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Hernando Today

'Yes' Wins

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: November 5, 2008

SPRING HILL - County commissioners no longer have the final say on the Spring Hill Fire Rescue District.

They will have no say whatsoever.

In a result few expected, Spring Hill residents decided overwhelmingly to keep their fire board. Not only that, but they will no longer have oversight from the county commission.

By approving the referendum, voters guaranteed their assets would remain in Spring Hill. Losing them was a major concern for those who lobbied so hard for an independent fire district.

Voters approved the referendum by more than 57 percent - 25,345 voted yes compared to 19,067 who voted no.

"It was a group effort and we came together like I haven't seen in the years I've been here," said Local 2794 Union President Troy Hagar. "It's not over yet. We've still got to get this to Tallahassee and get it through."

Now that the referendum has passed, the Legislature must approve a bill that would ratify Spring Hill Fire Rescue as an independent special district.

The grassroots efforts of the firefighters union and their families and friends paid dividends. There was an abundance of "vote yes" signs up and down the major streets of Spring Hill, not to mention the number of supporters who stood along street corners holding their own signs. The "vote no" group was grossly outnumbered.

Twenty of the union members and their families got together at a post-election party Tuesday night at one of the firefighter's houses. Hagar was watching over a box of cigars he was ready to break open after the remaining precinct results were released shortly after 9 p.m.

"What won people over is that in the past they asked them if they wanted an independent district or have everything to go back to normal," said Hagar. "It was understood this time things would change and they would lose that local control."

In 1992, the referendum failed by less than 7 percent of the vote.

Ten years later, with 285 fewer people casting a vote, the split was much wider. Nearly 62 percent of the 29,225 voters chose no. The difference was almost 24 percent.

This time, the total number of votes was more than 50 percent higher, likely because it coincided with a presidential election and several key local elections.

The results of the referendum vote also means those Spring Hill fire commissioner candidates with the most votes will occupy three of the five seats on the board.

Amy Brosnan led them all with 20,642 votes. John Pasquale and incumbent Rob Giammarco finished second and third with 17,027 and 14,438 votes, respectively.

Giammarco edged out fourth-place finisher Ben Edwards by 496 votes.

The other incumbent, George Biro, finished a distant fifth. James Monk was sixth.

"The referendum vote makes me more excited because it means the people believe in what they created more than 40 years ago," said Brosnan, 29, who watched the election results with her parents and grandparents. "I really plan to bring some common sense back to the board. I'll make sure we make wise decisions with people's money and give them the excellent service they're used to."

Spring Hill Fire Rescue Referendum

Yes for an independent district - 25,345 (57 percent)

No for an independent district - 19,067 (43 percent)

Fire commissioner candidate results

Amy Brosnan - 20,642

John Pasquale - 17,027

Rob Giammarco - 14,438

Ben Edwards - 13,942

George Biro - 10,810

James Monk - 9,645

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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