Campaign for commish

On Dec. 8, Franklin Square residents will cast their votes for fire commissioner at the Franklin Square Munson Fire station, on Liberty Place. There are five volunteer commissioners on the board, and they over see the day-to-day operations of the nearly 100 volunteer members of the department. Each commissioner is elected to a five-year term, and one is elected every year.

This year, Jerry Nappi, 52, is seeking re-election to the post he won in 2010. His opponent, Joseph Gerrato, 35, is the captain of Engine Company One.

Nappi, a 20-year veteran firefighter who also owns a hobby shop in Franklin Square, said he believes his greatest strength is his business experience. “I’m a successful businessman, and we did a lot of stuff in the Fire Department and have not raised taxes,” he said. “I’ve probably saved them thousands of dollars just with my business knowledge and experience and doing it the proper way.”

The department has nearly completed a new building, on Hempstead Turnpike, in front of the firehouse, in which the commissioners will conduct business, and which will also be used for storage. It will be finished by the end of November.

“As far as being a board member, we do the right thing,” Nappi said. “The safety of the firefighters and EMS workers is first.”

Thanks to the commissioners’ leadership, he said, he doesn’t see any issues for the department going forward. Their stewardship has been exemplary, in his estimation, with few issues arising among the volunteers. And Nappi said that the board has always accommodated the chiefs’ requests.

“I can count on one hand the denials they got over equipment or something that they wanted,” he said. “We give them everything they want, and in turn are able to balance the budget easily.”

Gerrato disagrees about the effectiveness of the board, saying he believes there are significant issues the department must address immediately. As a captain, Gerrato oversees the department’s membership, and he said that despite Nappi’s assertion, requests for equipment have been denied many times.

“It seems like there are so many layers of hoops to go through,” Gerrato said.