At the Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts, we monitor elections for hospitals all over the state. I was in complete shock when I read the recent letter from the Pacific County assessor. I have never in my 20-plus years of election experience been faced with a public official charged with the custody of taxpayer funds demonstrating a basic misunderstanding of public financing to the level he has. His facts are as bad as his math. Neither add up.

The facts you see on the ballot are the calculations provided by finance experts, not elected officials. The facts you see on the ballot have been approved by the county auditor and county prosecutor. The district taxpayer is being asked to approve $46 million to support a new hospital. This is the fact. No more, no less. Full stop.

Will a new hospital cost more? It will. Due to the extraordinary planning and foresight of your hospital commissioners, the non-taxpayer portion of the new hospital will be paid out of accrued savings and future operations. Another hard fact that has been shared time and time again at multiple public meetings taking place over months, not weeks. Those your assessor did not attend.

Here is more real math; $15 per month for $100,000 of home value. That’s it. For most, a new hospital future (replacing one of the oldest in the state) for less than a tank of gas a month means you see your doctor in your community, not in Olympia. Incredible.

I encourage all of you to do something your assessor has been derelict in doing — learn more about the facts of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the future of your local healthcare and make an informed decision. Facts matter, math matters, and your healthcare future matters.

MATTHEW ELLSWORTH

Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts

Executive Director