Robert has consistently displayed great leadership, and has built our financial group and guided its development as we've grown. As our CFO, I'm confident Robert will continue doing an outstanding job managing our internal and external financial functions and supporting Arena's ability to effectively develop novel drugs from discovery through commercialization.

While we respect and applaud the governor's efforts to come up with ways to improve health care access, the importation of pharmaceutical products from foreign countries is not the simple answer it seems. Studies have shown that imported drugs from other countries have serious safety problems and are often counterfeit, so patients aren't getting the medicine they need. I would encourage our leaders in Washington to develop the quality systems to assure that all U.S. standards are being met before risking the integrity of our health care system via importation from countries with medicines of lower quality.

We had leadership positions in both of those areas and we lost it. In 2005 and today in 2006, we have another opportunity for leadership in the area of genetics. We cannot afford another lost opportunity.

How can this Parliament continue under the leadership of a Liberal Party whose ethical conduct voters deserve to judge and a Liberal Party that once worked with New Democrats to build medicare and now flatly rejects rules to protect that achievement?

Bill represents the spirit of community leadership and involvement exemplified by Charles H. Flynn and the 33 previous winners of this prestigious award. We are very fortunate that he has been so willing to share his time and expertise with so many different groups in the Valley down through the years.

Those you trust the most can steal the most.