A Letter from Bill King

Hello Fellow Duck Creek Residents!

I’ve been wrestling with the thought of putting out this mailer, and decided to do so after some urging by some good friends. I’ve read many mailers sent out by the crowd vying for a seat on the Board, and have a few comments on those. You are electing a Board to oversee a corporation with an annual budget of 1M dollars, so those candidates who want you to ‘start over with a fresh Board’ apparently have no idea how a successful business is operated, or that those who serve diligently should be retained.

Now, you should also realize that you have one of the best volunteer fire departments in the state, if not the region. You’ve heard rumors that our Chief is not qualified or educated enough to fill his position. All you have to do to check this out is go to the fire station and have the Fire Chief’s Secretary pull the training records of the Chief and you will quickly learn just how bogus these claims are. Or you can visit www.cmfpdsupporters.blogspot.com to see a complete list of all his training and certifications. Our Chief is well respected throughout Utah, and CMFPD is a respected department as well. Talk to the volunteers and you will see they follow a leader they respect. The people who say otherwise who are running for Board seats just flat do not know what they are talking about. Our Chief and volunteers are one of the first called out by other agencies (e.g. Utah Division of Forestry or BLM) when they need help because they know they will get a highly trained professional crew they can rely on, and the State of Utah is willing to pay the CMFPD for their time when they are requested.

You have to realize there is more to these rumors than meets the eye, and if you are not careful with your choices you will allow the CMFPD to be operated by those who want a social club, not a fire department. Some of those wanting in are those who used to routinely use CMFPD equipment for their own purposes, stored their junk and their friend’s junk in the storage containers and are upset their freebies came to an end. Look at the Board members they vilify, if you do, you will have to ask yourself some very pertinent questions about their motives. I’ll give you an example; Bryan Romney and his family. I don’t know of a family that gives more to the mountain than the Romneys. Bryan is a class act, great businessman, and when you see his relationship with his family and how they jump in with both feet to help ANYONE, you have to cast a suspicious eye on those critical of him.

Which brings me back to the point CMFPD is a business and it needs to be operated as a business. Boards make decisions critical to the operation and well being of the business. Finances are a large part of the Board’s responsibility, but only a part. They also have to know what makes their kind of business successful and be prepared to do what is necessary regardless of the flack they will get for doing it. Read the Charter and the By-Laws we MUST operate under. As you found out at the first Meet ‘n Greet NONE of the critics have read them, and they care not one whit if their lies and rumors hurt or diminish the efforts of anyone serving the community, they only want what they want and to hell with everyone else.

Rumors…money is missing; false. The FBI is investigating something or someone with CMFPD; false. No audits; false. We have a State required audit EVERY year and these audits are sent to the State and Kane County EVERY year. Unqualified personnel; false. We have the certificates on file to prove this, but don’t take my word for it, go see for yourself. When you do, you may look at the critical crowd much differently than you do now.

I would like to remain on the Board. I am proud of the accomplishments the CMFPD has made since I have been on the Board. We have not raised your $90 assessment in five years. I am a successful businessman and I have taken and passed the training for Fire Inspector to get better acquainted with what works in our community and what needs some changing. Everyone in the CMFPD District pays for year-around fire and emergency services, I want to continue to make sure EVERYONE gets what they pay for regardless of where their cabin is, or where they run into trouble. I urge you to vote carefully regardless of whether you vote for me or not. Put people on the Board who want to do what is best for the community, not what’s best for themselves or their small clique. I appreciate your time and consideration. Support our community and vote wisely.

Sincerely,

William ‘Bill’ King. PO Box 494, Hurricane UT 84707, bill.king@mail.com,, (435) 559-0759