Write-in candidate Joseph Szot won the Jamesport Fire Commissioner election yesterday, defeating the sole candidate on the ballot Jim Kane by a vote of 96 to 63.
A proposition to change the position of district treasurer from an elected post to one appointed by the board of commissioners was defeated, 79 to 54.
“I would just like to thank everyone who took time out of their day and supported me,” Szot said this morning.
“I’m looking forward to a productive five years.”
Kane, who served as a commissioner for 30 years, announced before the election that he intended to decline to serve if he won. He cited what he called a nasty campaign against him by some in — and out of — the department, though he said Szot was not part of it.
Kane said he was not necessarily opposed to eliminating the department’s rescue unit, which is something the commissioners have discussed as a cost-saving measure. The idea is controversial among members of the department and others in the community. Szot came out in opposition.
“It’s absolutely a bad thing,” he said in an interview Monday, citing traffic congestion on local roads, especially during the peak of the late summer and fall tourist season.
Jamesport Fire Department Rescue provides first responder EMTs to all emergency calls, while Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps provides ambulance transport.
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