BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week

MASSENA -- Massena Memorial Hospital and Town Council officials spent a large share of the Monday, Oct. 21 MMH board meeting urging the public to vote yes on the hospital referendum.

On Nov. 5, voters in the Town of Massena will be asked to vote on the town transferring MMH assets to St. Lawrence Health System.

"We need a yes vote on proposition one. A no vote will close this," MMH CEO David Bender said.

He said the state would not force them to close, but "the financials would force us to close and before we can legally close we need to go through that process."

"Just to play devil's advocate here, what is Plan B if there is a no vote?" asked MMH board member Dr. Bedros Bakirtzian.

"We would immediately file with the state a closure plan and go through the steps," Bender said.

If the referendum passes, Massena Memorial will receive $20 million from the state and $8 million from St. Lawrence Health System, but the board chair says there's no money if it fails.

"There is no $20 million without the referendum going through," MMH Board Chair Loretta Perez said. "There definitely would not be $8 million from Canton-Potsdam Hospital."

Going back to Crouse Hospital, the previous potential affiliate, isn't an option, officials said.

"There's not enough time to go back and start over again," MMH CFO Pat Facteau said.

Bob Elsner, a Republican Town Council candidate and former MMH administrator, said he believes voting yes on the referendum is the only real option. He has been an outspoken critic of the town council and Supervisor Steve O'Shaughnessy for firing members of the MMH board earlier this year.

"As a candidate, we're endorsing it. Nobody's going to sit here and say 'close the hospital,'" Elsner said. "Keeping the hospital is not an issue."

He and Republican Sue Bellor are running for two town board seats against Democrats Loren Fountaine, a newcomer, and Melanie Cunningham, an incumbent.

O'Shaughnessy and Bender both said they believe there is enough support in the community to pass the referendum, but complacency could be an obstacle.

"I'm only worried about complacency and (voters thinking) 'I don't have to vote because it will pass,'" Bender said.

"I truly believe we have the support of the people for Massena Memorial," O'Shaughnessy said. "The last thing we can do is be complacent."

"Not only is it our only option, it is our best option," Perez said.

MMH board member Paul Morrow said he wants to see support from the Massena Village Board of Trustees.

"I haven't heard at all the village board talking about the hospital," Morrow said.

"Maybe we need to ask the village board to publicly say something," Perez said. "They really haven't publicly said anything."