Fire district holding first election

PORT HENRY | The new Port Henry Fire District #3 will have its first election of commissioners since it was created. The district, created following the dissolution of the Village of Port Henry on March 31, oversees the Port Henry Volunteer Fire Department, which had been owned by the village. The commissioners also prepare the department's annual operating budget. The five-member Board of Fire Commissioners was originally appointed by the Village Board and Moriah Town Council before the village dissolved, with the understanding an election would be held at the end of the year. The election, open to eligible residents of the Port Henry Fire District, is from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12 at the fire station on Church Street. Also on the ballot is establishment of a capital reserve fund, to be placed on district property taxes, to finance new trucks, equipment, and a new fire house. The amount of the fund is not specified, and would be determined when the commissioners compile a budget for the district. The current fire district tax rate is $1.32 per $1,000 of assessment. Seven candidates are running for the five commissioner seats: incumbents Frank Slycord, Carl Gibraldi, Ronald Mitchell and Stephan Pelkey and challengers Ronald Nesbitt Jr., William Ball Sr., and Phillip Smith. Commissioner Thomas Edwards is not seeking election. Of the candidates, Nesbitt is fire company president and Smith is a captain. Besides the two ballot questions for a capital reserve fund, the referendum also asks if the fire commission treasurer should be an appointive, rather than elected, office. Only residents of the fire district registered to vote on or before Nov. 20 with the Essex County Board of Elections are eligible to cast ballots. Since this is the first district election, terms are for one to five years, depending on highest to lowest number of winning votes.

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Fire district holding first election

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