The Hicksville Board of Fire Commissioners will not be extending its voting hours for the district's commissioner elections, which will take place this year on Tuesday, Dec. 14. On Nov. 2, the board passed a motion to keep the voting hours at 6 to 9 p.m., despite a signed petition submitted late last month by the Briggs Neighborhood Committee requesting that voting hours be extended. The over 500 residents who signed the petition were in favor of extending voting hours to 1 to 9 p.m.

During the meeting, Commissioner Joe Giardina made a motion, which was seconded by Commissioner William McKee, to approve the voting hours from 6 to 9 p.m. along with a resolution designating tellers for the election. Both motions were initially passed 2 to 1, with Commissioner Charley Hearon voting against and Commissioner Anthony Wigdzinski absent. Commissioner Robert Dwyer, the board's chairman, arrived late to the meeting and in voting to keep the hours the same, became the deciding vote needed for a board majority.

Dwyer said that he could not have seconded the motion for the change because he could not have "sustained the validity of the petitions," adding that they were submitted with the addresses whited-out.

According to Terry Tietjen of the Briggs Neighborhood Committee, the board's decision to reject a request by the more than 500 citizens who signed the petitions is both disappointing and baffling. "This simple and reasonable change is well within the power of the board to approve... ," she said. "To date, there has been no logical explanation from the fire district as to why this simple, reasonable and necessary request has been denied."

Tietjen continued, "The board recently voted to rebuild Station 2 at a cost of more than $5 million because they feel it is necessary to the safety of the volunteers. Increasing the fire tax by 32 percent [or] $1.5 million, making Hicksville among the highest budgeted volunteer districts on Long Island, and ignoring a simple request from the community that supports and appreciates the efforts of our volunteers requires explanation. The extension of the voting hours would not incur any incremental expense to the fire district and taxpayers because the fee for the voting machines is per diem and members of the NorthWest Civic Association and the Briggs Neighborhood Committee have volunteered their time as tellers at the polls. "

Above all, the Briggs Committee believes that the voting hours should have been changed to accommodate local seniors who do not want to go out and vote when it is cold and dark. "Our senior citizens are our most civic-minded population. They, above all, understand the importance of voting in local elections and are most inclined to take the time to do so," said Tietjen. "They deserve consideration and respect."

According to Dwyer, with the exception of the above-mentioned petition, the Hicksville Fire District has not, as of press time, received correspondence from any senior group requesting that voting hours be changed. In addition, the deadline to change voting hours was Nov. 5.