News-Times Whidbey
INSIDE: Home & Garden Special Section
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012 | Vol. 113, No. 78 | www.whidbeynewstimes.com | 75¢
THE ROAD BACK
Mayor looks to curb benefits
FOOTBALL COACH RECOVERS FROM ASSAULT
Dudley targets cash payouts to those who opt out of health coverage By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Jessie Stensland / Whidbey News-Times
Tyson Boon in his home this week, with his wife BreAnna and son Tyson. By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
A
well-known Oak Harbor youth football coach who suffered a serious brain injury following an alleged assault has made remarkable progress, but is still recuperating as the community rallies to help him and his family. Tyson Boon, a 2006 graduate of Oak Harbor High School, ended up at Harborview Medical Center Sept. 9 after he was punched outside of Mi Pueblo in downtown Oak Harbor. Boon said in an interview Thursday that he remembers much of the Saturday night at the restaurant up until being injured, but then can’t recall anything until he woke up at the hospital five days later. He was among a group of people celebrating his friend’s retirement that night. A 30-year-old South Whidbey man allegedly punched Boon in the mouth, according to Oak Harbor Police. The suspect hasn’t been charged as detectives continue to investigate the case.
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‘He’s up and down, depending on the day.’ – BreAnna Boon Boon said that his friends later told him that he wasn’t looking when he was punched and fell to the ground. Boon’s lip was ripped open and the force of the impact broke the back of his skull and caused bleeding in the front of his brain. He was airlifted to Seattle and remained in intensive care until the following Thursday. Boon’s wife, BreAnna, said he had a lot of difficulties early on. He wasn’t able to walk for days, he had trouble performing simple tasks and difficulty speaking. She said he was visited by about 50 family members and friends, but didn’t recognize many people or remember them afterward. As can occur with head injuries, Tyson was very agitated after regaining consciousness. He got angry and struck out at doctors and nurses.
Two weeks later, he’s improved greatly and even returned to coaching the Oak Harbor Youth Football League. “It’s up and down, depending on the day,” he said. He’s going to physical, speech and occupational therapy. He doesn’t experience the blinding headaches anymore, but he said it feels like there’s a weight inside his skull. He has trouble remembering things. BreAnna said this week he drove her to her parent’s house, thinking that they were dating and she still lived there. “We’ve been married five years,” she said. One of the worst things, Tyson said, is that he can’t pick up his 1-year-old son, also named Tyson. The doctor won’t let him pick up anything larger than 10 pounds. “He’s used to me picking him up and throwing him in the air,” Tyson said, explaining that the little guy waits at the window until he returns from appointments. See RECOVERY, A4
Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley said he expects that negotiations with city employees will result in changes in health care benefits for the coming year. Dudley said he discovered an unusual — and, he believes, questionable — health insurance-related benefit that employees received during the two previous city administrations. He said he will push to have it changed, even though it’s unclear if dropping the benefit would save the city any money. The Teamster representative for the city’s two new unions, however, said it’s inappropriate for the mayor to publicly discuss doing away with benefits while collective bargaining negotiations are ongoing. The public works and marina employees decided to unionize earlier this year and are in the midst of working out new contracts. “I don’t want to negotiate this in the press and I don’t think the mayor should either,” said Rich Ewing, the secretary and treasurer for the Teamsters. The mayor can’t unilaterally change health care benefits for represented staff — the majority of city employees — but alterations would have to be negotiated with the unions. While some City Council members have faulted the mayor for creating a morale problem among employees, Ewing said it wasn’t the
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change in administration that prompted the employees to organize. “They felt like they needed a voice at the table,” he said. “They were tired of watching the police and firefighters negotiating contracts while they got things crammed down their throats.”
Insurance costs Dudley said he was surprised after taking office in January to learn the reasons behind the city’s health insurance costs. The city spent nearly $1.8 million on medical and dental benefits in 2011. Dudley said employees receive the most expensive, “Cadillac” medical plan available through the Association of Washington Cities. The city pays 100 percent of employees’ premiums, which are $630 a month per employee this year. In addition, the city pays 75 percent of the premium costs for dependents on the city’s plan. The premium for a spouse, for example, is $634. Dudley said the most questionable aspect of the benefits, however, is that employees receive cash if they, their spouses or children “opt out” of the city’s health care plan. For each employee or dependent who opts out, the See BENEFITS, A8