Fire districts to hold elections

East Meadowites will head to the polls to vote in fire commissioner elections on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

The East Meadow Fire District covers most of the community, while smaller portions fall within the Wantagh and North Bellmore districts’ boundaries. Three candidates seeking a seat on their districts’ respective boards of fire commissioners are running unopposed.

Polls will be open in the East Meadow Fire District elections between 1 and 9 p.m. Residents may vote at Fire Department headquarters, at 197 East Meadow Ave., or at Station No. 3, at the intersection of Newbridge and Carnation roads in Levittown.

East Meadowites who live in the Wantagh Fire District may vote at the department’s five fire stations from 2 to 9 p.m. Those who live in the North Bellmore Fire District will cast their ballots between 3 and 9 p.m. at one of two locations: Smithville South Hook, Ladder and Engine Company No. 1 (at 1500 Newbridge Road) or Engine and Rescue Company No. 2 (at 821 Newbridge Road).

Fire commissioners’ duties include creating annual budgets that fund the day-to-day operations of their departments; purchasing apparatus and safety equipment necessary for volunteers to fight fires and provide emergency medical response; and adopting rules and regulations governing fire companies. They are elected at-large to five-year terms, and are prohibited from receiving compensation for their services.

East Meadow

William Neill, 59, is passionate about giving back to the community he has lived in for more than 50 years, and he is seeking his fifth term on the East Meadow Board of Fire Commissioners.

Neill’s ties to the community run deep. He graduated from East Meadow High School in 1974, and he and his wife, Barbara, raised their children, Daniel and Kayla, there. A year after his high school graduation, he joined the Fire Department, and he’s been a loyal volunteer for 40 years.