Four candidates are vying for three seats on the board of directors for the Cascade Medical Center District in the May 20 election on Tuesday.
The seven-member board is responsible for the management and strategic planning of the hospital district and its operations, which include the Cascade Medical Center campus in Cascade and the Donnelly Urgent Care & Family Medicine Clinic.
For 2025, the district expects to collect about $1.1 million in tax funding from property owners within the district, which includes all of Cascade and stretches north near Donnelly.
Mike Drury, Rachel Smith, and Tom Watson are seeking re-election to seats they currently hold, while challenger Warren Sedlacek looks to unseat one of them. The candidate with the fewest votes will not be elected to a seat on the board.
Seats held by David Gough, David Croshaw, Lesa Becker, and Jacque Zemlicka are not up for election this cycle.
Early voting continues until Friday at 5 p.m. at the Valley County Courthouse in Cascade.
Valley Lookout sent a list of questions to each candidate regarding their candidacy. Their exact responses are published below.
The questions posed to each candidate were identical, except for those posed to Warren Sedlacek. The questions posed to Sedlacek were adjusted to reflect his status as a challenger.
Incumbents – Mike Drury, Rachel Smith, Tom Watson
What motivated you to seek re-election to the hospital board?
Drury: The past 3 years have been rewarding. The existing board and the team at CMC have a true commitment to the community’s health needs. It’s an honor to be part of it.
Smith: It’s important to me to show my girls that giving back to the community by volunteering is a worthy investment of time. I enjoy representing the families of our district in board discussions.
Watson: I was appointed to the Board in October of 2024 to fill out the term of a departing Trustee. In the few months that I have served I have just begun to see how I can contribute to the mission of the hospital as a trusted advisor. If I can lend some of my expertise to what I believe is perhaps the most essential public resource in our community, I want to do that.
Without donors like you, this story would not exist.
Make a donation of any size here
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Cascade Medical Center in the coming years and how would you like to address them?
Drury: The facilities are aging. This is an ongoing challenge.
Smith: The CMC facility is aging, and there is a real need for the hospital staff to have more room to do their jobs. We need an expansion option that supports the staff and is a manageable investment that our community can really get excited about!
Watson: A thriving community needs a thriving healthcare provider. Having the people, resources and facilities that will enable CMC to grow with the increasing healthcare demands of the region are significant challenges. Meeting those challenges will require sound financial decision making, a long-term plan for facility improvement, and constantly developing better systems of quality and safety by the people who provide patient care every day.
How long have you been on the board and what are you most proud of from your tenure so far?
Drury: I joined the board in 2021. There is a definite learning curve as the medical world is very complex. I’ve enjoyed learning the terminology, the impacts of Medicare and Medicaid, and the general flow of operations.
Smith: I have served on the CMC Board of Trustees for six years, one full term. I am proud to have been a part of big decisions, like CMC converting to an REH (Rural Emergency Hospital), opening a clinic in Donnelly, and implementing a top-notch medical records system.
Watson: Prior to being appointed to the Board 7 months ago I served on the Strategic Planning Committee for about a year. During this time we made the important decision to become a Rural Emergency Hospital, which provides a significantly better financial foundation for the hospital to successfully meet the current and future healthcare demands of the District.
Do you have any specific goals you would like to achieve, or policy positions you would like to represent on the board?
Drury: My main focus is to ensure the facility remains financially healthy.
Smith: I would like to help find an affordable and attractive option for facility expansion that fits the needs of both the community and staff.
Watson: Ensuring that Cascade Medical Center is the highest-rated Rural Emergency Hospital in the State of Idaho and one of the best in the nation as measured by the established standards of quality healthcare and patient satisfaction is my overarching goal.
What previous experience do you have that you believe suits you well on the board?
Drury: My career has been in accounting/finance. I’m currently a Resort Director of Finance and am the Chairman of the Finance Committee for CMC.
Smith: Being involved in our community in a variety of ways throughout my 20 years in Cascade has given me insight into what our neighbors need from our hospital. I am currently serving as the Board Chairperson.
Watson: I spent the last 20 years of my business career helping organizations, including hospitals and healthcare systems, all over the world improve their processes and execute their most critical strategic priorities. It is the universal challenge for every organization. I have partnered with some of the most respected healthcare providers in the world to achieve excellence in compliance, quality, patient satisfaction, safety, process improvement, and financial growth. Having a great facility and the most advanced equipment are important, but these will always be insufficient without skilled, committed people working in effective systems that consistently deliver quality results for their patients. Quality improvement and compliance in healthcare are risky and difficult. It doesn’t happen spontaneously. I have been able to help ensure that quality healthcare is delivered at CMC just as I have with the other organizations with which I have worked in the past.
What should voters know about you before casting their vote?
Drury: I’ve lived in Cascade since 2006 and have raised my family here with my wife. I have no agenda beyond making sure our community has access to the medical care it needs. Hospitals are a critical part of a community. We need to keep CMC healthy. Schools, hospitals and emergency services are essential.
Smith: I love living in a small town! My husband and I are invested here, raising our kids and running our business. We take our kids to CMC when they are hurt or sick, so I want CMC to continue to be awesome!
Watson: I am a full-time resident of Cascade. This is my home and my community. Being retired I have the time and experience to contribute in what I believe are meaningful ways to an organization that provides an essential public service and does it in a most outstanding way. I want to be a part of that.
Anything else not covered in the questions above?
Drury: Not at this time. Thank you.
Smith: No response.
Watson: In addition to serving on the Board, I serve on the Strategic Planning Committee and the Quality and Compliance Committee at CMC.
Challenger – Warren Sedlacek
What motivated you to seek election to the hospital board?
To shed light on how board elections work in Valley County. Also, my wife says I’ll do a good job!
Are there aspects of the current board’s management that you would like to see changed? If so, please describe.
Increased public outreach.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Cascade Medical Center in the coming years and how would you like to address them?
The need for a Long-Term financially achievable plan for where the Cascade Medical Center will be in the next 10-20 years.
Do you have any specific goals you would like to achieve, or policy positions you would like to represent on the board?
Find out what the public really wants and needs.
What should voters know about you before casting their vote?
I moved to Cascade in February, 1992. I was a member of the Cascade Rural Volunteer Fire Department from 1992-2003. I was a firefighter, EMT-I and the Training Officer. In the time I have lived here I know many of the people of who depend on the services provided by the Cascade Medical Center. I would be honored to represent the public on the Cascade Medical Center Board.
Anything else not covered in the questions above?
I spent my 30+ year career as a Civil Servant. This included working for the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Reclamation. During this time, I was responsible for project planning, budgets, contracts, personnel, etc. I believe this experience is invaluable for the position on the Cascade Medical Center Board.
