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Editorial: Election 2008 - Collier Fire Boards
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There are plenty of races — all nonpartisan — on the ballot in Collier and Lee counties for fire control districts. Though their campaigns are low-budget and voters don’t get to hear much from them, these candidates aim to shape important public policy and spend your tax dollars.
Getting the right people into the right positions is always important, but more so this year with service consolidations on the agenda in both counties.
Our Lee recommendations are due Tuesday; here are our picks for the Collier seats:
Golden Gate
Seat 1: Rob Stoneburner has run before and was appointed by the fire board in November 2007. We like his business background, fiscal conservatism, independence and deep roots in the community.
He is open-minded to consolidation and cross-training.
His inside knowledge and dedication will come in handy as the board, like the rest of us, works through financial challenges.
His opponent, Bret Jameyson, is a firefighter in North Naples. He is a member of the same union, different chapter, that represents Golden Gate firefighters. We see that as a conflict of interest.
Immokalee
-- Seat 1: Incumbent Joe Matthews, an operations manager for a cement company, has his work cut out fighting what he calls the “good old boy system” and making sure the department runs on budget and in the sunshine of open-government laws.
He is interested in consolidation to avoid duplication of equipment and maintenance. He also wants four more years to continue working with departments’ service to Ave Maria University and town.
-- Also in race: Tommy Lancaster.
Seat 4: Pam Brown is a fourth-generation Immokalean and veteran of Immokalee civic and business boards. She worked on Lake Trafford restoration and Main Street redevelopment.
She has monitored board meetings for two years and wants to bring more openness and professionalism to the board. Brown, like Matthews, wants the department to institute long-range planning for services and spending — always a good idea.
-- Also in race: Incumbent Floyd Crews.
North Naples
Seat 3: Jim Burke is a veteran of civic involvement in and beyond his neighborhood, Pelican Bay. He has done his homework on the fire department and attended meetings of the steering committee examining consolidation countywide. He pronounces the department efficient and skilled. He wants to be a part of that and sees himself as a point person for the department and the public.
When someone with his energy and conflict-free background in business management offers to serve a post such as this, the community is wise to snap him up.
-- Also in race: Incumbent Jim Quigley.
Seat 5: Incumbent Paul Moriarity Sr. knows the department inside and out. Before retiring he worked there for 33 years, starting in 1975 as a volunteer and joining the payroll three years later.
He is aboard the consolidation movement as long as the joint fire service isn’t run by the county commissioners.
He is a focused public servant dedicated to maintaining quality services and keeping budget cuts away from the payroll.
-- Also in race: Steve Wright and George Eckhardt.
East Naples
Seat 5: After serving two terms on the board from 1998-2006, and being defeated two years ago, Bob Hughes wants to come back. Voters ought to welcome him.
He knows the budget from top to bottom, and since he never had the firefighters union endorsement, he feels free to speak his mind and question spending for equipment and retirement funds that seem wasteful. He is able to weigh the pros and cons of consolidation from experience on the board and as a firefighter/fire chief for nearly 30 years in Massachusetts.
He likes the idea of coordinated services and training and financial monitoring. Yet, he is cautious about inequities from various parts of the county being unable to pay equal shares.
Bob Hughes knows what he’s doing.
-- Also in race: Holly Gursoy and incumbent Karen Miller.
Big Corkscrew
Seat 2: R. Eliseo Chao brings insights from a career in emergency safety. He volunteered with Big Corkscrew and worked 16 years for Collier County Emergency Medical Services before becoming safety director for Mitchell & Stark Construction Co.
He is open-minded on consolidation and is eager to start planning to serve the planned community of Big Cypress, near Ave Maria.
-- Also in race: Incumbent Donna Lihach.
-- Who can vote in these races? All voters in each fire district. To determine which district is yours, consult your voter identification card, go to the web site of the Collier County Supervisor of Elections and enter your address, or call the elections office at 252-8450.
Comments
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Way to go Naples Daily News! Rob Stoneburner is the most qualified for Golden Gate Fire Commissioner. Rob is well informed and flexible in his decision making. Golden Gate is fortunate to have an upstanding citizen like Rob serving the community.
#1 Posted by jenknowsit on October 13, 2008 at 10:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Way to go Naples Daily News... Stonebummer has NOT been elected the last 2 times he has run for office.
The tax payers have been screwed with his bogus appointment.
The people of GOLDEN GATE have voted "TWICE" !!!! WE don't want Rob !!!
The people of Golden Gate would suggest that the naples daily news stick to its primary community service, of making BIRD CAGE LINER and or MULLET WRAPPERS.
Please keep your tained, jaundice and caustic mindset "west of 41" and your polluted, political agendas out of my community, and away from my ballot.
#2 Posted by TISHIMSELF on October 14, 2008 at 7:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Rob Stromburger....who is he??? To find out, I took a look at the election results of the last two elections he ran in.
2006 - SEAT 3 GOLDEN GATE FD
VOTES PERCENT
David Stedman - 6846 58.59%
Rob Stoneburner - 4838 41.41%
2004 - SEAT 3 GOLDEN GATE FD
VOTES PERCENT
Matt Johnson - (NON) 4385 23.35%
Chuck McMahon - (NON) 8572 45.64%
Rob Stoneburner - (NON) 5823 31.01%
In 2004 Rob was able to get more votes than in 2006...and that was in a three person race. That being said...where exactly is the disconnect between Rob's "deep roots" in the community?
This guy Jameyson has a degree in business and finance...I think he is the real professional here.
The voters have spoken twice that they don't want
Rob!
#3 Posted by CELTLUV on October 14, 2008 at 2:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe the Naples Daily News should question the fact that Rob Stoneburner is against anything that would save us money in property insurance.
Oh, thats right, he represents the insurance companies.
Now that's a conflict of interest!!
#4 Posted by voterepublican on October 14, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
#5 Posted by voterepublican on October 14, 2008 at 2:58 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
#6 Posted by voterepublican on October 14, 2008 at 3:41 p.m.
I am not here to sling mud at any other candidate as I am certain Rob Stoneburner will not either. I'm here to state a few facts. Rob has lived in this community for over 30 years and is VERY well informed as well as involved in this community. Naples/Golden Gate means alot to him. He has contributed in countless ways from locally owned businesses to memberships in several civic organizations and charitable groups. He is being discredited because he is not "inside" the fire department, which to me is a major plus because there has to be someone to question questionable dealings and offer a better system of checks and balances. Yes- he is in insurance as his main profession but can you say honestly that insurance is more of a conflict of interest than an "inside" fire fighter? I would like someone to actually start accounting for the incredible amount of money the Fire District spends and prove to the taxpayers that all of this spending is not frivolous. Rob will do that. He knows what is right and fair for the people of Golden Gate and that is probably why he is getting so much heat. Things won't be covered up for long. He is willing to ask questions on our behalf. I vote Rob Stoneburner!!
#7 Posted by KDietzler on October 15, 2008 at 2:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Here is a fact: Rob Stoneburner voted to pay the new fire chief over $120,000 per year.
Chief Peterson was only making $95,000 per year and was with the district over 25 years.
Fact: Rob Stoneburner voted to give a raise of $20,000 per year to an Assistant Chief position that was created, when the job was already being done by a lesser postion.
Fact: Rob Stoneburner voted for the 2007 Union Contract when he publicly said he hadn't even read the contract before he voted for it.
Hey KDietzler, I think you better find someone else to watchout for frivolous spending.
#8 Posted by voterepublican on October 16, 2008 at 12:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Voterepublican-As an informed voter and supporter of Stoneburner, I researched your "facts" on the public meeting minutes available (www.ggfire.com). I am grateful that I did this research because it solidified my respect and support for Rob Stoneburner. Rob continuously demonstrates his dedication, knowledge and responsibility as Fire Commissioner.
Regarding the new chief's salary vs. the retiring chief's salary, the contract negotiations were private. In the minutes, Commissioner McMahon stated that the increase in pay for the Chief Metzger was necessary because of the degrees that he has earned. The board unanimously approved the new chief's salary...not just Commissioner Stoneburner.
The appointment of a new Assistant Chief in May 2008 was a promotion with a net zero impact on the budget. Again, a unanimous decision by the board.
The last "fact" you listed is completely false. The meeting minutes show that the only two board members who voted on the 2007 Union Contract were McMahon and Stedman. The minutes specifically address that Stedman and McMahon voted on this only because they were present during contract negotiations.
I continue to support Rob Stoneburner. I also commend any citizen that would willingly sign up to be torn apart by the public. Those that serve a public office have to be tough, I know I wouldn't put myself through the aggravation for such little compensation and such scrutiny. God Bless America
#9 Posted by KDietzler on October 16, 2008 at 3:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
In reading the above blogs, I was curious to see who was accurate with their statements. I went on the website mentioned by KDietzler. Thankyou, in reading the minutes and researching the Golden Gate Fire Commissioner race Rob Stoneburner is winning my support. KDietzler, thanks for the FACTS!
#10 Posted by AlexG on October 16, 2008 at 10:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
voterepublican, you are way off base, in further reading the website, I found that your statement about Stoneburner voting for the 2007 union contract is totally false. How can a commissioner read the union contract and vote on it when the vote was made the same night as his apointment to office. The minutes state that Stoneburner did NOT vote on this! Please, for those of us learning about the candidates, blog fact, not fiction!
#11 Posted by AlexG on October 16, 2008 at 10:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Stoneburner should be proud to have supporters who take the time to inform themselves of what the truth is. It is unfortunate that the opponent's supporters can't show the same respect. Good luck to you Rob.
#12 Posted by jenknowsit on October 17, 2008 at 9:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just like a REPUBLICAN to make misleading, non-factual statements. It's crap like this that has gotten the country in the mess its in already. I for one will vote for STONEBURNER (whoever the heck he is!) simply because of idiots like YOU REFUBLICAN!
#13 Posted by Lemme on October 24, 2008 at 2:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When-oh-when will you little boys stop playing games with public safety? Grow up and organize a real county fire department.
And check on mandarory egoectomies for all who would be organizers.
#14 Posted by warrenfire on November 4, 2008 at 3:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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