Elect Yantis Green

Archive for February, 2010

Kudos to the Standard Times reporters for the article on the GOP County Commissioner candidates.  While the coverage was about as fair & balanced as possible, there was some critical information missing.  I know the paper had only so much room to print the article and had to make a decision about what to put in and what to leave out.  The complete questionaires for the three candidates are online at gosanangelo.com under the local news tab. 

Here’s what was left out.  Under basic information, the paper requested our Civic Involvement.  The following is our responses: 

Chad Buie: Past YMCA board of directors, Mentor program – Kids at Risk Blackshear, United Way loaned executive

Yantis Green:  Angelo State University Alumni Association member; former President, Christoval Chamber of Commerce; former board member, San Angelo Schools Foundation; Knights of Columbus member; founding President, Christoval Baptist Church After School Day Care center; Eucharistic Minister, Holy Angels Church; Holy Angels Spring Festival Committee member; San Angelo Pachyderm Club member; former member, Tom Green County Friends of 4H; platelet donor, United Blood Services; former Christoval home football game announcer.

Kenny McCrea:  Worked with the YMCA coaching Gray-Y football for four years; coached girls fast-pitch softball for San Angelo girls fast-pitch softball association and competitive ball for ten years, served on the board of directors of the San Angelo girls fast-pitch association, served as a deacon of my church for a number of years, served as a youth pastor for a couple of years.

Three questions were omitted; 3, 4 and 8. 

3.  Name one county program or department you would like to improve?

4.  What role should the county play in providing health for indigent residents?

8.  What made you decide to want to run for Precinct 4 Commissioner?

Here are our responses to No. 4: 

Buie:  The county should continue its role with the indigent health care issues of Tom Green County.  As with all county services, we should strive to meet the expectation of the taxpayers. 

Green:  According to the Texas Health and Safety Code, Sec. 61.022 (b) The county is the payor of last resort and shall provide (health care assistance) only if other adequate public or private sources of payment are not available.  The county is required to set aside 8% of its annual budget for indigent health care or about $1.9 million dollars.  Tom Green County has upper payment limit (UPL) agreements with Shannon Hospital and San Angelo Community Hospital which allows the county to leverage local tax dollars for federal funding by sending quarterly payments to the State Comptroller’s office.  The Comptroller receives federal funding and returns it to the county under the UPL agreements.  The last reporting period showed that every county tax dollar generated $3.21 in indigent health care provided by the two hospitals under the agreements.  The UPL agreements send 81% of that funding to Shannon and 19% to San Angelo Community based on history of care provided.  The county also spends about $500,000 per year in payments to La Esperanza Clinic and private physicians for indigent health care.  I believe the county’s role should be that of payor of last resort; however, commissioners should continue to work with local health care providers to look for ways to maximize local funding and ensure all indigent patients receive the best care possible while ensuring taxpayers get the maximum return on their tax dollars. 

McCrea:  Tom Green County does a very good job in this area already.  There is a statute that allows up to 8% of the total county budget to go to indigent heatlh care and it is my understanding that our county applys the full 8%.  People who are requesting indigent health care do have to qualify.  It is a much needed program. 

To read the rest of the responses, go to www.gosanangelo.com, click on local news and scroll down to Precinct 4 Commissioner questionaire for each of the candidates. 

The answers to these questions along with the information about Civic involvement is critical to making a decision about which candidate will make the best Tom Green County Commissioner for Precinct 4.

The Candidate Campaign Finance Reports in the San Angelo Standard Times report of February 2, 2010 are wrong. 

The article by new Political reporter Kiah Collier shows our campaign raised an ‘overall total’ of $3,101.01.  That’s just not the case.  We raised $10,755.00 from January 7, 2009 to January 21, 2010. 

The campaign finance reports are public information on the Tom Green County website; www.co.tom-green.tx.us/ips/cms/othercountyoffices/Elections/Campaign_Finance_Reports/.

We followed State Law and filed all three reports on time.  They are as follows: 

January 7, 2009 – June 30, 2009:  $3,270.00

July1, 2009 – December 31, 2009:  $4,785.00

January 1, 2010 – January 21, 2010:  $2,700.00

For an ‘overall total’ of $10,755.00.

We hope the San Angelo Standard Times editors will correct their new reporter’s mistake in print.