By JEFF LIPTON
Lynch¹s sudden departure on Thursday, June 28, caught some by surprise. ³I was as shocked as anybody,² said John Caluori, superintendent of the Oceanside Fire District, adding that he had no idea why Lynch left. ³He did a very good job as commissioner.²
Contacted on July 3, Lynch said, ³I¹m not going to talk about it. There¹s no story here, just personal reasons. And that¹s that.²
Calls to other members of the Board of Commissioners of the Oceanside Fire District were not returned.
Now the board, which is scheduled to meet for its regular session on July 24, must decide what to do with the vacated post. The board can either appoint a replacement to serve until the election in December or leave the seat vacant until that time, said Caluori.
In either case, he said, the board will have a new commissioner at least by December to serve the remaining three years of Lynch¹s five-year term on the board.
Lynch, first elected to the board in 1999 to complete the term of a retiring commissioner, was re-elected the following year to a full five-year term.
In December 2005, Lynch defeated challenger Dennis McGlynn, 438 votes to 333, to win his second full term on the board. By the time he resigned late last month, Lynch had served eight and a half years on the board, including two years ago as chairman of the five-member board.
The other commissioners include Craig DeBaun, Doug DiCeglio, Anthony McCarty and Paul Napoli, whose seat is also up for election in December, so voters will be asked to choose two commissioners at that time.
When he was reelected in 2005, Lynch said, ³I¹m just very appreciative for everyone coming out and voting for me. I¹m
glad they had faith in me, and because of this they re-elected me to this position.²
Asked at that time to comment about what he would like to accomplish on the board in the coming years, Lynch said, ³I just look forward to providing the best fire protection for the community. We do this mainly by maintaining fiscal responsibility. ... We¹ll try to keep the tax rate down, which we¹ve done.²
Lynch joined the OFD with Columbia Engine Co. 1 in 1976, and was elected the company¹s captain in 1983. He was chief of the OFD in 1991 and 1992.
Lynch has been a longtime employee at the Nassau County Sheriff¹s Department and an active member of Local 333 Tugboat division of the International Long Shoreman¹s Union.
Comments about this story? Jlipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
