By Nick Buglione
Bullard, 48, is running for fire commissioner against incumbent Cary Welt, who is seeking his fifth, five-year term.
Bullard maintains that Welt and the four other members on the board of fire commissioners have wastefully spent taxpayer money in the past and abuse the privileges afford to them.
He's particularly steamed over the decision to build a two-story extension in the rear of fire department headquarters at 197 East Meadow Ave., after a brand-new firehouse was erected down the road as a sort of replacement to the antiquated headquarters.
"That, to me, was a blatant waste of taxpayer money," Bullard said. "Only the rescue company is there now. Why did they add to it?"
He also charges that some of the commissioners on the board regularly use their department-issued vehicles for personal use. "To me, that's stealing from the taxpayers," Bullard said, who claims to have photographed some of the commissioners in the act. "I have documentation that it's been done."
Though East Meadow Fire Department recently equipped all its emergency vehicles with automated external defibrillators and is working on installing pre-emptive devices on trucks that can turn stop lights green, Bullard said these are things other fire departments have had for years.
"Other departments have had that three or four years ago," Bullard said. "[The board's] priorities are in buildings and real estate."
After joining the East Meadow Fire Department during the 1970s, Bullard became involved with the North Bellmore Fire Department in 1981. Having served once as a chief and a captain twice, he's still a regular volunteer.
As a chief, he's had to oversee the department's budget and twice ran a company budget, so he'd be able to handle the financial side of an East Meadow fire commissioner's job, Bullard said.
If elected, he promises to promote an open dialogue between the board of fire commissioners and the community, noting that many residents aren't even aware of the annual elections.
Bullard also said he'd support instituting term limits for all commissioners. "I think two terms and out is fine," he said. "Let a new board with new ideas come in."
Obtaining more grant money from local elected officials and exploring further tax breaks for East Meadow firefighters are two other things that will be on the top of Bullard's to-do list.
An oil truck driver since 1981, Bullard has two children: a 19-year-old son who graduated from Clarke High School and a 15-year-old daughter who now attends Clarke.
The East Meadow Fire Department election is to take place on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Polls will be open from 1 to 9 p.m. Residents who live south of Hempstead Turnpike are to vote at the firehouse at East Meadow Avenue and Front Street. Residents who live north of Hempstead Turnpike are to vote at the firehouse on Newbridge Road and Salisbury Park Drive.
