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Votes scheduled for December 12th in local fire districts
former Fire Chief Pete Sayevich is seeking a fiveyear term and is running unopposed for the seat currently held by his brother Robert, who is not seeking reelection. Sayevich served as Chief of the department in 2003-04, and also served as Captain of Eagle Engine Company. He is currently secretary of the Town of Babylon Fire Chief’s Association. “The board has changed over the past several years and is starting to make positive changes and I want to be a part of that,” said Sayevich in explaining why he is running. “I like to be involved and to help make the district and the community a little safer and a little better.” One of his priorities, if elected, would be to work on recruitment and retention. “It is difficult to get and hold on to members these days as families work hard and often have two or three jobs and don’t have the time,” said Sayevich. “We have to come up with some ways to address that.”
Copiague operates with a $2.6 million budget and covers approximately 2.2 square miles. Its volunteers respond to approximately 1,900 calls a year, the majority of which are rescue calls. In Deer Park... four candidates are seeking two seats on the Board of Fire Commissioners. Incumbent Peter Granelle is seeking another five-year term and faces a challenge from Kenneth Gagliano. Running for the one-year unexpired term of Robert Kucth are Paul Cotrone and Anthony Trombetta. All of the candidates said that one of their priorities would be to work with the developers of the proposed Tanger Mall project to ensure that the additional work—and costs—of covering that district are not borne by the residents of Deer Park. “There is no question that the outlet is going to have an impact and extra burden for fire and emergency medical services and part of my push, if elected, will be to partner with the owners of that outlet to ensure that we are able to continue to provide a high level of services,” said Gagliano a life member of the department with 22 years of service.
“Our job will be to ensure that the tax burden on this community does not overwhelm us,” said Cotrone, a member of the department for more than 27 years. “Finding ways of handling the additional costs and the additional traffic will be something we will have to deal with,” he said. “We will have to sit down with all of the parties and discuss all of the issues,” said Trombetta, a firefighter in Deer Park for 50 years. Trombetta has lived in Deer Park for 52 years and served as Department Chief and on the Board of Fire Commissioners from 1982 to 1993. He said he enjoyed the job, and decided that since he is now retired and has the time, that he would like to serve on the board again. “I have been in the safety business for 30 years and believe I have a lot to offer,” said Trombetta, who worked for Underwriters Laboratories. He is married and he and his wife Frances have a daughter. Granelle is an Inspector for the New York City Housing Authority and said his record over the past decade and a half stands for itself. If reelected, he said he would continue to work to keep fire services the lowest in the Town of Babylon and work to expand the use of fire department property to the community. Cotrone is a manager with Keyspan and is a member of the Lions Club. He has also been a local athletic coach. He and his wife Tammy have two children and he has lived in Deer Park for 44 years. “This is a department of volunteers and I want to work as a Commissioner to provide services to the community at a reasonable price and make sure that those who risk their lives are well trained and well equipped,” said Cotrone. Gagliano ran for a Commissioner’s spot in 2003. He is a Life member of the department with 22 years of service. He served as past president, a Lieutenant with the Rescue Squad and is currently a Benevolent Trustee and secretary for the Ladder Company #4. He is a CEO with Emergency and Homeland Solutions, and a Hazmat technician. He and his wife Kathleen have two grown children. If elected, he said another priority will be to help educate the community about safety and emergency management. “An educated community is a prepared community,” he said. Deer Park operates with a budget of approximately $3 million and covers 4 square miles. It responds to approximately 2,800 calls a year and has a paid emergency services crew 24 hours a day, seven days a week as well as a paid first responder from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day. In West Babylon... Richard Vella is running unopposed for the seat currently held by Thomas Karn. Vella served as chief from 1994-1996. He also served as Lieutenant and Captain of Eagle Engine Company 6 and on the Rescue Squad where he was Captain from 1985-1987. He is a member of the Fire Department Fire Police and was named Captain of the year for 2000-2001. He is a member of the Fire, Rescue and Emergency Service Commission of Suffolk, the Fire Chiefs Association and is chairman of the Fire Association of the State of New York. A resident of West Babylon for 37 years, he is a retired operations supervisor for Otis Spunkmeyer cookie company. Vella said he blames his wife Judith for his sense of volunteerism. When the couple were firs married, they worked together and did everything together. One day, a West Babylon firefighter came to their home to solicit a donation and she asked them for an application for membership. She gave it to her husband and told him to join the fire department. “That was 36 years ago,” said Vella who also coached soccer when his children were younger. “I just enjoy being active and working for the community,” he said. If elected, Vella said he would continue to work to make sure that the community receives the best fire and rescue services possible and that the department’s volunteers are the best trained and equipped. “We’re not looking to do anything crazy, especially in today’s age when the cost of everything is so high,” he said. “But we need to make sure our volunteers get what they need to do a good job for the community and that is expensive.” West Babylon has a budget for the coming year Police arrest man for robbing of $3.2 million and covers approximately 7 miles, serving 30,000 residents. It responds to approximately 3,000 fire and EMS calls a year. In West Islip... Incumbent Commissioner Kenneth O’Brien is running for a five year seat after serving two years on the Board. O’Brien is a member of the department for 10 years. Prior to moving to West Islip, he served as captain and chief of the North Massapequa Fire Department. He has served as department secretary and is a Suffolk CountyPolice Officer . The West Islip Fire Department serves approximately 29,000 residents and covers the beaches and Robert Moses State Park, fields 1, 2 and 5 and the Captree boat basin. Volunteers respond to approximately 2,400 calls a year. The vote will take place at the main firehouse on Union Avenue from 1 to 9 p.m. The board of fire commissioners is made up of non-paid volunteers, elected by the public, who are responsible for the budget, policy, training, equipment and regulations. Photos not available at press time: Paul Cotrone, DPFD Kenneth Gagliano, DPFD Peter Granelle,
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