Lora Abcarian for Platte Canyon Fire Board 2010 Last fall, a heated campaign was conducted by the Platte Canyon Fire Protection District asking the voters to approve a three-percent mill levy increase to fund ambulance service within the district. The voters of the district were not given an opportunity to digest a financial audit which may have shed significant light on the district's financial condition. Some information began to slowly trickle in, while other data were not made available until it was too late in the game. This was more than a serious oversight, since the vote was conducted by mail-in ballot. Typically, voters cast their ballots early in such elections; hence many votes were cast before much of this information came to light. In the wake of public criticism, members of the fire district issued a challenge to the public: if you, the private citizen, are concerned, you should become involved with the district. I heard that challenge and took it to heart. I filed paperwork to run for a two-year term on the board of directors. As an outspoken member of this community, I am disappointed that the board has apparently lost control of administration of the fire district. The fire district's staff works for the board of directors. Despite the fact that the board of directors is responsible to the public at large, the public has consistently been left out of the loop. Trust and transparency. Both have been overlooked and ignored by the current board. Here are some examples: Had the board been doing its job, information requested from the district's staff last year by private citizens about the financial condition of the district would have been made available in a timely manner so voters would have had a chance to evaluate the ballot measure based upon factual data. The district waited very late in the game in 2010 to file a legal notice of election for three board seats. A critical mistake in the filing of a legal notice with The Flume should have been caught by the board before publication. Had the citizen candidates not made their displeasure with the district known, one of the board seats would have been filled as "uncontested." The board has not fully utilized the capabilities of the district's website to disseminate information to which the public is entitled. This information includes the district's annual financial audit, personnel roster and annual or semi-annual publication of salaries. The district's transparency statement is buried on the website and can only be found upon clicking on a link to a senate bill. It is my hope that 2010 will be a year to rebuild public trust and confidence in the fire district. On May 4, the voters of this fire district will have an opportunity to elect three directors. It is, in fact, the first time in recent memory that an actual election will be held. Votes may be cast at the polling place designated by the fire district, or voters can obtain absentee ballots to cast their votes. On May 4, vote for Lora Abcarian for the Platte Canyon Fire Protection District board of directors. ---Lora Abcarian