Valenti's Bonus - Tone-deaf to the Community

UMC Jim Valenti's Comments at a Recent Press Conference

So the Hospital District Board has given a big fat bonus to Jim Valenti to the tune of $100,000. Incredibly this is a bones based on his performance!

This is the exact kind of action that undermines the confidence of the public in government.

Before I continue with my rant, let me make sure you all understand something very important. This is NOT the fault of Commissioner's Court. Those of you that are running around saying that should pay more attention because you sound silly. The Court appoints the members of the Hospital Board but once they are on the Board they basically do what they want and there really isn't anything the Court can do about it.

The Hospital District Board gave him the bonus. Commissioners Court doesn't have the ability to give a bonus even if they wanted to. If you want someone to blame, here is a link to the Board Members of the Hospital District.

Lets put this in context. This bonus is more than three times the annual salary of an El Pasoan. And that is just a bonus, that isn't counting is regular salary. According to an article in the El Paso Times in 2012, Valenti received $430,580 in base salary with a compensation package that actually totals over $600,000 a year when you count his health and life insurance, car and cellphone perks.

Employees recently got pink slips because apparently there was not enough money to go around. Belts needed to be tightened in order to make ends meet...allegedly. But somehow there was an extra $100,000 laying around and they dropped it on Valenti?

You've got to be kidding me.

Sure $100k can't pay the salaries of all those employees but it is a terrible visual. This is why the public doesn't trust the government.

But for the sake of being fair, lets look at this from the UMC side of the equation.

The Hospital Board's position is likely going to be one of praise for Valenti. They will likely say that Valenti is an effective administrator and one of the best in the country. They will point to facts like customer satisfaction. They will say that UMC has one of the highest rates of uninsured patients while maintaining a low rate of tax contribution from the tax payers. They will also say that there is government data that says customer satisfaction and quality of care rank among the highest in the state and better than the for-profits in town. UMC has maxed out on the Medicare reimbursements which maximizes the financial stability of the organization and alleviates the burden on tax payers.

Jim Valenti must be completely tone deaf to public opinion and the community he serves. He is going to be the biggest bad-guy in town if he accepts the bonus. As recently as September he presented a budget to commissioners court that included staff cuts and no merit-pay increases according to this article in the El Paso Times.

What kind of guy professes to be "sick about" layoffs of staff, presents a budget with no merit-pay increases and then takes a bonus that is three times the salary of the average El Pasoan?

The relationship between UMC and Texas Tech has basically fallen apart. Under Valenti's watch the Children's Hospital has racked up a debt of $70 million to UMC, taxes have gone up, and 56 employees got their pink slips.

He cannot in good conscience take that performance bonus after a year like that. Even if all the other areas of his performance were superlative.

Margaret Althoff-Olivas, who handles media for UMC, should know when a media tidal wave is about to hit. This is the kind of story that practically begs the media to write negative stories about the organization. If she doesn't then UMC should hire someone who does. A story like this at a time of year when people have to stretch to make ends meet because of the holidays positions the UMC as the proverbial bad guy twirling his mustache while he waits for a train to run over the damsel in distress tied to the railroad tracks.

Oh, and by the way, sweeps are coming up for the stations. Guess who would love to do a series of stories on an easy target like UMC and Valenti?

For us, the lowly taxpayers, it really sucks to be tied to the train tracks. Toot, toot. Here comes the train again...