Fire District Elections
The holiday season also brings with it fire district elections, held annually on the second Tuesday of December, when voters choose a commissioner for a five-year term on boards that oversee the funding for fire and emergency medical services. In districts that serve the residents of the Town of East Hampton, there are no contests, with incumbents looking to keep their seats.
In Springs, Patrick Glennon, the chairman of the board of fire commissioners, is seeking a third term on the board.
“I have to see certain things through,” Mr. Glennon said of his decision to seek reelection. Among other ongoing matters, the board’s decision to erect a communications tower behind the Fort Pond Boulevard firehouse has started a legal battle with the Town of East Hampton (covered separately in today’s Star).
“It wouldn’t be a fair thing to leave them out there, to let somebody come in brand new,” Mr. Glennon said. After Kenneth Brabant Sr., who has been on the board for more than 20 years, Mr. Glennon has the most experience, having served for 10 years. The three others have less than five years, he said.
The board has also included funding in its 2016 budget for a paid emergency medical service program, though the details are still being worked out.
An advanced emergency medical technician, Mr. Glennon is a longtime volunteer with the Springs ambulance squad. He runs Handy Hands, a construction company, and has been in the business for 30 years. He is also a chef who owns Harbor Bistro and Harbor Grill with his family.
Mr. Glennon continues to be concerned about rising taxes in Springs, and is searching for creative ways to keep the district’s budget around $1 million. “I want to try and keep the taxes down, again, and still achieve safety for the community. It’s a hard challenge. We’ve got to make that attempt.”
Residents of the Springs Fire District can cast a vote on Tuesday at the firehouse between 6 and 9 p.m.
In the Bridgehampton Fire District, whose department covers an area that spans Wainscott to Water Mill, Fred Wilford is planning to return to the board. Mr. Wilford, a Sagaponack resident, first was elected to the Bridgehampton Board of Fire Commissioners in 1990. He is a past chief and a 50-year member of the fire department.
“I enjoy the fire department. I enjoy serving the community,” he said, adding that the board had made “some big accomplishments” recently including hiring paid first responders, 24-7, this past year. The board also replaced, with a community vote, a 46-year-old pumper truck and a 39-year-old tanker.
The board has implemented an equipment-replacement program. “We’re going to start replacing equipment timely instead of waiting so long,” he said.
The district just completed a $1 million renovation on the firehouse, and is now looking to another property it owns, the former Pulver Gas building on Main Street. It bought the building for $3.9 million in 2011. Mr. Wilford said it is not worth taxpayers’ money to repair the building. The district hopes to demolish it in the coming months, and has put the project out to bid.
Mr. Wilford is no stranger to longevity on a board. He sat on the Sagaponack School Board for 36 years until July of 2014. He is semiretired, having worked for the Long Island Lighting Company for over 30 years. He works as an estate manager.
Voting will take place at the firehouse on School Street in Bridgehampton between 6 and 9 p.m.
Carl Hamilton, who is seeking his sixth term in office in the Amagansett Fire District, also pointed to the paid paramedic program the board established last year as a move he was proud to be part of. The program, which is also around the clock, is running smoothly, he said. The board has credited it with saving lives.
Mr. Hamilton, who has been in his post for 25 years, said the board is committed to making the district more energy efficient. He pointed to the decision to move from oil to gas heat at the firehouse, and the addition of solar panels and a wind turbine. “We’re making strides toward making it a greener building.”
While he faces no opposition, there is a question on the ballot for voters. The district wants to establish an equipment repair reserve fund to pay for the costs of acquiring, maintaining, and repairing equipment, other than trucks and ambulances. He believes it is a good move so the district has money set aside to make major repairs, when necessary.
A lifelong resident of Amagansett, Mr. Hamilton is a 40-year member of the Fire Department and held every position there from secretary-treasurer to chief. He works in maintenance at the East Hampton Tennis Club.
The vote will be held at the Amagansett Firehouse on Main Street between 7 and 9 p.m.
In Montauk, there are no propositions on the ballot and Michael Mirras is running unopposed for a five-year term. In 2013, he was appointed by the board to finish the fourth year of Vinnie Carillo’s five-year term when Mr. Carillo moved from the hamlet. In 2014, he was elected to fill the fifth and final year of that term. He is now running for a full five-year term.
A volunteer with the Montauk Fire Department for 32 years, he was an advanced emergency medical technician and an emergency medical technician of the ambulance squad, captain and lieutenant of the fire company, and has held the positions of first and second assistant chief before he became chief of the department from 2002 to 2004.
The vote will be held at the Montauk Firehouse on Flamingo Road between 2 and 9 p.m.