Moses Lake doctor runs for city council

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake physician Dr. Dave Curnel announced his plans to run for Moses Lake City Council.

Curnel is planning to run for the seat held by Councilmember James Liebrecht, whose term ends on Dec. 31.

Filing for the 2009 election starts on June 1 and lasts through June 5.

The candidate said he’s running for the position so he can serve the community. Curnel is the medical director at the Moses Lake Clinic.

“At this point, it’s honest to say I don’t have any agendas. If you’re not on the city council, you’re not privy to all of the information that you need to make decisions,” he said. “I think when you go in with an agenda you ruin your ability to be objective … You can’t have your own self interest going into the position. When you have an agenda, you have your own self interest there.”

Curnel would like to apply his experience, in the military and as the medical director for the clinic, to the position. He said he understands accounting and balance sheets and helped make the clinic profitable.

“I don’t like to debate,” he said. “I think the city needs to make decisions on things with the information that they have and I have the ability to do that.”

Curnel has lived in the city for 19 years and serves as the physician for the Moses Lake Fire Department. He worked to improve the quality of medical service the department could provide, he said.

“All we had at that time, was aid people. We got them up to an elevated level, so they can do airways, defibrillation and put in an (intravenous) line,” he said. “I’m very pro fire and police.”

Along with being the medical director at the clinic, Curnel spends most of his time working in the walk-in clinic.

“I spend about 25 percent of my time in administration and about 75 percent of my time in patient care,” he said.