Letter: Voters deserve voice on future of health care center
To the Editor-
I’ve heard it said that the payoff for being a county supervisor is to wield power or even sometimes to achieve financial gain. This may be true for some, but I believe that for most serving as a supervisor is an opportunity for public service. It’s to you that I’m writing.
The Portage County Health Care Center may look like a liability to you, a drain on limited resources, not worth saving. You may think of the money you can save taxpayers by denying this April referendum and letting our County Executive sell it off. You may be right.
But to many voters, it is a gem, owned and operated by Portage County for over 100 years. We are personally invested in this institution. It’s much more than a crumbling building or vacant land.
It is important that you know how many, many, voters, including me, would react if you used the inflation “surcharge” caused by COVID as an excuse to sell it from under us, without even consulting the public
I know I would feel betrayed by the County Board, whose duty it is to serve the public. I would feel as if you had stolen something precious from me and from the entire community. I would feel like the victim of a pickpocket, angry that someone had the nerve to take what is mine and make away with it before I can yell, “Thief!”
The Portage County Board owes it to the public to provide this referendum so we can have a voice in this important decision. This institution belongs to us all, so we must all be able to vote aye or nay.
It should be comforting to you to know that there will be incentives to vote no. This will not be an easy sell when our property taxes have just gone up, and there will also be a school referendum on the ballot.
Voters who see it as a liability or simply too expensive will vote no.
If the nays win, then so be it. We will feel sad, but we won’t feel betrayed and robbed.
But if the ayes have it, if taxpayers reaffirm their willingness to pay the price for the new building and ongoing operation, then you will at least know that the voters had their say, and we all had the same opportunity to make our case before the public.
As for Supervisor Soik’s argument that the referendum should be delayed for a more “suitable” election in November, I must ask: If the April election is good enough for us to elect supervisors, isn’t it also good enough for this referendum? The time for this referendum is now. Construction has already been delayed for over a year.
We are not asking for money, just for an opportunity for the public to have some input into the future of the Portage County Health Care Center, which we do own.
Karlene Ferrante
Stevens Point
