The Hicksville Fire District will hold a runoff election next week to determine who will garner the position of fire commissioner after last month's race resulted in a tie between incumbent Bobby Dwyer and challenger Bob Manson. A total of 1,742 residents voted on Dec. 13, 2005 with 871 people voting for Dwyer and 871 voting for Manson. Under Section 174 of Town of Oyster Bay Law, a runoff election must be held within 45 days of the first election. As a result, voting will take place from 4 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at Hicksville Fire District headquarters located on East Marie Street (across from Peppercorns). Profiles on both candidates appeared, in their entirety, in the Dec. 9, 2005 edition of the Hicksville Illustrated News and can be viewed online at http://www.antonnews.com/hicksvilleillustratednews/2005/12/09/news/. In an effort to provide residents of the Hicksville Fire District with candidate information, condensed bios on both Dwyer and Manson are printed below.

Lifelong Hicksville resident Robert Dwyer has been a volunteer in the Hicksville Fire Department for 33 years and has served as fire commissioner for 20 years. Since 1973, Dwyer has been employed by the Town of Oyster Bay and currently serves as supervisor of the parks department. He has been an active member of the community, serving as a member of various community and athletic organizations and is also active with the New York State and International Fire Chiefs, the Fire Department Safety Officers and the National Fire Protection Associations.

Dwyer is seeking re-election to continue helping the district and fire department "move forward with the strides already made to be number one in the state and the county and continue the training and equipment projects currently in line," he said. "I want to continue seeing Hicksville outshine other departments and show our taxpayers we are the best." According to Dwyer, the fire district needs someone knowledgeable of the community's history and needs. "If you are going to be a commissioner, you have to know the needs of the community. You have to be involved. You have to hear the concerns and complaints of the community. I personally know the heartbeat of this community," he said.

Dwyer points out that although the Hicksville Fire District's tax bill is among the highest in the county, the average Hicksville household pays just 66 cents a day or $241 a year for fire and EMS protection with the remainder of the tax burden picked up by commercial property owners. In addition, he stated that the fire district's tax rate will decrease significantly once a federal lawsuit regarding the Length of Service Award Program is settled in 2006.

If re-elected, Dwyer said continued training and recruitment will be among his top priorities along with increased communication with taxpayers. "We need to send home the message of what the Hicksville Fire Department and District are all about. We are more than just a fire department and we need to let people know who we are, what we do and what we provide for 66 cents a day is remarkable. We have a Haz-Mat team. We have four ambulances on the road well trained. We have our own dispatch team so that we can prevent delays. All of this comes into play," Dwyer said.

According to the commissioner, he is the candidate of choice because he personally knows the heartbeat of the community and has " spent the last 15 years making sure the community is safe and keeping up with the changing times." He said he is proud to be both a member and commissioner of one of the finest volunteer fire departments in the country.

Bob Manson, a resident of Hicksville for the past 44 years, is seeking election to the position of Hicksville Fire Commissioner. In 1997, Manson retired as a four-star chief with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) where he served as a chief officer for 22 of his nearly 40-year career. He was a past member of Hicksville's Company #7, serving from 1971 to 1972, and is currently involved with the Knights of Columbus Joseph Barry Council and the Holy Name Society.

Manson believes his 37 years of experience in both field and administrative roles with the FDNY - serving as chief of fire prevention, chief of maintenance and acting chief of department - would make him an asset to residents of the Hicksville Fire District. According to the candidate, lack of public interest and awareness among residents about how the fire district is managed is one of the biggest problems facing the fire district.

"It is critical that the taxpayers and firefighters be informed and involved in the administration of their fire department and district," he said "... While the safety of our firefighters must and will always be ensured, we cannot continue to overtax Hicksville taxpayers."

If elected, Manson said he "will work to establish a liaison with the Hicksville community through the various community groups to act with the leaders of these groups to ensure that our residents are informed and involved in the function of the Hicksville Fire District." As fire commissioner, Manson said he will "closely examine and evaluate all future fire district budgets [and] use experience as a firefighter and officer in the busiest fire companies in the FDNY to ensure all necessary funding for the safety of our firefighters and the Hicksville residents is always provided, while using my administrative experience to eliminate unnecessary spending."

As fire commissioner, Manson said he would ensure that Hicksville firefighters are properly equipped and trained without overburdening taxpayers. One way to reduce costs, said Manson, would be to take a closer look at the budget and determine what is and isn't necessary. While saying that all items listed on the current budget could very well be "legitimate," Manson said it would not hurt to take a closer look. Additionally, he suggests reviewing the district's replacement policy when it comes to purchasing new equipment such as trucks. He believes they should be purchased over a period of time rather than all at once. He does not, however, suggest cutting costs that would affect firefighter safety. "Whatever [the members] need for safety I am certainly in favor of. I put a lot of fires out. I am well aware of the dangers of putting fires out so the members' safety is my first concern," he said.