[Letter by Chris Connor, Fall City. Views expressed are those of the author, not the Living Snoqualmie website. You may submit letters of support for your candidate to info@livingsnoqualmie.com]
Please join me in supporting Dan Meredith for Fire Commissioner for Fall City Fire District 27 (King County Fire District 27).
I recently retired from Fall City Fire District 27 after serving over four decades. In that time, I had the opportunity to work with about a dozen or so different Fire Commissioners, each with a variety of education, work skills, and leadership abilities.
Dan Meredith ranks at the top and has developed a deep understanding of the issues concerning the District.
Dan has over fourteen years of experience with OUR combination, Career and Volunteer Fire Department. He has a strong financial background and a comprehensive understanding of the various tax levies, funding mechanisms and laws which apply to Fire Districts.
Dan was instrumental in the process to recruit and hire our new Fire Chief and has consistently worked to ensure that the District has the resources we need to be strong and successful. Dan has been endorsed by the Fall City Career and Volunteer Firefighters.
Let’s keep Dan working for us as our Fire Commissioner.
Chris Connor, Retired Fire Chief for King County Fire District 27 – Fall City
Comments
NOPE. Robert Angrisano is the commissioner that will keep us strong and independent, listen to residents, and respond to our questions or concerns. He WILL NOT entertain contracting us away. Did you know commissioners can do that without a vote of the people, essentially gutting our Fire Department? Robert’s opponent pushed to meet with Issaquah/District10 EFR after the merger was defeated by the voters. His plan was spoiled when another commissioner insisted he attend, in turn making any meeting public and transparent. Robert’s opponent replied “what’s the point” and no such meeting happened. I was never so disgusted as when myself and other residents attending board meetings were referred to by Robert’s opponent as a “small insignificant group”. With one other Commissioner still on the board that voted to put the merger on the ballot, I believe if Robert’s opponent is re-elected, he will attempt to contract us away to Issaquah/District10 EFR.
Dan Meredith bowed to the pressure of the Firefighters Union when he voted to put the merger on the ballot to give our Fall City Fire Department away to Issaquah District 10 and turn the operations of the department over to Eastside Fire and Rescue (EF&R). His reasons were that the funding of our Fire Department was unsustainable and there was no way to provide the staffing, training, and equipment needed to continue operations.
This is when the “Friends of Fall City Fire” group was formed. When the operating budget and taxing proposal were presented to the Fall City Commissioners by Issaquah District 10 and EF&R, our group reviewed the proposal and found significant inconsistencies and flaws. Public Records Requests to both our fire department and EF&R revealed that no back-up data existed to validate their claims! Their Chief even admitted that the data “doesn’t exist,” while Dan Meredith assured the community he had seen the data behind the proposal and believed the numbers were valid. Yet the truth is the data never existed, so how can Dan Meredith claim that he evaluates plans “using logical, fact-based analysis”?
If Dan Meredith has a “strong financial background and a comprehensive understanding of the various tax levies, funding mechanisms and laws which apply to Fire Districts”, why couldn’t he successfully manage our Fire Department, and provide the financing needed for staffing, training, and equipment? When the citizens voted down the merger, it was Friends of Fall City Fire that rallied the community to support the maintenance and operations levy needed to significantly improve our Fire Department.
The Firefighters Union want Dan Meredith to sign a ten-year contract for service with EF&R and turn over all our assets and people to EF&R to operate as they see fit. When the Firefighter Union endorses a candidate to try and influence an election, that Commissioner is indebted to the Firefighters Union not the citizens. Friends of Fall City Fire is not ok with this and supports Robert Angrisano for Fall City Fire Commissioner. He will assure we say independent and strong.