Candidates for one open position on the Perry County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees for a three-year term are Art Pistorio and Roger Allen Pleus.
ART PISTORIO
Art Pistorio was born in Park Ridge, Ill., and is married to Caitlin McDermott Hoeh Pistorio, who is the Perry County prosecutor. He is owner of Hoeh & Pistorio, LLC, where he practices as an attorney. Pistorio is a board member of the Perry County Board for the Developmentally Disabled and serves as the city attorney for Perryville.
Asked why he is the best candidate for the position on the hospital board, Pistorio said, “After living all over the country, my wife (who grew up here) and I chose to plant our roots and raise our children in Perry County over a decade ago. This was the best decision that we could have made. Since returning to civilian life, I have looked for ways to serve my community wherever I can, whether as a member of the St. Vincent De Paul School Advisory Board or as a Rotarian. My wife's grandfather, Dr. McDermott, was one of the founding doctors of the hospital so, it has always held a place of honor in our heart. When the opportunity arose, I felt that I would be in a good position to further serve this community that I love to help provide good health care for my family and the families of this community. I believe that my legal training and understanding of public entity law will be a great asset to the board.
In regard to what changes, if any, he plans to make if elected, Pistorio said, “At this point in time the board's primary duty is to maintain the hospital's capital infrastructure in accordance with the lease that the board entered into with Mercy Perry. For the time being, as Mercy's lease is fairly new, we need to keep the majority of our cash in reserve as we track developing needs. The county and the city are focused on growing the population. We need to make sure the hospital fund is ready to address the needs of a growing community.”
As far as the biggest need he hopes to address if elected, Pistorio said, “Monitoring the Mercy lease and ensuring that Mercy lives up to their end of the bargain is the most important need. We should work with Mercy to see what can be done about the increasing cost of health care for our citizens.”
ROGER ALLEN PLEUS
Roger Pleus, 58, was born in Missouri and is retired from the U.S. Army.
Asked why he is the best candidate for the hospital board, Pleus said, “I bring a unique skillset to this board position. My military experience has prepared me for such a role. I was an effective peacetime and combat leader with proven results. I oversaw, managed, and was responsible for a command property worth $26 million dollars. I was accountable for this property and would have command inspections to ensure my accountability. My educational background has provided a foundation to utilize deductive reasoning and thinking to resolve issues or concerns. I was proactive in conflict-resolution and getting the cause of many issues with strong interpersonal skills and communication. I am serving on various boards that are similar in nature to the Perry County Memorial Hospital Board. If elected, this would be a seamless transition. Additionally, I do not have an issue(s) with doing the hard right over the easy wrong. This board needs to be accountable to the voters of Perry County.”
In regard to what changes, if any, he plans to make if elected, Pleus said, “The changes that must happen is complete and total transparency to the citizens of Perry County. The citizens deserve to know how the PCHB money is being spent and any income that it's receiving from income sources. I would recommend a quarterly financial breakdown of said income to debt statements.”
As far as the biggest need he hopes to address if elected, Pleus said, “Return hope and confidence back to the PCHB. Complete transparency! Follow our bylaws and obligations to the citizens of Perry County.”
