I am thrilled to advise my East Lake neighbors that I am seeking election to the Board of Commissioners of the East Lake Tarpon Special Fire Control District (ELTSFCD) in the upcoming Nov. 2014 election. This board governs the East Lake Fire-Rescue (ELFR) Department and oversees the special taxing district that funds the department.

I have seen this area grow from a “wide spot” on East Lake Rd. into a vibrant thriving community and believe that, as a member of the ELTSFCD Board, I can be instrumental in continuing the excellent record of fire and emergency medical services delivered by ELFR to the East Lake area.

Following are my background and qualifications.

• 27 year resident of the East Lake Fire District

• Former East Lake Fire District Commissioner for 8 years

• USAF veteran

• 35 yr. career in Federal Government Civil Service & commercial business management

• 10 yrs. as firefighter and paramedic in Bellbrook, Ohio – left as a Lieutenant

• Member, East Lake Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

• Married with 2 grown sons

• MBA degree – Wright State University, Dayton, OH

• Retired from a local aerospace simulation firm as Manager, Contracts and Export Compliance Officer

   

My goal for the future of East Lake Fire-Rescue (ELFR) is to continue to provide premier fire and emergency medical services (EMS) for the citizens of our district at as low a tax millage rate as is feasible. In order to accomplish this, ELFR needs to:

• Retain the department’s most valuable resources – its highly trained Firefighter and EMS personnel;

• Plan for the future financial needs and growth of the district;

• Preserve autonomy of the district’s fire/rescue department;

• Strive to comply with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards regarding the number of personnel on each responding vehicle; and

• Ensure and maintain a “non-hostile” environment where all employees are treated equally and fairly.

   

  My views on a Pinellas County or North Pinellas County consolidation – While there may be some aspects of consolidation that may work, such as consolidating some administrative functions like fire inspections, payroll, admin office tasks, etc., I do not believe consolidation into a county or north county district would benefit the ELFR or the citizens of East Lake. Consolidation of an entire department, such as the ELFR, with another North Pinellas County department or consolidation into a Pinellas county-wide department would surrender financial and operational control to the resulting agency. In our district, that could mean that the ELTSFCD commission and the voters/taxpayers of the district would lose control of taxation and the district’s tax dollars. This could result in a situation where some of our district’s tax dollars would be used to “subsidize” other communities in the consolidated district, similar to how the county-wide EMS system now works. Also, such consolidation could result in the ELFR management yielding operational control to the resulting agency.

   

  If elected, I will be an advocate for all East Lake citizens and ELFR personnel. I will welcome your input.

   

Your vote in the November election will be appreciated.