye chart on the ceiling in the lobby of his Snoqualmie Ridge office.
Optometrist sets his sights on care in Africa By Dylan Chaffin dchaffin@snovalleystar.com Stepping into the Snoqualmie office of optometrist Brian Duvall, you’ll
quickly notice the clean, simple and futuristic design many of us have come to expect from our healthcare providers. But on March 28, Duvall will board an airplane and travel more than 8,700
miles to Kinshasa, the capital city of the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, before heading onward to that country’s See EYE DOC, Page 6
A Snoqualmie police officer with an extensive history of using excessive force has been suspended 20 days without pay for having an affair with another officer’s wife, according to documents obtained by The Seattle Times. The discipline comes after an internal investigation into the actions of Officer Nick Hogan, actions that also prompted a letter to the mayor and police chief, signed by 18 of the department’s 21 officers, calling for Hogan’s dismissal. Hogan was hired by the Snoqualmie Police See AFFAIR, Page 5
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