Council needs well-informed members

I’ve been asked what makes me qualified to serve on the city council.

My background includes 25 years in the United States Air Force with two one-year tours in Vietnam. Approximately 13 years was as a medic and 12 as a physician assistant. While a medic I spent time in different management roles such as assistant manager of an emergency room, manager of hospital transportation including the ambulance service, and manager of a medical/surgical inpatient ward.

After receiving my bachelor of science degree from the University of Nebraska Medical School as a physician assistant and becoming a commissioned officer I worked in many different clinics through the years including family practice, pediatrics, gynecology, mental health, and the emergency room. After coming to Moses Lake I’ve worked locally in pediatrics, family practice, and occasionally in urgent care.

Evaluating and treating patients includes listening, examining, ordering test, getting specialist opinions, and whatever else is needed to understand the problem the patient has and plan the treatment to relieve their symptoms. Just like getting a specialist opinion in medicine, after their own study and evaluation of the problem, the council member often needs reports from engineering, legal advice, or outside experts to help them to understand the situation well enough to cast an informed vote.

My time in the Air Force in management and the practice of medicine in the Air Force and after moving to Moses Lake has given me a wide range of skills to call upon, skills that would transfer well to the duties of a member of the Moses Lake City Council.

I’ve also been ask if I’m a conservative or liberal but that’s difficult to answer since it depends on the issue. If it helps I consider myself personally and fiscally very conservative but socially moderate. Overall I guess I would be conservative on 90 percent of issues.

I don’t specifically ask that you vote for me, I do ask you to vote and hope you will vote for the person you think can best serve this community with honesty, integrity, and dedication, someone who will work tirelessly to solve the problems that face this city now and over the next four years.

My name is Dean Hankins and I hate politics but I love Moses Lake and I am running for City Council.