Valley Medical Center commissioners spent five hours Monday night initially reviewing a landmark alliance between the medical center and UW Medicine.

The review continues tonight (Tuesday) at 7 p.m. in the board room at the hospital. It’s possible the commissioners could finish their review tonight, alleviating the need for meetings Wednesday and Thursday.

Commissioners Anthony Hemstad and Dr. Aaron Heide had told fellow commissioners that prior commitments would mean they couldn’t attend those last two meetings.

The commissioners are reviewing a draft of the agreement. The board will vote later on a final version, as will the UW Medicine trustees.

Commissioner meetings are recorded and available online within days for viewing at Valley’s web site, valleymed.org.

George Beal, the medical center’s legal counsel and chief negotiator, Monday night led the five commissioners through a briefing on each section of the draft agreement, then answered questions posed by the commissioners and hospital administrators. The public also had a chance to comment.

Before the review, Dr. Wayne M. Lau, chair of the Medical Executive Committee, read a letter from the committee, made up of the hospital’s medical staff, declaring “full, enthusiastic support for the strategic alliance.”

The letter also expressed disappointment that much of the “negative commentary” about the alliance has come from Hemstad and Heide.

“We find that many of the statements from Comm. Hemstead (sic) and Heide carry little merit, and appear to be misleading, distracting, and disingenuous.”

In another preliminary matter, the board referred to the hospital district’s legal counsel a recall petition filed by Chris Clifford of Renton against commissioner Carolyn Parnell.

In his petition, Clifford claims Parnell “committed an act of malfeasance” by providing Valley CEO Rich Roodman a gift of public money by approving a retirement lump sum of $1.7 million for Roodman in 2009.

The board also voted to excuse Heide’s absence from the April 18 after learning his child was at the emergency room.