X

Hull running on Republican ticket for St. Lawrence County District 8 seat

Posted 10/29/22

BY JIMMY LAWTON North Country This Week MADRID — Madrid healthcare consultant and deacon at the Christian Fellowship Center Ben Hull is hoping to secure the District 8 seat on the County …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Hull running on Republican ticket for St. Lawrence County District 8 seat

Posted

BY JIMMY LAWTON

North Country This Week

MADRID — Madrid healthcare consultant and deacon at the Christian Fellowship Center Ben Hull is hoping to secure the District 8 seat on the County Legislature in November.

Republican Hull said he’s running for office because he believes in the value of community.

“I learned that lesson from my father who had vision for a handful of run-down buildings in Madrid and, through sweat and hard work, transformed our humble town square into something beautiful. Now that I have three children of my own, I am newly motivated to preserve the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy here and to continue investing in our community,” he said.

Hull first came into the public eye when he resigned his position as Director of the Center for Cancer Care at Canton Potsdam Hospital when taking a stance against the state mandate that required health care workers to get vaccinated, specifically because it overruled religious exemptions at the time.

Hull said he could not “violate” his conscience by firing essential healthcare workers who remained unvaccinated.

He said Legislator Kevin Acres approached him about running for District 8 seat soon after that decision.

Hull says he recognizes many problems facing the county in near future, with staffing of critical positions as a major concern.

“There is a growing concern that we’re losing good people because compensation is not competitive. While at the hospital, I managed union-represented staff and successfully negotiated creative solutions that ensured staff were paid fairly and patient care improved. I intend to bring that experience to help get our county departments fully staffed,” he said.

Hull said the county will also need to be more vocal in Albany in order to better serve the North Country.

“In the North Country, we are open to innovation, and we are also practical. We have a legacy of truly sustainable energy production, yet we also want to ensure that people don’t freeze to death because of wood-burning bans. We need legislators who will partner to bring innovative technologies and economic development to the county yet are also ready to tell Albany when their policies will harm our region”

Hull studied economics at St. Lawrence University and later earned his Healthcare Administration MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

He says his experience makes him a prime candidate for legislator.

“After graduate school, I returned home to work at St. Lawrence Health where I was promoted to Direct the Center for Cancer Care. For four years, I led that department and expanded the cancer care available in our community. In the fall of 2020, I was personally tasked by then-CEO David Acker to overhaul COVID-19 testing operations across SLH’s three hospitals – and to do it basically overnight,” he said. “With an incredible team, I coordinated an effort that expanded testing capacity and reduced result wait-times from days to hours. Serving my community in that capacity was the most challenging thing I’ve ever done and remains my greatest professional honor.”

When asked what separates him from his opponent Stephanie Petkovsek, Hull said he’s been attending board meetings and preparing himself should he be elected.

“I have attended all but one Board of Legislators meeting in the last four months and have yet to see my opponent there,” he said. “Last week, she was asked whether she supported the SLC home heating tax cut and confessed she had never heard of it before. I have examined that important proposal at length with several current legislators and community leaders, and I am ready to pursue it and other ways to lower taxes from day one,” he said.

“You may have read my letters in this publication on issues from gun control to bail reform. I believe in the marketplace of ideas where we offer clear arguments, engage in debate, and listen actively. My opponent has not taken the same approach. To this day, I’ve never heard her make an argument for anything. The people of District 8 are electing a legislator to speak for them at the county level, and they deserve someone who has shown they can accomplish that.”

One of Hull’s letters regarding his opinion that clergy should not be mandated to report sexual abuse has drawn critical responses from some members of the public.

Hull was in the public eye for his stance after former members of the CFC made public that leaders at the CFC did not report sexual abuse allegations. The incident was a catalyst for two rallies advocating to make clergy mandated reporters in New York State.

Hull said that if he’s elected he’d like to see the county legislators focus more on issues and less on politics.

“We spend too much time bickering about party politics. We need to strive to set party drama aside and be attentive to the most important local issues. Even as a candidate, I have had an open dialogue about important issues with many people (including legislators) from both sides of the aisle,” he said. “Our county government’s response to Covid was admirable in many ways, but it came along with numerous infringements of Constitutional rights. Our own Public Health Department issued stay-at-home orders to St. Lawrence County residents which criminalized the simple act of going on a walk. Regardless of good intent, that was a gross government overreach which ought never to be repeated.”

Hull says if elected he’s like to see the county put a real effort into addressing the rising homelessness problem.

“New homelessness placements in our county each month have skyrocketed from 9 in August 2020 to 63 in August of 2022. I will propose that the Board of Legislators establishes a task force to respond to this profound and urgent need. There are many known causes underlying homelessness including mental illness, drug addiction, housing or job insecurity, and unstable relationships. Our existing county services are equipped to respond to many of these needs, and we need to take action to help people in these difficult situations,” he said.

Hull also said that mental illness remains an “ever-present” crisis in the area.

“I have spoken personally with Jay Ulrich, Director of Mental Health at the County, and Dr. Jayme Smith, Director of Behavioral Health at St. Lawrence Health about ways to improve care for our community. Overcoming mental illness requires coordination across many services, and I will apply my experience in healthcare to strengthen our efforts on this front,” he said.

Hull said that many people underestimate the importance of local government. He says creating and enacting local laws and deciding how to spend taxpayer money are not “inconsequential things.”

“And the truth is, at a local level, we can move the needle on developing a healthy, efficient, and accountable local government,” he said. “As your legislator, I will focus on financial responsibility, public health and safety, sustainable economic development, and standing up for Constitutional rights. “

Hull said that it is important that we respectfully talk to one another about what matters most in our communities.

“Speaking of listening, I intend to be reachable as a legislator, but that doesn’t have to wait until January. Please reach out to me if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback. You can call or text at (315) 244-3393 or email "bnhull@gmail.com.”