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Hernando Today

Fire Commissioner Race Is Varied

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By TONY HOLT Hernando Today

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 26, 2008

SPRING HILL - It is not known whether there will even be a Spring Hill Fire Rescue Board beyond this year.

Nonetheless, it's a crowded race for the three open fire commissioner seats.

There are two incumbents - one appointed by the county and the other who ran unopposed.

Also in the six-person race is a fire inspector for Hillsborough County, an office manager, a Korean War veteran and a retired New York firefighter.

One of the incumbents, Rob Giammarco, 58, vowed earlier this year he would step down if residents vote "yes" on a referendum that would make the fire district independent from the county.

Since then, he has seen the number of like-minded residents show up to meetings in larger numbers. He feels he is the one who best represents them. He will not rescind his seat if he is elected and the independence vote passes.

"I'm not going to step down," he said with less than three weeks before the Nov. 4 election. "Someone needs to keep a watchful eye and be a steward of their money. I think I've proven I can do that."

Giammarco is the only one in the race who is opposed to independence. He would rather see the fire board dissolved and the county move toward a consolidation of the county's fire departments.

He often runs separate from the pack. He consistently is the only board member not to approve the agenda at every meeting. He voted against the budget, as well as the union contract.

George Biro, who also sits on the board, has been an outspoken critic of Giammarco. One of the rare instances of agreement between the two came in January, when both of them made motions to reject former Chief J.J. Morrison's contract.

Biro, 65, said it was "time for some new blood."

He served in the department from 1975 to 1998 before retiring as a captain. He has been on the board since 2004. Considering the district is criticized for instituting a "good-old-boy's network," Biro was asked whether he was emblematic of the need for new blood.

He believes in the bigger picture.

"Me being on the board isn't the important thing," Biro said. "What's important is having this department become independent.

"I (ran) because I knew I could do some good for the public," he continued. "The department was good to me ... It's been around for almost 40 years. It has a bunch of dedicated men and women who are out there serving their community."

Budgeting skills and firefighting experience

Amy Brosnan attends mostly every public meeting involving Spring Hill Fire Rescue, including one union negotiation during the summer.

"I believe in being educated and I think the people of Spring Hill should be educated on what goes on with their fire department," she said, pointing out that an independent district would mean local oversight from an elected board.

Brosnan, 29, is an office manager and bookkeeper at a local accounting firm and thinks her professional experience gives her a unique insight compared to the other candidates.

"I'm not a firefighter or medical personnel," she said. "I bring budgeting skills ... My goal is to spend people's money wisely and with common sense."

John Pasquale would bring front-line experience to the board. He served with the New York Fire Department for more than 30 years.

He also has experience teaching fire safety and terrorism awareness, he said.

"The firefighters in Spring Hill are very well trained," said Pasquale, 74. "They are very intelligent men. They would be an asset to the New York Fire Department. They are as qualified as all the firefighters in my fire house."

He has lived in Spring Hill for 14 years. In that time, he has attended up to four meetings, but he spoke twice during the last town hall meeting and sparked a thunderous applause.

While he is unafraid to show emotion, he often finds himself surprised at how issues swirling over the department can cause so much uproar. He is more accustomed to seeing the public united behind a fire department, not seeing them splinter into two groups with one side arguing for independence and the other side demanding consolidation.

"It's mindboggling," he said.

He, like Brosnan, sides with those who want to see it become independent, because he believes they are the ones who best appreciate what firefighters live through.

"Those people love that fire department," Pasquale said.

Independence is easier than consolidation, and better, candidates say

Ben Edwards, 57, is a fire inspector at Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. He served with Polk County before that and got his first taste of fire department life while a volunteer in Long Island, N.Y.

One of his first complaints of the current Spring Hill fire board was its lack of openness with the public. One example was its failure to distribute copies of the budget before the vote.

"I think they're a little bit more of the old school," he said. "They're like, 'Trust us, we're going to do it our way.' More information really needs to be getting to the public."

While employed with Polk County Fire Rescue, he found out about the arduous task of overseeing a merger. He would prefer to see his own fire department keep its fire board and operate independently from the county.

Edwards has lived in Spring Hill since 1994. He chose to run for fire commissioner because he believes in public service.

"I like to give back to my community," he said.

The same goes for Jim Monk, 78, who regularly attends board meetings and can always be counted on for a public comment.

He is known in the community for organizing an annual golf tournament that raises scholarship money for local student athletes. He is a Korean War veteran and previously worked for General Electric and the local extension office.
Spring Hill Fire Rescue has responded to his home for a variety of medical calls, he said.

"Many times they have been there for me and my wife," he said.

Like Edwards, he complains the fire board fails to keep the public informed. He also thinks they are too willing to approve motions without adequate discussion or research.

"I think the board just passes everything," Monk said. "I think that costs us money."

It is during his public comments that he often derides the county commissioners. He does not want to see the independence fail because that would mean it would fall under the control of the county.

Although there is an ordinance in place that prevents them from redistributing assets and personnel, he still thinks the commissioners will find a way to work around it.

"I don't trust them," he said. "All they would need to do is pass a new ordinance and they could take our assets away."

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

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