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Voters in East Naples Fire Control and Rescue District will choose from three candidates for Seat 5 on the board when they go to the polls, Nov. 4.

Fireboard races are nonpartisan and the top vote getter will win the seat. The race will pit incumbent Karen Miller, a resident of Royal Wood, against Robert Hughes, who resides in Blue Sky’s Estates, and Holly Gursoy, of Lely.

Commissioners meet at 5:30 p.m., the second Tuesday of the month, at Station 20, 4798 Davis Blvd. For their service, board members receive $500 a month and health benefits during their four-year terms.

Miller

Karen Miller

Incumbent Karen Miller was appointed in May 2007 to fill Seat 5, following the departure of Commissioner Dave Davenport.

“I thought I might be a good candidate with my background in health care and what I do in the community,” said Miller. “I thought it would be good experience and build my knowledge of the community.”

Miller said the job of the fire district has grown through the years and isn’t just about the fire industry.

“We run medical calls and teach people CPR, etc. That’s where I have something to contribute to the community,” she says.

A registered nurse, Miller serves as director of education at Physician’s Regional Hospital, where she teaches healthcare providers new technology and protocol.

“It goes beyond hospital work,” she explains of her position. “I work with fire departments, colleges and businesses, training their staff.”

Miller said that while it is always appropriate to look at ways to cut areas of the district’s budget, the board has done a good job of trimming it, so far.

“I can’t pinpoint any one area that needs to be cut, but there are many things that will come back before the board for approval,” she says. “We always bring the economy into play before we hire or make a purchase. We always ask if we really need this service, equipment or person, or can we make do until things get better.”

On the issue of consolidation of the five independent fire districts, county and city emergency service agencies that serve Collier, Miller says the concept is more complicated than it sounds.

“There are some big differences between the districts, but it sounds like consolidation is needed,” she says, adding she is undecided whether fire districts should have control of EMS, but advocates each district having a designated individual work with EMS to make sure all paramedic personnel have equal training.

Miller says her biggest concern is how the economy will affect the district’s service level.

“Yes, the economy has changed, but this community is still growing,” she says.

An eight-year East Naples resident, Miller and her husband Michael have two children, Katie, 6, and Andrew, 4.

Hughes

Robert L. Hughes

A 28-year veteran of the fire service, including eight as chief in Chelmsford, Mass., Bob Hughes served on the ENFD board from 1998-2006, when he was unseated by Rob Boyer.

“I’ve spent my life in firefighting,” he said of his reason for running for office. “It’s what I love.”

Hughes has reviewed the budget for the coming year and believes the board has done a good job cutting it by more than $1 million to stay in line with reductions in ad valorem taxes and impact fees, and losses from larger homestead exemptions.

“They lowered the millage rate, too,” he said. “They’re working with what we collected last year, but because nothing’s being built now, revenues will automatically go down again next year.”

His biggest concern is seeing the district through fiscal year 2009-10.

“Financially the district is in very good shape; we had good future planning and didn’t spend like other districts did when times were good,” he says. “We were looking at building an administration building. Luckily, nothing got done because of the county’s extreme permitting requirements. Things right now are okay because we budget forward, but the next year, I hope we’ll be able to maintain the high level of service.”

Hughes is convinced consolidation is the way to go, but questions the progress of the current study.

“I’m not sure how far they’ve gone. A lot of people who were originally involved with it aren’t there anymore,” he says. “Consolidation involves many things, not just the tax base.”

Hughes supports a fire-based EMS, but wonders if the fire districts want to take on the expense.

“It would be a major undertaking. Their (EMS) total operating cost is phenomenal,” he says. “The county commission had to kick in an extra $2.5 million over budget to keep them in business. EMS has got a lot of high-paid personnel with unbelievable salaries that would have to be absorbed. I’m not sure the fire departments can afford it.”

Hughes and his wife Jeanne have three grown children.

Gursoy

Holly Gursoy

A 21-year resident of the district, this is Holly Gursoy’s second run for fire board, having campaigned in 2006.

A homemaker for the past 18 years, Gursoy has a bachelor’s degree in commercial recreation from the State University of New York College at Brockport and worked as a recreation manager for the Marriott Corporation prior to marriage.

Gursoy said although she has no particular fire and rescue or medical background and has attended few fire board meetings, she chose to run for fire board as a way to get involved in her community.

“I’ve always been civically involved and have been looking for something to do to make an impact on the community,” she says. “I’m interested in serving on the board. Going for it once is one thing; going for it twice shows a continuing interest. I can look at things objectively because I have no loyalties or connections to the board. I can see the big picture and how it will affect us in years to come.”

Gursoy believes the district does not have enough community awareness and public support as far as attendance at fire board meetings and said educating the public is a big objective for her.

She hesitated to comment about whether she supports a fire-based EMS. saying she has yet to gather information.

“My whole thing is public safety,” she says. “I’d find out what staff wants and needs to improve response times through better services and training. Seconds matter when you’re on scene.”

She said she feels similarly about the concept of consolidation.

“I would have to be privy to more information, before I could make any decisions,” she says. “I do know that each district has its own issues, good and bad, that need to be resolved within the district, then they could try smaller consolidations instead of an all-or-nothing approach, because some districts have more to lose or gain than others.

She admits she has not reviewed the 2008-09 budget, because she hasn’t been involved in the ongoing operation of the fire department. For the same reason, she says she won’t make suggestions on budget cuts.

“I can’t say what needs to be cut without knowing what it entails or what is being appropriated,” she says.

Gursoy and her husband John have two children, Hailey, 7, and John Spencer, 5.