By JEFF LIPTON
Fire officials said a couple of residents have already picked up petitions, but none has yet to file them with the district officially. The names of those who picked up petitions were not revealed.
This year, two seats are up for a vote: Paul Napoli, a two-term incumbent, is seeking reelection to another five-year term, and the seat vacated by commissioner William F. Lynch, who resigned suddenly in June, is up for grabs. Lynch¹s vacated seat is for a three-year term, to finish his remaining term in office.
Candidates have until Nov. 21 to file petitions for the Dec. 11 election, which will be held at the Oceanside Fire District headquarters from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., said John Caluori, district superintendent. The election usually draws about 1,000 voters, but is expected to top that figure this year with candidates vying for two seats instead of the usual one seat. Candidates must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the fire district, said Caluori.
One candidate who intends to file soon is Dennis McGlynn, who was defeated in December 2005 by Lynch, 438 votes to 333, earning Lynch his second full term on the board. By the time he resigned in June for what he said are ³personal reasons,² Lynch had served eight and a half years on the board.
The OFD¹s Board of Commissioners, which reluctantly accepted Lynch¹s resignation at the board¹s July 24 meeting, has yet to appoint a replacement for Lynch and it appears the board may leave the seat vacant until the December election.
McGlynn said he is seeking Lynch¹s open seat on the board, opting to go after the three-year term instead of the five-year seat occupied by the incumbent Napoli.
McGlynn, who was commissioner from 2000-05 before he was beaten by Lynch, said, ³I held the job and am well prepared for it. I¹m very interested in doing the best for the taxpayers and the firefighters.²
He said he will work to keep the firefighters well equipped and well trained while keeping the tax rate in check. ³We¹re there for the safety of the firefighters, and as for the taxpayers, I¹ll work to make sure the [tax] rate doesn¹t increase,² McGlynn said.
³I feel I did a good job before [when commissioner] and I feel I have a lot more to offer,² said McGlynn. ³There¹s still much to do and I want to add my voice to that.²
Napoli, who has served 10 years as commissioner and has already announced he¹s seeking a third term, decline to comment on his candidacy at this time, but said he will put out a statement during his campaign.
Comments about this story? Jlipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
