"Mayor: Hospital meeting will be open to board"

Commission members were told earlier this week that they were not invited.
Danville Register & Bee
Friday, June 8, 2007

DANVILLE - All Citizen’s Commission members have been given permission to attend a meeting to review information the group has gathered about Danville Regional Medical Center.
Commission members were told earlier this week that the meeting set for Monday would consist of Mayor Wayne Williams, consultant Keith Pryor and Jim Houser, commission co-chairman. Other commission members were told that they were not invited to the meeting.
The mayor, however, has since said the meeting is open.
“Certainly anyone is welcome to attend,” Williams said in an e-mail sent Wednesday night to commission members.
Commission member Arlene Creasy, who questioned why the meeting was initially closed, forwarded the e-mail minutes later to the news media.
No time has been set for the meeting between Williams, Pryor and Houser, the mayor said. He said the purpose is to review information and prepare an agenda for the commission’s 5:15 p.m. meeting the same day.
“No decisions will be made, simply a review of progress to date and a review of key points that need to be addressed at your meeting,” Williams said in the e-mail to commission members. “Of course, additional points can always be introduced at the meeting. It is important that we are efficient with Keith’s time as the Commission moves to developing an action plan.”
Williams said he scheduled Pryor to attend the commission’s Monday meeting because the group has completed the information gathering and is ready to move to the next phase.
“The purpose of the next meeting will be to review information, determine if additional data is needed and begin developing recommendations for Lifepoint,” Williams said.
He said the earlier meeting is not a regular commission meeting, which is probably why Houser told commission members that they needed to talk to the mayor if they wanted to attend.
“This isn’t a secret meeting,” Williams said.
That explanation appeared to appease Creasy. She said there was a communication breakdown and members should have known earlier that this other meeting was being held.
“When I serve on a committee, I want to know what’s happening,” Creasy said, adding she does not plan on attending the early meeting because the focus will be on setting the agenda.