Elections could change players in Eastside Fire & Rescue
August 11, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
By J.B. Wogan
The body that determines fire protection policy for Sammamish, and takes millions of the city’s tax dollars, could experience a shake up after November.
At least two of the nine current Eastside Fire & Rescue board of directors will not return to the board next year: Sammamish City Councilman Lee Fellinge and Issaquah City Councilman David Kappler. Both men decided not to run for re-election in 2009.
“Continuity for EFR is really an important issue. I think all of the partners have tried to keep that in mind,” Fellinge said. “It takes a long time to understand what’s really going on.”
Fellinge has been one of two Sammamish representatives on the regional fire agency’s policy-making board for nearly six years. Kappler has been on the board since the organization’s inception in 1999.
Fellinge estimated it took him about a year of attending meetings before he grasped the culture of fire departments, the dynamics of the board, and the structure of the organization.
“It can be very time consuming,” he said.
EFR is a regional fire agency that covers Sammamish, Issaquah, North Bend, as well as two fire districts in unincorporated King County. The position is such a time drain, Fellinge said, that in 2007 he recalled spending more time on the agency’s interlocal agreement than he did on City Council issues.
Aside from Fellinge, Sammamish has delegated EFR responsibilities to Deputy Mayor Jack Barry, who is running for re-election but has an opponent. Mayor Don Gerend and City Councilwoman Kathy Huckabay are past members of the EFR board; when the city first joined EFR, former City Councilman Ron Hayworth also sat on the board.
But institutional knowledge of EFR on the Sammamish City Council will run the risk of being lost this November with Fellinge and Huckabay not running and both Gerend and Barry having challengers.
Fire Chief Lee Soptich said the impact of the upcoming election might be similar to EFR’s first few years, when its policy-making board had more than 50 percent turnover about every year.
“It was just a disaster,” Soptich said. “It was very frustrating to staff and very frustrating to the other board members.”
Sammamish has a major financial stake in the fire agency and has relied on Fellinge and Barry to represent the city’s interests even when they conflicted with the interests of other EFR partners.
Sammamish has contributed about $36.9 million to EFR since joining the agency in 2001. A 2008 financial report from the city noted that fire and police protection services represented the single biggest increase in general fund expenditures.
Sammamish’s contribution jumped $355,746 between 2007 and 2008 (from $4.9 million to $5.3 million).
The Sammamish City Council has already asked that future increases not exceed 5 percent per year, which is reflected in its 2009-2010 budget.
EFR administration has requested that cities like Sammamish keep the same representatives on EFR’s board, allowing them to become experts on fire protection policy, said EFR Board Chair Ron Pedee.
EFR Deputy Jeff Griffin said EFR’s partners sometimes send new representatives to the board even if elections aren’t in play.
“Sometimes it causes us to go back over ground to get everybody caught up. But it’s not a big negative. We always get good quality folks,” Griffin said.
Kappler agreed that he didn’t think it would be a problem.
“I know they like to have consistency, but at the same time, a new set of eyes and a new set of perspectives is also good,” Kappler said. In Issaquah’s case, City Councilwomen Eileen Barber and Maureen McCarry both have experience on the EFR board, as does City Councilman Fred Butler. Butler is not up for re-election this year; Barber is running unopposed in her election race, and McCarry is running but has an opponent.
But in the worst-case scenario, EFR would lose three board members (about one third of the board) to the elections process — still better than 50 percent turnover.
“These last three years it’s been far more stable,” Soptich said.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com. To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.
The body that determines fire protection policy for Sammamish, and takes millions of the city’s tax dollars, could experience a shake up after November.
At least two of the nine current Eastside Fire & Rescue board of directors will not return to the board next year: Sammamish City Councilman Lee Fellinge and Issaquah City Councilman David Kappler. Both men decided not to run for re-election in 2009.
“Continuity for EFR is really an important issue. I think all of the partners have tried to keep that in mind,” Fellinge said. “It takes a long time to understand what’s really going on.”
Fellinge has been one of two Sammamish representatives on the regional fire agency’s policy-making board for nearly six years. Kappler has been on the board since the organization’s inception in 1999.
Fellinge estimated it took him about a year of attending meetings before he grasped the culture of fire departments, the dynamics of the board, and the structure of the organization.
“It can be very time consuming,” he said.
EFR is a regional fire agency that covers Sammamish, Issaquah, North Bend, as well as two fire districts in unincorporated King County. The position is such a time drain, Fellinge said, that in 2007 he recalled spending more time on the agency’s interlocal agreement than he did on City Council issues.
Aside from Fellinge, Sammamish has delegated EFR responsibilities to Deputy Mayor Jack Barry, who is running for re-election but has an opponent. Mayor Don Gerend and City Councilwoman Kathy Huckabay are past members of the EFR board; when the city first joined EFR, former City Councilman Ron Hayworth also sat on the board.
But institutional knowledge of EFR on the Sammamish City Council will run the risk of being lost this November with Fellinge and Huckabay not running and both Gerend and Barry having challengers.
Fire Chief Lee Soptich said the impact of the upcoming election might be similar to EFR’s first few years, when its policy-making board had more than 50 percent turnover about every year.
“It was just a disaster,” Soptich said. “It was very frustrating to staff and very frustrating to the other board members.”
Sammamish has a major financial stake in the fire agency and has relied on Fellinge and Barry to represent the city’s interests even when they conflicted with the interests of other EFR partners.
Sammamish has contributed about $36.9 million to EFR since joining the agency in 2001. A 2008 financial report from the city noted that fire and police protection services represented the single biggest increase in general fund expenditures.
Sammamish’s contribution jumped $355,746 between 2007 and 2008 (from $4.9 million to $5.3 million).
The Sammamish City Council has already asked that future increases not exceed 5 percent per year, which is reflected in its 2009-2010 budget.
EFR administration has requested that cities like Sammamish keep the same representatives on EFR’s board, allowing them to become experts on fire protection policy, said EFR Board Chair Ron Pedee.
EFR Deputy Jeff Griffin said EFR’s partners sometimes send new representatives to the board even if elections aren’t in play.
“Sometimes it causes us to go back over ground to get everybody caught up. But it’s not a big negative. We always get good quality folks,” Griffin said.
Kappler agreed that he didn’t think it would be a problem.
“I know they like to have consistency, but at the same time, a new set of eyes and a new set of perspectives is also good,” Kappler said. In Issaquah’s case, City Councilwomen Eileen Barber and Maureen McCarry both have experience on the EFR board, as does City Councilman Fred Butler. Butler is not up for re-election this year; Barber is running unopposed in her election race, and McCarry is running but has an opponent.
But in the worst-case scenario, EFR would lose three board members (about one third of the board) to the elections process — still better than 50 percent turnover.
“These last three years it’s been far more stable,” Soptich said.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
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