Letter to the Editor

Hello, my name is Steve Severin and I am running as a write-in candidate for the board of McKenzie Valley Wellness.

As many of you may know, I was responsible for the remodel of the present temporary housing of Orchid Health, our current medical provider that was displaced from the Holiday Farm Fire. My wife is presently employed by Orchid Health. I have many friends and family here and my wife and I relocated here 5 years ago. I attended McKenzie high school and have always considered the river my home.

I have attended the most recent board meetings and am familiar with the present situations facing the board and the community. I have been encouraged by some of the board members to run for the board. We are up for a big year with the design and construction of a new facility in Blue River, cleaning up and revising the corporate bylaws, and looking at what services MVW will provide outside of the care provided by Orchid Health.

There are many issues that I and other members feel we can provide services for the community as we rebuild and for the future. Mental health, addiction services, and senior meal program are just a few. I am very open to and encourage the community's input on this subject. I hope MVW can be more than just a landlord for a medical provider.

I have been in the construction industry most of my adult life. I have 30 years of experience in commercial building projects. I was a project manager for a nationwide retailer (Tower Records) I was responsible for lease negotiations, owner’s representative to contractors, store openings, and finalization of construction. I worked for a large developer that was tasked with setting up and implementing the franchise program for Big O Tires. My last employment before returning to the river was managing special construction needs for 4 multi-level buildings at UC Merced. My goal is to help the board through this construction project keeping it on budget and meeting the schedule.

I also have 15 years of experience serving in non-profit corporations. I have served as a contract negotiator, board president, and board member at large. I was responsible for bylaw revisions. I have a good understanding and have implemented Robert's Rules of Order. Something I feel strongly about to keep board meetings and general member meetings civil and to the point. If I’m selected, I will be making a motion that we adopt Robert's Rules of order to run our meetings.

I would like to thank all the present board members for the time and effort they have put in. I know there has been contention and divisiveness on the board and know we can work through this. My goal if the members put their trust in me to serve is to bring structure, work through our differences and come to decisions in a civil manner. We will not always agree but it is important that everyone is able to express their point before we decide. My soul goal in seeking this position is for our community to have health and medical services for the future. I welcome and encourage you to contact me with any questions or concerns. I’m on FaceBook, Email [email protected], or you can call anytime at 559-977-9139.

Thanks

Steve