"Let's be candid," the citizen says. "This is just an honorific post. All the real decisions are made by your corporate office."

"I’m glad you brought that up," you reply. "Our system wants strong local input. The central office expects its local boards to initiate all local actions."

You continue:

a) "The central office is seeking understanding, and support by local community leaders is essential to our success."
b) "The central office reviews local decisions but almost never interferes."
c) "Our system wants local board members who will help us achieve our mission here in this community. It’s a working board, about a day a month of your time."
d) "It’s almost the same as being a free-standing HCO."