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Three seats that are coming up for grabs on the North Collier Fire Control & Rescue District board are generating more buzz than usual.
Nearly a dozen candidates are running. Often, fire board members run unopposed, or have only one opponent.
The Aug. 28 North Collier fire fee referendum has spurred more competition in the races.
If the referendum passes, the fire board would still have to vote on whether to charge the fee — and on how exactly to implement it. So who gets elected to the fire board could still determine what ultimately happens with the fee.
More:Cast your ballots: Early voting for 2018 primaries to begin this weekend
More:Naples Daily News endorsements in the August 2018 primary
A handful of the challengers are against the proposed fee — and the way it has been proposed and brought to voters in the district. That includes local government watchdog Janet Vasey, former North Collier fire commissioner Richard Hoffman, and Diane Flagg, Collier County's former chief of emergency medical services.
"Really I don't think they need the money," said Vasey, who is running for Seat 5. "I was very upset about the way they were doing it and all the extra money this would give them, and that is probably what prompted my decision to run."
"I'm running to apply better financial management to the operations of the fire district," she said.
Hoffman, who is running for Seat 4, said the fee is "an unfair way to raise money."
"Why don't you put a water meter on a fire truck and if there is a fire, charge people for the water they use. You could absolutely do that," he said.
Fire board election could affect fate of fire fee
Flagg, who is running for Seat 2, said she doesn't expect the referendum to pass, so her decision to run is more about how the board handled the referendum. She said the board didn't react to her concerns over the ballot language or to other concerns residents and business owners raised about the fire fee.
"Elected officials are to represent the people that they serve. It's a service position," she said.
Three candidates are running for District Seat 4, while seats 2 and 5 have each drawn four candidates who qualified, with a few more who didn't.
More:Here's what you need to know about election season in Collier County
Seat 5 is up for election early because John McGowan gave it up before his term expired to run for Collier circuit court judge.
Chris Lombardo, chairman of the North Collier Fire Commission who is running for re-election to Seat 4, said he doesn't mind the competition.
"At least it demonstrates that people are interested in the work that is being done by the commission. To me, an exchange of ideas and a debate over the management of the district, can only help the district," he said.
More candidates running for many reasons
Lombardo said some are running because they support the assessment. Still others, he said, have told them they've entered the race because they want to be involved in the community, or they think it will be a fun job.
At least one candidate opposes the merger that combined the North Naples and Big Corkscrew fire departments into North Collier a few years ago, while another wants to see more consolidation.
As for Lombardo, he's a big supporter of the fire fee.
The combination of property taxes with a fee, would give the district "greater predictability and stability, even through lean times," he said.
"One of the issues on this ballot is an increase of the homestead exemption from $25,000 to $50,000," Lombardo said. "If that passes, and it likely will, the district will lose $1.3 million in revenue. This coupled with the fact that the state of Florida has passed down expenses previously paid by the state to districts and municipalities, has created financial pressure for the district."
More:North Collier fire district board to vote on fire fee referendum
Jim Burke, who has been on the board for 10 years and is running for re-election for Seat 2, supported taking the fire assessment to voters, as did the rest of the current commissioners. He sees it as a way to give the district more flexibility in its budgeting to meet its needs.
"Our ability to provide all the services we've taken on has exceeded our ability to fund them," he said.
There are two other independent fire districts in Collier County, Greater Naples and Immokalee, and one of the big reasons Burke decided to run again is he wants to push for serious discussions about joining them with North Collier to create a single district, he said.
For some decision to run is more personal
Matthew Christopher, one of Burke's opponents, said he's against the fire fee assessment, but decided to run for more personal reasons.
"I decided to run to lend my expertise to the community because I have a vested interest in the safety and survival of firefighters. Both of my children serve as volunteer firefighters in their hometown."
In New Jersey, he worked as a volunteer firefighter, EMT, and hazardous materials technician and incident commander before retiring to Florida. He also has 30 years of experience as an environmental scientist and 10 years of experience as a public works director.
"I am concerned about the low- and medium-income families and the lack of representation they seem to appear to have in Collier County. And as a disabled person living on a fixed budget I understand the difficulties living within a budget only to have somebody ask for more all the time. So I am the people," Christopher said.
Another candidate running for Seat 2 is Thomas Herrlich, a former officer with the New York City Fire Department. He said he was motivated to run because people in the community need to step up.
"People like to complain about things and not do anything," he said. "I just figured I'd put my name in the ring and do something to help the community and to help the fire service and make sure money is spent for the right things."
More:North Collier Fire proposal would raise fees for many businesses
He's undecided about the need for a fire fee.
"I'm kind of neutral. I'm still learning. I'm still doing my own research," he said
Arnold Klinsky, who is running for Seat 4, said he doesn't support the referendum.
"I just think it was too quick. I wish they had more time to kind of massage it a little and have it make more sense," he said.
A former reporter and TV station manager, he said the job of fire commissioner seems like a good fit. He's served on the fire chief's council for about a year.
"I attended the budget hearings and board meetings," he said. "I know they are looking at what they would do without that fee, and I think they are in pretty good shape right now. I think they have worked very hard to plan for that service without that fee."
More:Foes of fire fee turn out, but North Collier board OKs it for August ballot
James Calamari, who is also running for Seat 4, said candidates focused on the fire fee aren't the ones to vote for because they're not looking at the bigger picture. A former firefighter who has spent the last 10 years working as the access control manager for the Pelican Marsh Community Development District, he said he doesn't have strong feelings on the fire fee one way or the other.
"Here's how I look at it," he said. "The people are going to speak. The people are going to vote on it and decide whether or not it's going to happen."
If there's a need for extra dollars and the assessment is a way to get it done "then great," Calamari said.
If he's elected, he said, his one priority would be to provide the best service possible within the budget that's provided.
"That should be everybody's goal that is running for this office and I do think it is," he said.
Fire fee needs "checks and balances"
Ramon Chao, who is running for Seat 5, a seat he's holding temporarily, said he's OK with the fire assessment as long as checks and balances are built into it, which the board can do later if voters move it forward.
If voters approve the assessment, it wouldn't take effect until fiscal 2019-20, so there would be plenty of time to massage it through public hearings and workshops, Chao said.
"People aren't really talking about that. They are just talking about it's terrible and it's bad," he said.
If he's elected, Chao said his top priorities would include figuring out ways to deal with less state funding for pensions and disaster recovery, which is taking a financial toll on the fire district.
More:Brent Batten: PAC mentality forms ahead of North Collier fire fee vote
Tom Cravens, one of Chao's opponents, said he's running because he opposes the fire fee and feels the commission broke its promises that consolidation would save district residents money.
"In reality it didn't result in any savings and it cost us extra money," he said.
A former college professor from St. Louis, Cravens said he's urging everyone who lives in his area to vote no on the fire fee.
If he's elected, he said, his goals include making sure the district is financially sound, saving residents money and making the district more transparent to the community.
"I think that the firefighters and the first responders do a very good job," Cravens said. "I'm not critical of them."
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