Tracie Sullivan

tracie@thespectrum.com

CEDAR CITY – In a last-ditch effort to stop the Iron County Commission from selling its ambulance service, area mayors started circulating an online petition Friday that as of Monday evening already had generated nearly 400 signatures.

Launched just days before the commission is set to take in financial bids from companies interested in purchasing the ambulance service, the petition was started by skeptics of the sale in hopes of drumming up enough local support to influence the commissioners.

There are also 50 to 60 more signatures by residents who were approached at home by ambulance workers who took the petition door to door.

The petition was started by Paragonah Mayor Connie Robinson on behalf of the Iron County Coordinating Council, which is comprised of local mayors. Robinson worked in conjunction with EMT Clay Allred, who set up the petition online and started circulating it through social media.

"We did this to show the commission that selling the ambulance service to a private company is not what the people of Iron County want," Allred said. "They're not representing the people that they were voted in to represent."

Robinson said she started the petition after being approached by several members of her community.

"I did this for the people," she said. "I had so many people come to me who wanted to voice their opinion and kept asking me what they could do to help. I also wanted to let the commissioners know they are voted in to do the will of the people, and this is not the will of the people."

While Robinson had given the deadline of Dec. 23 to finalize the petition and give it to the commissioners, she said she decided to keep it going through the coming weekend.

Allred and Robinson both said they are pleased with the overwhelming response they've already received. This weekend Allred, several residents and ambulance workers plan to take the petition door to door hoping they can obtain even more signatures.

Sheriff Mark Gower was one of the first to sign the petition. Having strongly opposed the commissioners' proposal to sell the ambulance service, Gower said again Monday he hasn't changed his mind.

"I disagree with their decision to sell the ambulance service. I respectfully oppose it but I do oppose it," Gower said. "I'm not at odds with the commissioners. It's just that it's their job to make fiscal decisions, and it's mine to make public safety decisions, and hopefully we can meet somewhere in the middle."

While the commissioners have not yet voted to approve privatizing the ambulance service, they have continued to lean in that direction.

But will the petition sway any of the commissioners?

Commissioner Alma Adams said he would consider the number of signatures and weigh that number against all of the other "evidence."

Adams wouldn't commit however regarding the number of signatures it would take to sway the commissioners.

Follow Tracie on Twitter @tracie_sullivan and Facebook at www.facebook.com/traciesullivan.