On May 4, voters in the Falcon Fire Protection District will elect three board members: two for a four-year term and one for a two-year term.The board’s current president, Mike Collins, and board member, Dana Bramhall, are not up for re-election. Their terms are up in 2012, said Trent Harwig, Falcon’s fire chief.Voting will take place at Falcon fire station No. 1 at the corner of Old Meridian Road and Highway 24 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters who have picked up a mail-in ballot can drop it off at the fire station on Election Day.FROM THE CANDIDATESFour-year termFive candidates are running for two four-year positions. Two candidates will be chosen by popular vote.Larry Robley, owner, A1 Lock & Key in Falcon, appointed to the board in 2008The past year has been filled with challenges and opportunities for the Falcon Fire Protection District. We’ve made tremendous advances in many key areas. The much-needed new fire station is nearing completion on schedule and on budget. With the recent hiring of three new battalion chiefs, we now have 24/7 chief-level, operational oversight as well as additional administrative support.We’ve recently added a volunteer EMS-only division to the district. This allows persons with an EMS background to volunteer to run medical calls without obtaining extensive and time-consuming firefighter training.All of these things have been accomplished without increasing the mill levy. These are difficult times for many of the district’s citizens. It’s imperative that we, as a board, continue to find solutions to challenges without increasing the tax burden to our citizens.As we move forward, the coming years are certain to provide new challenges. We’ll likely be facing diminished revenues due to declining home values. We must position ourselves to face this challenge by maintaining adequate reserves and exercising fiscal restraint.It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to serve on this board. I hope I’ve earned enough support of the voters to continue for the next four years.Chris Bebb, firefighterI volunteered for the Falcon Fire Protection District in 1995, and right now I work part-time as a firefighter for Black Forest Fire and Rescue.Strong community values are important to me. Falcon is my community, and I just want to get back to it. The district is going in the right direction, and with the right people on the board, it can continue to grow that way. To me, that means strong community values and a strong focus on training.Alex Donnell, president, Comprehensive Wealth ManagementI’m running for the board to keep the district moving into the future, even though we’re soon likely to see a downturn in revenue like we’ve never seen before.Countywide, the El Paso County Assessor’s Office anticipates a 10 percent revenue downturn due to dropping property values.Because they’re the most populous areas in the district, I looked at 10 random properties in Meridian Ranch and another 10 in Woodmen Hills. I think we’re actually looking at a 30 percent downturn in revenue. That’s a major concern.When I was on the board four years ago, every year, we put a portion of revenue in a rainy day fund. I don’t know if they’re still doing it, but if elected, I will urge the board to keep a rainy day fund.If revenue will be down by as much as $240,000, the district will have to continue building its volunteer side. It’s good to see they’ve gotten more EMT volunteers. I’d like to see that continue to grow.I want to make sure our tax dollars are being put to the best possible use, not for tomorrow or the day after, but for years down the road. The current board is missing that kind of insight.David Kelly Starkman, owner, Picket Fence Lawn & LandscapeI was appointed to the board 18 months ago. My father was a fireman. I grew up around the firehouse. In the late 80s and early 90s, I was a firefighter and volunteer lieutenant for the Westcott fire district. When I was asked to apply, it was a natural thing to do.When I came in, the situation was really troubling. I think we’ve cured a lot of that and got things going in the direction they should be going.I feel real honored to be serving among them. They’re a great bunch of folks, both management and the firefighters.We’ve made a lot of progress and changes that are going to pay off for years to come.I want to continue to serve and lay the foundation for the future of our department. There’s a lot of pride in being able to say I helped make things good and did the right thing for the community.We have to have a long-term solution for Claremont Ranch; we can’t just rely on an intergovernmental agreement. We have to figure out how we’re going to do it in a fiscally responsible way.It’s going to be real challenging in the next few years, but we have to make level-headed good decisions to keep us on solid ground for the future.Phillip Theodore, satellite systems engineerI decided to run after I attended board meetings last year when things were pretty volatile between the board and the firefighters.I’ve not been associated with any sort of boards in the past or anything on the firefighter side, so one of my strengths is that I can bring in a completely independent viewpoint.My military background in the Army for nine years has given me a lot of experience and understanding of hierarchical organizations. From my observations, the board seemed to be delving into operational aspects instead of letting the people who have the responsibilities perform their duties.I view the board as the administrative arm of the district. It gives the chief and the firefighters the training and equipment they need to fulfill the mission, which is protecting the community.The board’s job is to equip firefighters to do their job, and not micromanage what they do.Actions speak louder than words, so I would ask these questions as a way of resolving disputes:Do your actions demonstrate your dedication to your mission as a firefighter or your role as a board member?What message are we sending as a group to the members of the community?Two-year termTwo candidates are running for one two-year position. One candidate will be elected.Carl Bebb, retiredI served on the Falcon fire district board four years ago for two terms, a total of eight years.I’m knowledgeable of the area and I think I’m qualified. I ran for the board again because I think there’s some unfinished business out in Claremont Ranch. When I was on the board four years ago, we had plans to put a station in Claremont Ranch and that seems to have disappeared.The declining revenues that have been forecast for the area are an issue. The budget is going to have to be pretty carefully looked at because there just isn’t going to be as much money to operate on as there has been in the past. These things go in cycles, but you never know how long a cycle is going to last.I was part of the citizens’ advisory committee that wrote the Falcon/Peyton comprehensive plan in the 90s. Then, I served seven or eight years on the county planning commission.Casey Shifflet, paramedic field training officerI’m concerned about the department’s future direction. The board needs to have members who are fair and equitable. I think that’s what’s been lacking in years past.I became interested in running for the board when they were having some personnel problems. I didn’t think the board needed to be in that mess. That’s what the chief is for. I want to try to insulate the firefighters and the chief from that.Board members need to look at all sides of the issue before making decisions. We expect our firefighters to be professionals. We should expect no less from the board.Trent Harwig is a good, competent chief. His captains and lieutenants are professional firefighters and there are really good firefighters under those guys.The board has a specific job to do that doesn’t have anything to do with the day-to-day operation of the fire department. That’s the chief’s job, and the chief should be allowed to do it.My major concerns are equipping the firefighters with what they need to do their job safely – and community education to prevent fires.I’m interested in helping the department move forward on the money we’ve got and making the best use of the volunteers.
