by Cris Italia
The fire commissioner-elect won with 456 votes, over McCarty's 308 and Tavalaro's 184. The win gives DiCeglio, a member of the fire department for just two years, a five year term as commissioner, during which he will work with four veterans. "I think we'll work well together," DiCeglio said. "For now I'm just going to sit tight, listen and learn.
"So far they've filled me in on everything and have given me books to read," DiCeglio said about his fellow commissioners days after his triumph. "I'm sticking to my plans of letting the chiefs run the department while we handle the finances."
DiCeglio admitted that he only decided to run because of continued encouragement from fellow firefighters and members of the community. "After I lost last year, people insisted I run this year," he said. "I feel good right now."
The election could have been closer had Tavalaro chosen not to run for a fourth term. Both DiCeglio and McCarty believe the outcome might have been different had it been a two-man race.
"The rift definitely helped me," DiCeglio said. "I wasn't sure the incumbent was going to run, but he decided to do so."
With both Tavalaro and McCarty running out of the Salamander firehouse, McCarty admitted earlier this month that the campaigns had opened a rift between the two. "It ruined our relationship," McCarty said in a previous interview. Tavalaro denied any beef between the two veteran members of the fire department. After the election, Tavalaro declined to comment, saying only that "everything is going to be fine."
"It was almost as if Jay came into it in the final hours," McCarty said. "He sent out letters a week before the election."
Although he lost, McCarty felt it was a good election. "This went really well," he said. "There were no dirty politics involved. And I just wanted to compliment the South Side [firehouse] on a phenomenal job. They really got people out there to vote."
All in all, the election numbers were somewhat disappointing. While it was certainly a good showing, fewer voters came out this year than last. More than 1,000O votes were tallied last year, while this year's total fell to about 950.
DiCeglio says he will immediate get to work on fulfilling his campaign promises. "I want to build up the morale," he said. "I want fire department members to have more of a say on things, and I feel that [morale] is going to get better."
"I wish him luck," McCarty said. "He has a learning curve in front of him. It's wider than someone who has been around for 20 or 25 years, but a lot of points he makes about the budget are valid."
"If in five years I haven't proven how good I am, I'm sure I won't be here," DiCeglio said. For now, morale and re-evaluating the district's finances are on top of his list. "It's a business, and I am certainly qualified to run a business," he said.
