New Jersey’s loosely regulated fire district system has its annual elections Feb. 20, when a small fraction of registered voters in 79 towns statewide can approve the spending of millions of tax dollars. Many residents of towns with fire districts are unaware they pay fire taxes, and others are questioning whether the system is worth it or if it’s fair. The poorly attended elections — by law, held on the third Saturday of February — draw fewer than 2 percent of registered voters. About 95 percent of the budgets are approved, according to state records.
“It’s the dirtiest trick. They make us come out in the coldest month of the year if we want to have a say, and I’d venture to say most people don’t even know there are elections,” said John Lewis, a Spring Lake Heights resident who has long been a critic of that borough’s fire district.
District-proposed tax levies pay for the newest fire trucks, for building or renovating firehouses, for kicking into a pension program for volunteers, and — in some cases — for paying stipends to members of the district Board of Fire Commissioners. In a Brick district, the five part-time commissioners each get $12,000 a year. The stipends vary in other towns.
The elections are not subject to the same uniform standards and oversight that regulate all other public votes in New Jersey. Local commissioner boards, who have an invested interest in the outcomes of the elections, wield almost total operational control over the process.
As an example, each fire district can decide whether to use voting machines or employ paper ballots. The boards also can design and print ballots to meet their own desired specifications or style.
“The fire commissioners have the option of printing them or have us print them,” said Ocean County Clerk Carl W. Block. “Some districts prefer to print their own ballots for cost purposes. There is very low turnout.”
The commissioners even determine how and with whom to staff their own polling places with and who gets to count the votes. As a result, there is not the same level of oversight as there would be for any other election. Read full article in APP
Go out and vote Refoel Lassry for comissioner!
thanks scoop you can be sure the whole lakewood will be voting this year!
#2 its on shabbos didn’t u read the article it says “3rd SATURDAY of feb”
Is there an option to vote absentee?
VOTE RAPHAEL LASRY!!! he will stop the commissioners from wasting our money! Good luck ralph!
vote ralph
who’s this Rafael Lassry? Is he even on the fire dept.?
you can vote after Shabbos-it ends early enough that there is still time.
lassry is a member of the lakewood first aid
the comissoner need to be on the fire dept.
this has been a problem for years, no one votes and no one knows where the $goes, it seems that the firehouse on county line isn’t old enough to need a total renovation and yet…
How much is the budget? Who’s running? Are there any problems with the service that we now receive? I understand its all volunteers, how much do they save the taxpayers compared to a full paid fire department?
You ppl barking up atree about the lakewd comisioners what have they dun wrong?
Ballots close at 9pm. You can still vote after shabbos. Vote for Delia!
Let’s get Hershel on the case!
You can vote by absentee ballot, following the absentee ballot rules.
david says:
FEBRUARY 14, 2010 AT 9:56 AM
lassry is a member of the lakewood first aid
THIS Person should be a firefighter, and know how the fire dept works. If you are worried about your money.. I hear the fire dept is the only dept in town that has a balanced budget and has had one for years. They are dedicated to serving the township of Lakewood and we (yes I am a volunteer also) do it for no money. The least the town can do is approve our budget to maintain our trucks, equipment and with training for our members. We all appreciate it, and work well with all the agencies in this town. Those who know the firefighters in this town know that we are all dedicated to helping save life and property and hope to keep doing this in the future
The lakewood fire comissioners do a fine job re-elect Mike Delia he is a great guy. What lakwood needs is more fire fighter’s this town is loseing more firefighters each year than we are training new ones. Its easy just write a leter to your nearest fire house and we will help you get trained and teach you what you need to know to keap YOUR comunity safe.
Lakewood residents,
A gentleman by the name of Mike D’Elia is running for the position of Fire Commissioner. He has served this community for 40+ years in many ways – He worked as a paid firefighter in town for 25+ years,long time first aider, OEM,and other postion’s.
He has served as volunteer firefighter since the mid Sixties. He has served in all three Fire Chiefs positions in the Lakewood fire Dept giving up SIX years of his time while doing so. He has never said no to helping in any way when it came to the fire department matters
Mike has served a few terms on the Board of Fire Commissioners and is by no means a rubber stamp. He questions and knows were every dollar is spent and is well versed in the needs of the fire dept and of the town, and with the other commissioner they try collectively to accomplish the set goals and maintain fiscal responsibility to the tax payers
If you have question or your not happy with the fire dept. you need to get to a board meetings and let them know your concerns. They know money is tight and that’s why I here the no tax increase this year from what I’m told.
Please look at other towns that surround Lakewood and their collective Budgets (some have multiple fire districts).
Lakewood’s Fire Budget is not excessive to meet all the federal and state regulations that dictate their operation and needs
PLEASE support Mike D’Elia and the Commissioner Budget with a yes Vote
Thanks
A Lakewood firefighter
okokok
Mike D’Elia you can not write your own pr in a forum that others can not have the same rights.
Please be fair Mike, I