Monday was the run up to the day that North Fork would hold elections for its fire district, something that Christopher Halajian had eagerly anticipated. However, most of the positions were unopposed, which meant the elections were a formality only. The exception, however, was that of the fire commissioner. Those living in the town of Southold or Mattiuck had to choose between various candidates for the position.
Christopher Halajian Monitors Fire Commissioner Elections
The Mattiuck Fire District election saw James Roache come out as the winner. He will serve an entire term, of five years, on the board. Greg Dickerson, the current chairman, did not seek to be re-elected, and James Roache will therefore replace him. James received some 133 votes, more than Robert Shaw, his opponent, who only received 86. This has been reported by secretary and district manager John Harrison. There were seven voided ballots, meaning the total votes cast stood at 224.
Meanwhile, people are excited about the appointment of James Roache and what he will be able to do for the area. There have been a number of people expressing concerns about a certain route and a certain estate in the area, and it is likely that James will be in close contact with the police in this area as well. He has a lot of experience, having worked as a fire commissioner previously between 1992 and 2007. He has also been a member of the fire department for three decades. Having retired, he felt the time was right to rejoin the board instead.
In Cutchogue, there were a total of 235 votes that were cast. No real race was held, however, and the current chairman, Sanford Friermann, was appointed for a further five years, receiving 202 votes. This was confirmed by Matthew Martin, the district secretary. In this area, there were also two write in candidates, being Christopher Talbot, a former town councilman, and Francis McCaffrey, a former chief. Each of those received two votes and a further 20 votes were voided because the instructions had not been properly followed. There was some sadness at the lack of votes, as people strongly remember Andrew “Drew” McCaffrey, Francis’ son, who recently died of cancer being just 41 years old. A drink will be held in his memory soon.
Meanwhile, in Southhold, the board of fire commissioners accepted Ronald Butkovich, who was unopposed. 70 votes were cast and 68 went to Ronald. There were two voided votes, according to secretary Carol Miller. William Sawicki is the current commissioner, but he is stepping down soon.
Further elections were held in East Marion and in Orient. All have now appointed their new fire commissioners, being Thomas Cunningham and Arthur Ruroede respectively. The latter has already served on the board for some time and is a much loved firefighter himself. The elections have now been completed and the fire boards are once again fully manned and ready to operate. All appointments are for five year periods.
